Surprisingly incoherent and boring

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

This Yuletide comedy drama isn't drastically different from the multitudes of other Christmas TV movies out there, but this one is just a little different and special somewhere to me. It's grown on me over the years and I've strangely found myself watching it every year around December, it gives me the kind of strong, wholesome old-fashioned warm genuine Christmas feeling that really seems to be one of the things that are harder to grasp the older one gets, it certainly isn't something I get very often from movies like this. When I was a little boy, I used to think that Christmas was so super-magical, the tree, putting up the tinsel, participating in the school festivities and making silly colourful cards, the snow when there used to actually be real snow in England, and hoping for certain gifts when the big day came... It all made me feel so happy and just seemed like proof that the world could be a bright happy place, when I'd feel sad as a kid I could just talk about what Christmas to cheer myself up! So, this film isn't what I'd call overly sappy and it doesn't have the kind of TV drama that's eye-rollingly melodramatic, and while it's nothing amazing, it just didn't feel so formulaic and worked for me and I loved it, it was heartwarming. I liked the woman and her kid and their relationship together, they seemed like a real mother and little son. I also liked how effectively it establishes how they're going to have to make do with a threadbare Christmas because they didn't have much, it made them more relatable. I thought Howard Hesseman was brilliant and a real hoot as the eccentric rich old man with the answer to her prayers as he hires her as a chauffeur to drive him around New York on Christmas Eve while causing a media sensation with the random drive by acts of wild generosity by throwing wads of money to all around him for no other reason than sheer manic kindness and to spread the joy! All of the scenes where he does that really tickled me and made me smile because if there was ever one thing to really get any ground going anywhere, ever, it would be the prospect of free money! He is for all intents and purposes this movie's Santa Claus, and while he does have an ulterior motive in helping her it's nothing sinister or too heavy.. The story does indeed get kind of crazy a bit at the end and I don't care for the trite romance subplot that's thrown in, but it's all harmless sweet fun and it projects a good image and theme of Christmas joy and family togetherness and of things turning out all right in the end, and it has an endearing tone that I can only describe as cosy, it's just a very nice uplifting picture to lighten the mood around the icy year's end. Thanks everyone, happy happy holidays! X

Albeit late for the holiday, attractive blonde single mom Andrea Roth (as Shannon McManus-Johnson) buys a tree to decorate with young son Jason Spevack (as Trevor). The little tyke is miffed when his mom's boss from the "Dasher Limousine Service" calls with a job for Ms. Roth. On Christmas Eve, she must drive eccentric older Howard Hesseman (as Fred Nickells) around town. A man of means, Mr. Hesseman hands out hundred dollar bills to various people. He knows how to say "Merry Christmas" in 24 different languages. Hesseman spends over $500 on a hot dog. Eventually, he reveals a startling secret. Handsome television reporter Yannick Bisson (as Peter Archer) covers the story. He wears sharp eye make-up - and he's single. Caught up in the spirit of the season, there could be a big family in here somewhere. All this proves a TV Movie can be cute, predictable and annoying while celebrating personal wealth.**** Crazy for Christmas (12/7/05) Eleanor Lindo ~ Andrea Roth, Howard Hesseman, Yannick Bisson, Jason Spevack

The reason this "Type A" male watched a movie on 'gasp' Lifetime was because of the two leads. I loved WKRP and it was nice to see Howard Hesseman again. I also love "Rescue Me" and wanted to see how Andrea Roth did in a very different role.The story itself was no classic, and you could see the ending coming a mile away, but the characters were all nice people and the movie zipped along at a pleasant clip. How nice to have a movie where there is no villains or terrible crisis. Howard Hesseman played his character like a lovable kook... picture Dr. Johnny Fever as a millionaire with no hangover. It was interesting to see Andrea Roth as a loving mother figure and not the oversexed shrew that she is on "Rescue Me" (She is very good in both roles). She handled the role of a struggling single mom dealing skeptically with sudden good fortune very well. Yannick Bisson played his role as the reporter just right. While hoping to make it to the "big time", he comes to realize that everything he needs is where he is at.The theme of forgiveness in the holiday season was nice but not too heavy handed. I liked the "34th Street" reference in the last shot (a miracle... get it!? :) ) I taped the movie so my wife and son can enjoy it. While I can't say that it's a Christmas movie that I will watch again and again I will say it was a nice way to spend a couple of hours.

I'm a sucker for a good Christmas movie; I really wish I'd seen one last night.Even the prospect of an attractive female lead didn't save this movie from becoming increasingly annoying as it progressed. Howard Hessman's character was at first lovably eccentric, but then excessively weird. The token cute little moppet (the son) wasn't so cute. There was little to no chemistry between the two leads - instead of romance, I felt more like they were about to establish a limited liability partnership for tax shelter purposes (after all, she's studying for the CPA exam!). And, the heart-tugging revelations at the end just didn't tug my heart.Move along, people. There's nothing to see here.