The Town that Cancelled Christmas (Matt McCoy)

(Amazon UK link)

Browsing a while ago for Christmas films, I came across recommendations for ‘The Town that Cancelled Christmas’. It sounded intriguing so I put it on my wishlist, and was given it for Christmas. We decided to watch it last night, with little idea what to expect.

The story starts when a couple called Norbert (Matt McCoy) and Maddie (Jane Sibbett) move into a house in a small town (I would have called it a village) called Greenlaw, in the United States.

They and their young teenage son Kevin (Hunter Gomez) are quickly welcomed by their neighbours, most of whom I had a hard time remembering, but the significant one is Donny (Adam Ferrara) who is very proud of having won a Christmas award, every year, for the best decorated house.

When Norbert hears this, he says that he has previously won a similar award in other towns - it’s fairly obvious that he’s either making this up or exaggerating, since he and his wife can’t even agree where they last lived; his son later mentions to Donny’s daughter that his father actually hates Christmas and has never decorated anywhere.

Norbert is a writer, although he doesn’t seem to get much writing done and Maddie is becoming increasingly frustrated with him. His book is about human behaviour, but he tells his new neighbours that it’s about orang-utans, not wanting them to be nervous around him.

There’s a lot of humour in the film, including a couple of places where we chuckled aloud - it’s ridiculous, of course, as is the increasing bizarreness and tawdriness of Donny’s outside display, as he determines to retain his title and crown. And when nobody can agree whose decorations are best, the story becomes increasingly silly, but still quite amusing as everything to do with Christmas is banned, and a truck drives through slowly removing trees, decorations, and everything else that might be connected.

It’s not the greatest acting. I don't think we had ever previously heard of any of the cast. But as a light evening’s entertainment it served its purpose well. The plot certainly isn’t predictable, and if some of the situations are increasingly unbelievable - including the ending - it doesn’t much matter; it's light-hearted, warm, and amusing.

I’m a bit surprised to realise that the rating is 12 as I don’t recall any bad language, nudity, or violence other than a few minor (and evidently choreographed) incidents. I can’t imagine it would be of any interest to children; other than two teenagers who are probably about fourteen, the cast are all adults. But I would have rated it PG.

Overall I thought it a good film to add to our Christmas collection, one that we’ll almost certainly watch again in two or three years’ time. It was apparently made in 2006 but feels older, somehow. I had a hard time tuning into the accents for the first few minutes of the film, but don't think I lost anything before I was able to understand them.

(The film is called ‘A Merry Little Christmas’ in some parts of the world).

Review copyright 2022 Sue's DVD Reviews

The Christmas Shoes (Rob Lowe)

(Amazon UK link)

I was browsing in a charity shop on a brief visit to the UK when 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.

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.

Review copyright 2022 Sue's DVD Reviews

Must Love Dogs (Diane Lane)

(Amazon UK link)

We wanted something light and undemanding to watch, so we decided to see ‘Must Love Dogs’. We saw it ten years ago, but had entirely forgotten the storyline. We’re not dog-lovers ourselves but storylines involving dogs are usually good value, often with some canine humour thrown in.

Dogs don’t, in fact, feature all that highly. It’s the story of two people who are single and really don’t have any wish to start dating again. Sarah (Diane Lane) is a preschool teacher of around 40 who has been recently divorced. She’s quite close to her siblings, who are determined to match her up with someone. But their attempts, although mildly amusing, are not at all successful.

Meanwhile Jake (John Cusack) is also recently divorced, but has little interest in starting a new relationship. He loves building boats from scratch, but his best friend tries to match-make and he goes along with it, although without a great deal of enthusiasm.

One of Sarah’s siblings signs her up for a dating website, giving her an exaggerated description, including the fact that a potential ‘match’ must love dogs. Not that Sarah owns a dog herself, but she’s looking after her brother’s. This is how she comes to meet Jake, in a park, with a borrowed dog.

The two do not hit it off, and there’s a side story where Sarah is really quite attracted by the father of one of her young students. He’s clearly keen on her but she’s concerned about the ethics of dating a parent of one of the children in her care, even though it’s a child she finds quite appealing. So for a while it’s not certain which way the story is going to go - neither of us could remember.

I suppose it’s not a particularly memorable film, but it has some good lines, and more humour than some ‘rom-com’ movies. An added bonus is Christopher Plummer as Sarah’s father, who’s quite elderly but also rather a womaniser. It’s probably due to this that the film is rated 12; we didn’t notice any violence or bad language, but there are many references to sexual actvities (though nothing explicit).

It made a good light evening’s viewing, and no doubt we’ll watch it again in another decade or so, when, once again, we will have completely forgotten the story.

