Browsing in a charity shop on a brief visit to the UK, I spotted a whole box of Christmas DVDs, priced at one pound each. I didn’t have enough space, so selected just three of them, based on the blurbs on the back. We decided to watch ’The Christmas Shoes’ last night, with no idea whether it would be ultra-fluffy, or a bit magical, or perhaps a little more thought-provoking.
(Amazon UK link)
What we didn’t expect was a very poignant film that brought tears to our eyes towards the end. The viewpoint character is a high-powered American lawyer called Robert (Rob Lowe). He is fond of his young teenage daughter Lily (Amber Marshall) and keeps promising that he’ll leave work in time to get to the concerts where she’s singing. But he gets caught up in work, determined to make more and more money, so that they can buy a bigger, more luxurious house. Robert’s wife Kate (Maria del Mar) has been at home with Lily for some years and although she’s considering going back to work, she’s not keen. She would prefer to volunteer at Lily’s school.
Running alongside the scenes involving this little family are scenes from another family, less well-off but much more contented. Maggie (KImberly Williams-Paisley) is happily married to Jack (Hugh Thompson) who is a car mechanic. They have a young son called Nathan (Max Morrow). It’s clear from the start that Maggie isn’t well; she gets out of breath easily, and very tired. She works as a volunteer at Lily’s school, and directs their choir which is currently rehearsing Christmas songs.
As for the shoes of the title, they’re first seen falling off the back of a truck, and rescued by Robert. He eventually returns them to the store, where they’re seen by young Nathan who wants to buy his mother something special. Maggie, it turns out, has a very serious health condition and there’s probably nothing that can be done to save her.
The film is beautifully made, with some excellent singing, and we were particularly impressed with the child Nathan, who is entirely believable as a boy who is hoping and praying that his mother will survive, but fearful that she won’t. He’s generous, courageous and full of determination. It was some of his scenes that I found the most moving.
I thought it was quite clever the way that the two families had a lot of connections, yet never really got to know each other; Maggie and Kate do become friends as Kate starts taking over the choir; in addition, Robert’s mother lives next door to the teacher who works with Maggie, and Robert’s car is repaired by Maggie’s husband Jack. Towards the end Robert has a connection with Nathan, too, but they remain two separate families. Even at the end of the film, in a kind of epilogue, a possible connection doesn’t happen.
The film is twenty years old, and underlying it is a low-key Christian message about the real meaning of Christmas; there’s no mention of Lily’s school being a private or specifically Christian one, but since American state schools don’t do Christmas carols, other than entirely secular seasonal songs, I assume it must have been a private school.
It made a good film to see in December, one which I’m sure we’ll watch again in a few year’s time. I don't think I'd heard of any of the actors before, but was impressed with them all.
Definitely recommended if you like this kind of slightly schmaltzy film.
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