Wish for Christmas

Wish for Christmas won't win any Oscars, but it is well made and has a thought-provoking premise. This story has been told many times, and better, but Wish for Christmas gets most things right. I'm a Christian, so it may sound ironic that my biggest complaint is concerning the faith message, or rather HOW it's told. It's always tough to work that message into a script so it flows naturally. Unfortunately it feels a tad forced here. The message isn't wrong, it's just told wrong. (Uncle Paul's big talk with Anna never feels real, even though he's speaking the truth.)

Overall, Wish for Christmas is well made, the acting pretty much holds up, and the message is clear. Reading through the comments here has been a hoot. Atheists seem to be highly triggered. That tells me the message is correct, even if the delivery is a little clunky. You could do a lot worse than Wish for Christmas.

Obviously taken from It's A Wonderful Life, it's turning out to be a bad wish for Christmas that young teen Anna Frick asks for and gets. Her father and mother Joey Lawrence and Leigh Allyn Baker are both attorneys and are most generous with time and money donating their services in a lot of pro bono work. But purportedly it's because of their faith. When their daughter begs off going to church Christmas Eve because she's on the dance committee for the Christmas school clambake also scheduled for Christmas Eve, they say no.

Like Jimmy Stewart who wishes he had never been born and gets an alternative universe, Frick's wish is that her parents never became Christians. Guess what, the next day they are money grubbing secularists and real shysters. Among other things they are retained as counsel to a bank that is busy throwing people out of their homes including the parents of a boy Frick has her eye on, Ryan Boudreau.

Gradually she comes to the conclusion she does not like how her world has changed. Given this is a Christian Christmas movie with certain parameters all of course gets righted in the end.

The cast is a likable one, a good ensemble has been assembled. Get the bathtowels ready folks though you're in for Johnstown Flood type crying jag.

I'm a big fan of Joey Lawrence. It's a pretty good movie but have a real issue how it makes it look like you have to be a religious fanatic who expects a prayer to solve all of their problems instead of of making things happen yourself. That if you're an atheist you aren't caring, sympathetic, helpful. Which isn't true at all. Atheists are just as caring, sympathetic, and helpful as religious people if not more so as we do it because we care not because we fear a imaginary being. This movie makes it look like you either got to be a fanatic or a selfish, uncaring jerk. I wish they could have swung it with some kind of middle ground.

BEWARE OF FALSE REVIEWS & REVIEWERS. SOME REVIEWERS HAVE ONLY ONE REVIEW TO THEIR NAME. NOW WHEN ITS A POSITIVE REVIEW THAT TELLS ME THEY WERE INVOLVED WITH THE MOVIE. IF ITS A NEGATIVE REVIEW THEN THEY MIGHT HAVE A GRUDGE AGAINST THE FILM . NOW I HAVE REVIEWED OVER 300 HOLIDAY FILMS. I HAVE NO AGENDA.

I want to make one thing clear at the beginning of this review. I am not a fan of "organized religion". I believe that there is a God and I thank him daily. I am not a fan of some of his fans. However this also doesn't prevent from not believing in Jesus. Again I thank him daily but I do not like some of his fans as well. They always seem to use The Bible and Jesus to pass laws and "Pass judgment on people they don't Know".

Now On to the review of this movie and in a nutshell I did like this. What I like is the fact when you put something first "Above your own needs" you do become humbled and you do see the need of your place in the universe. I also love the message that "Looking down on people" doesn't make you superior.

The plot however is that a high school senior finds out from her parents that she has to miss the town's winter dance to attend Christmas Eve service at church, she successfully wishes their faith away, bringing disastrous consequences to her family and community.

"Big Brother Fans" will get a kick that Jeff Shroeder has a major role in this.

Not my favorite Christmas movie. It is a plot stolen from "It's a Wonderful Life". What was different was this is the first time I seen the plot device used on a teenager. Now I bet you are thinking "Does she change her ways"? Let's just say "The ending is typical but enjoyable".

I agree with the other reviewer that it would be a shame to listen to religiously bigoted folks and miss this delightful movie. It may have elements slightly reminiscent of other films, but they are remotely similar, at most. A fabulous reminder that what the world truly needs all year long is less Santa and more Jesus. If you think that we're all here due to an illogically intricate bunch of cosmic randomness and genetic mistakes, you'll probably hate this movie. But if you're convinced there is eternal wisdom at work and it affects everyday life, enjoy!