Review copyright 2022 Sue's DVD Reviews

The Blind Side (Quinton Aaron)

(Amazon UK link)

We had been given a few DVDs by a friend-of-a-friend who was leaving the country, but had not heard of any of them. We decided to try ‘The Blind Side’, as it listed Sandra Bullock as one of the main actors, and we’ve always liked her style. The DVD cover told us that it was based on an extraordinary true story, which sounded intriguing.

The first few minutes were quite off-putting, as they feature American football, with commentary and cheering - and we had no clue what was going on. Was it going to be a sports film, we wondered? We kept watching, determined to give it a fair chance, and were so glad we did. American football does feature, but it didn’t matter that we don’t like or understand it.

Michael - ‘Big Mike’ - played by Quinton Aaron is the star of the film. He’s not someone we had heard of before, but we were very impressed. The actor was apparently a decade or so older than the 17-year-old boy he was playing, but was entirely believable.

Michael has impressive ball skills, which attract the notice of an American college who agree to award him a scholarship. Unfortunately, his academic skills are minimal. He’s spent his life in foster care or on the streets, and his education has been sporadic at best. A perceptive teacher realises that while he has trouble with writing, he has an incredible memory and the ability to understand quite complex concepts and information, so long as he’s able to talk rather than write.

Sandra Bullock is the feisty, warm-hearted Leigh Anne, and we immediately liked her character. She has a teenage daughter at the same college as Michael, and a young son. She notices that he has nowhere to stay, not much to eat, and no warm clothes as winter sets in. So she invites him to stay overnight. Her husband is a bit uncertain and she wonders if she might have made a mistake…

It’s an engaging, thought-provoking and ultimately very uplifting film despite the scenes involving American football. There are one or two light moments, but a lot that made us think about white privilege, and the motivation people might have for helping those who are struggling. The story itself might be somewhat predictable but the character growth and insight was excellent, and was what made it such a very watchable film.

Rated 12, which I think is probably right; some violence though nothing gory, and a few sexual references. Some quite sordid scenes involving drugs, and some bad language. But nothing gratuitous, and we didn't find any of it disturbing.

Definitely recommended, and I’m sure we’ll watch this again in another five or six years.

Review copyright 2022 Sue's DVD Reviews

Letters to Juliet (Amanda Seyfried)

(Amazon UK link)

I was staying with relatives and we planned to watch something else, but their DVD player didn’t seem to work… so they chose ‘Letters to Juliet’ from films available on one of their subscription services. I had never heard of it, but the brief blurb sounded intriguing. It turned out to be an excellent choice, one which we all liked very much.

The story opens with a young couple going on a pre-wedding honeymoon to Verona, in Italy. Amanda Seyfried is excellent as the caring, romantic Sophie. She hopes that this short holiday will bring her closer to her fiance Victor (Gael Garcia Bernal). He’s a nice enough young man but rather obsessed with his work as a chef… and instead of relaxing and enjoying the romance of the area, he arranges meetings and has very little time for Sophie.

So she goes sight-seeing on her own, and discovers ‘Juliet’s Wall’ - a bizarre idea, we thought, since Juliet was a fictional creation by Shakespeare. But apparently many visitors, in reality, write notes to the tragic heroine, hoping for comfort or reassurance. Even if Juliet had existed, she would be long gone, but replies are sent out. I’m not sure how much is based on reality, but in the film Sophie discovers that a team of women work all hours to attempt to keep up with the notes, and answer them wherever possible.

Sophie gets drawn into this, as they need someone who can write in English, and she discovers a letter that was written fifty years earlier. She has no idea if the person concerned is even alive, but replies anyway… and this is the catalyst for some unexpected meetings and discoveries.

It’s an unusual setting and theme for a fairly traditional story of love, disappointment, mutual dislike and growing attraction. But there's another subplot, the one involving the now elderly Clare, brilliantly portrayed by Vanessa Redgrave. Her screen chemistry is so good, her acting flawless, and we could totally believe in her character who is warm, caring and determined to solve a mystery from the past.

We all found it very watchable, unsure where it was going to go. There are some quite poignant moments but also some gentle humour here and there, and the acting, at least from the main characters, is excellent. The rating is PG, and while I can't imagine it would appeal to children or even teenagers, there's nothing unsuitable other than some mild bad language.

'Letters to Juliet' won’t appeal to those who like fact action and tension, but for a light evening’s viewing with some depth, I would definitely recommend it.

>Review copyright 2022 Sue's DVD Reviews

Hope Springs (Colin Firth)

(Amazon UK link)

A couple of months ago we watched one of our DVDs with the title ‘Hope Springs’, and last night we watched the other one. Both are billed as romantic comedies, both are about relationships and are mildly amusing in places rather than hilarious - but there the similarity ends.

