mcfly-31 Review of All I Want for Christmas

All I Want for Christmas (1991)

everyone hated, somehow I loved...

[6/10 · 30 December 2001]

One of the few films where I first say that chances you'll like it are slim. It's childish, poorly acted in spots, completely unbelievable. But also extremely harmless and a rare Christmas adventure. Randall and Birch's parents got divorced earlier in the year. They aren't quite prepared for their first Christmas as a broken family. Little Birch (who's adorable) asks Santa to get them back together, but Randall knows better that it's pretty much left up to him. That's probably the element I enjoyed most about the film, as the older brother wanting to grant his little sisters Christmas wish. So, they hatch one of those totally implausible schemes to get their folks back, where everything falls perfectly into place and could only succeed in movie land. But, again, I was into it (and a nice bonus is that the film is wonderfully edited). Though I could've done without the obligatory moment where Santa flies thru the air and really does exist. Such a worn out scene that should've been dropped. But, maybe it was the atmosphere of the snow and seasonal setting, and innocence of the characters that had me compelled. Randall is an absolutely terrible young actor, but when with Birch, the two have a terrific chemistry as bro and sis. Which baffles me, as Randall had already done a film earlier in the year ("Dutch", with Ed O' Neill) and though he wasn't awesome, he was at least decent. Here he constantly repeats himself, rambles a lot and is always adding a nervous giggle. Made him hard to watch at times. Same with Oberer as his crush. She tends to talk with a smile and shortness of breath. Birch comes off best as the spunky 7-year-old. Bacall is barely glimpsed, with Sheridan and Kozak good as the folks. The ending loses points as well, with Randall's endless speech about wanting to be a family again. Then the expected return of Kozak's cliche, tight-ass boyfriend so he can berate her kids and make her realize he aint the one. But I loved Randall's last line of "Thank you, Santa!" after being kissed on the neck by Oberer. So if you need one for the kids or maybe a viewing by the whole family, give this a shot. Surprised by the G-rating, though. Talk of divorce, one sort of swear (the word "sucks") and a big painting of a naked woman with huge knockas (and, yes, its complete with her "flower" exposed as well).