not as good as all the hype

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

I just saw this movie last night (rented from my local library), and I was not amused. Let me list how many things are wrong with this movie. Jay Mohr as a divorced man visiting his son for Christmas...actually, that's okay. What is not okay is, he doesn't care enough about his son to get him a decent Christmas present (He says at the store, "I'll have whatever he's getting" without even knowing what it was the other man was buying...how uncaring is that?). He rejects his son's invitation to go camping, not because he has work or something, but because he doesn't feel like spending time with him. He's rude to his ex-wife's parents (who didn't have to invite him, but did so that he could see his son for the holiday), he's rude to his ex-wife and her boyfriend, and when he gets the chance to 'right his wrongs', he actually does worse. He attacks a Santa Claus, attacks a Nativity Scene couple, pigs out on holiday pies, steals his wife's boyfriend's Christmas present to his son, and other things I will not mention here because it's all too insulting. If you can believe it, this schmuck actually gets his way at the end of the movie; he sends his ex-wife's very caring boyfriend packing and wins her back, after all the devious things he did! I realize this was a family film (ha!), but this man didn't do anything to deserve a happy ending. I give this three stars because it wasn't the worst movie I've ever seen (in fact, it's not even the worst Christmas movie I've ever seen), and because I feel generous as I write this. But I do NOT recommend this movie because it achieves nothing in the learning department about the Christmas spirit.

Honestly? Not that bad. Don't get me wrong... it's full of schlock and cliché and as a movie lover I'm supposed to be up in arms, but... it's not that bad. A rip off of Groundhog Day? Yes. Bad? Not really. It's the type of film you end up watching when there's nothing else really on. Plus, as a mother (and Christmas softie) it is actually quite a relief to find a Christmas movie for the family that, frankly, I'm not bored to tears with.What makes the bad work, I think, is that while it's cliché, it's fast paced enough that you don't get bored with it. Essentially, you don't have time to roll your eyes before they're on to something else.I have to say though, I find the initial awkwardness of his situation EXTREMELY annoying. Who puts another human being in that situation? "Come to my parents house and meet my new boyfriend..." Come on. That's why I say the latter half, when he's begun to learn his lesson and pull one over on the baddies, is what you should tune in to.So! Once again, watch it, but watch it half way through.

An obvious "homage" to Groundhog's Day with not so obvious results. This movie takes chances and succeeds. Jay Mohr ("Action" and "Jerry McQuire") is great as the down-on-his-luck Dad who gets many "Do-Overs" until he wins his wife and family back. Not only does he see the error in his ways, he becomes a better a person. Isn't that what the holiday season all about - a time to reflect upon past, both good and bad!? Daphne Zuniga ("Melrose Place," "Sure Thing") is sensitive and funny. Grandma, Adrienne Barbeau ("Escape from New York"...need I say more) and Grandpa, Tim Thomerson ("Volunteers"), are wonderfully comedic sidekicks playing it very dry.All in all, this movie may not be for everyone (there is belching and fighting), but the heart is in the right place. Similar to Groundhog's Day, Family Man, etc., the chance for a self-centered man to see his life inside-out to gain a greater perspective is always entertaining and sentimental this time of year.

Help me, maybe I am missing something. At the Christmas fair, the display by a "religious" family appeared to be the Nativity scene. A woman, portraying Mary I guess, was pretending to hold a baby. A large adult male, with a fake beard, jumped from the display and fought with Kevin. The Conlon family screamed about fighting with Jesus. OK, if the display was the Nativity, then Jesus would be the infant in Mary's arms, not a large adult male. Wasn't Kevin actually fighting with the character of Joseph? Or did this particular Nativity include a time-warp like the Christmas Do-Over movie and both the infant Jesus and the adult Jesus appeared at the same time? Was the reference to Jesus a blooper, intentional or just an instance of Christmas and Biblical ignorance?