It’s a long time since we first saw the second ‘Hope Springs’, which stars Colin Firth as a young man called, appropriately, Colin. He is a talented artist visiting the United States, and we quickly learn that he’s nursing a broken heart. His fiancee Vera (Minnie Driver) has behaved quite callously, and he wants to forget her.

He stays at a motel managed by Mr and Mrs Fisher (Frank Collison and Mary Steenburgen) who are responsible for much of the humour. Fisher has a most unusual and expressive face, and is one of the first people Colin draws. Mrs Fisher introduces him to Mandy (Heather Graham) who is supposedly a grief therapist. But she is rather a confused person, and she and Colin are quickly attracted to each other…

The story is something of a classic love triangle - inevitably Vera arrives and Colin is caught between her and Mandy, both wanting him, while he isn’t entirely sure what he wants, and tries to hide things from each of them, which naturally enough causes them both to become upset with him.

There are some other interesting characters in the film - the mayor (Oliver Platt) who is smug and entirely self-centered, quite amusingly so when he meets Colin and has his portrait drawn. And there are shopkeepers who take an inordinate interest in Colin…this is small-town America at its best.

There’s nothing deep in the film, and much that is shallow, but the acting is good the chemistry between Colin and both the leading ladies is excellent, and we learned in the ‘making of’ extra that in fact Colin Firth and Minnie Driver had been close friends for years, something that came across well in the film.

Colin’s comic timing is excellent and while in places I winced rather than chuckling, we did smile several times, and I found some of the dialogue quite amusing.

Rated 12A which seems about right, though I might have opted for 15. There’s quite a bit of implied sex, though nothing explicit, and I don’t recall any strong language. It’s certainly not suitable for children; unlikely to be of any interest to younger teenagers either. But for us, it made a good evening’s light viewing.

Recommended.

Review copyright 2022 Sue's DVD Reviews

Sweet Home Alabama (Reese Witherspoon)

(Amazon UK link)

Although we have had the film ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ on our shelves for many years, I had not watched it until we chose it as a light evening’s viewing last night. I had no idea what it was about, but the blurb on the back suggested a light, feel-good kind of story.

Reese Witherspoon stars as Amanda, a talented and ambitious young woman who works in New York as a clothes designer. She is in a relationship with a wealthy businessman called Andrew (Patrick Dempsey) and somewhat startled when he asks her to marry him. His mother Kate (Candice Bergan) is the Mayor, and rather unimpressed that he’s marrying someone she doesn’t approve of.

Amanda, as we quickly learn, is not exactly who she claims to be. There was a brief prologue showing her as a child with her best friend Jake, but it’s not until she returns to Alabama, purportedly to tell her parents face-to-face that she is engaged, that we learn exactly what happened with Jake, and what kind of relationship she has with him now.

There’s not much more I can say about the plot without giving spoilers; suffice it to say it’s really a relationship-based film, contrasting Amanda’s high-powered life in New York with her very different background, growing up in a loving but low-income family whom she hasn’t seen in seven years.

I expect the scenes in the Alabama bars and homes were somewhat caricatured, showing lots of drinking, smoking, playing pool and dancing with drawling farmers and glamorous but unintelligent women. But Amanda’s gradual realisation about what really mattered to her was very well done. Her old friends and acquaintances greet her warmly enough but see her as stuck-up and condescending. As she begins to see the value in her former way of life, her accent becomes more Southern too.

The adult Jake (Josh Lucas) is a likeable person, but then so are most of the cast; there are no ‘bad’ guys, and the conflict is in Amanda’s two selves, as she tries to reconcile them while continuing to tell lies so that her friends in New York don’t realise who she is.

I didn’t know how the film was going to end; I thought it was going one way, then it looked as though I was wrong. Inevitably one of the main characters was going to be disappointed, and I thought it very well done. Of course it’s not a story with much depth; it’s a rom-com that’s above average due to the quality of the acting. We enjoyed it, and will no doubt watch it again in another five or six years.

The DVD back said it contained deleted scenes and other extras, but in fact the only extra we could find was a brief explanation about an alternative ending that was filmed but not used. There were also some trailers for other films.

Recommended if you like lively light romantic films that don’t require much thought. There were a few amusing moments that made us smile, but it wasn’t a comedy as such. The rating is 12A in the UK (PG-13 in the US) which I suppose is about right; there’s no nudity or anything overtly sexual, and only fairly mild bad language. But the storyline is unlikely to be of any interest to children or younger teens.

Review copyright 2022 Sue's DVD Reviews