The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey (Luke Ward-Wilkinson)

(Amazon UK link)

In the UK early in December last year, I was browsing in a charity shop when I found some Christmas films I had never heard of, costing one pound each. I checked the blurb on the back, and chose three of them. One of them was ‘The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey’, which we didn’t watch a year ago so waited until the 2023 Christmas season. We finally watched it last night. 

What a wonderful, heartwarming film it is. It’s set over 100 years ago, in the United States, so we were surprised to learn, seeing the credits at the end, that it was made in the UK. Moreover, the majority of the actors were British rather than American, which probably explains why some of the accents didn’t feel entirely authentic. 

But that’s my only (very minor) gripe with the film, which is beautifully portrayed, a mixture of poignancy and redemption, with a little low-key humour here and there in some of the interactions. The undoubted star of the film is a ten-year-old boy called Thomas (Luke Ward-Wilkinson) who lives in a city (I don’t think it’s stated which city) with his family who are evidently quite well off. His father has to go away to fight in World War I but writes a letter to Thomas, and promises to be back soon.

Then tragedy strikes; Thomas and his mother Susan (Joely Richardson) have to move to the country to stay with her sister Joan (Lia Williams). Thomas is not only heartbroken about his father, he must leave behind his grandfather (Ronald Pickup) and their beloved housekeeper Mrs Hickey (Jenny O’Hara). And almost worst of all, he loses his father’s carved Nativity set, which the two of them set up together every Christmas. 

Thomas is not happy in the country; one of the local boys taunts him, and he doesn’t much like having to feed chickens. He’s also a bit scared of a reclusive hermit living in a shack in the forest, a man called Jonathan Toomey (Tom Beringer). Mr Toomey is a skilled wood carver, but he arrived there out of the blue and nobody knows anything about him. So terrible rumours have arisen. But Thomas’s mother sees some of his work, and wonders if he might possibly carve a new Nativity set…

The scenery, the conversation and the sets are all beautifully done. The pace is excellent, and young Thomas is a typical grieving child, sometimes almost in tears, sometimes behaving like the lively young boy he used to be. He’s loyal, likeable and very confused. I could believe in him entirely, and empathised with his pain, and his longings, and his envy when other children’s fathers return from the war. 

Mr Toomey is also a very believable person; we, as viewers, know what has caused his hermit-like behaviour and dour attitude, as we see him imagining the past at the start of the film. His gradual thawing as he relates to Thomas and his mother works well, but the directors didn’t make the mistake of turning this into a romance or a ‘happy ever after’ story. There’s a positive outcome at the end, but the future is inconclusive. 

It’s hard to express how much we liked and appreciated this beautifully made film, one of the best Christmas films we’ve seen, and one which we certainly hope to see again in a few years. It’s suitable for all the family. The rating is U, which reflects the lack of anything ‘adult’.  There is one minor fight shown (but without any gore), and the initial theme is of war and tragedy, but there’s no bad language, nothing remotely sexual, and nothing really disturbing. 

Very highly recommended if you want an engrossing and moving Christmas film.  

Review copyright 2023 Sue's DVD Reviews