Excellent but underrated film

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

This Toronto-filmed production first aired back in the Nineties, when heaps upon heaps of these made-for-TV movies were always being released. Kids loved them, and though many adults complained and whined that they were too cheesy, I think secretly they adored them, too.If not for the story in and of itself (because okay, let's face it, this tired old Dickens tale has been done the world over), I found the acting excellent. Cicely Tyson is amazing in her role as a modern Scrooge, at first being the villain you love to hate but then showing that all the hardships in her life have left her hurt and lonely more than anything else. Katherine Helmond makes a spooky albeit somewhat unmemorable entrance, and William Greenblatt does very well in his obligatory cute sick kid role. I thought Michael Beach especially did an excellent job as Reverend Luke, a man of God who is fed-up with his "Auntie Ebenita" but tries to see her good side time and time again. His monologue sermon of what hell and heaven are really like? It resonated with me when I was a kid and still does today, and I'm not even religious! And my favourite actor of all-time, British-Canadian character actor Julian Richings, completely steals the show as the forlorn, mute ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. I loved the soundtrack and urban scenery too, and I'm glad that even though it's not too popular, a good copy of this one isn't too hard to find.

This is a well done version of The Christmas Carol. Giving a more modern taste to the setting and characters. I like that Scrooge has become a black woman, showing that not every tightfisted miser must be the typical old white guy. Ms.Tyson is excellent as a 20th century Scrooge. Michael Beach is also very good as her nephew and Reverend of the neighborhood. Katherine Helmond as Marley is over the top fun, I would have like to have seen more of her as a ghost. One complaint is that the director didn't pull more emotions from some of the actors. With a few exceptions, much of the time people were in the middle of the road emotionally. Afraid to be too joyous or too desperately downtrodden. But overall a nice holiday movie to add to the season.

Honestly, I can't believe this movie received money from backers to even be made.The acting was abysmal. The editing was atrocious! The directing was lacking. The story was ridiculous. The fact that they modernized this story wasn't an issue, others have done that very successfully. But why did they feel the need to turn Scrooge into a black woman? What purpose did that serve. I don't have an issue with that, but they didn't pull it off well at all. It was a poorly made statement that served no purpose to the story.What a complete laugh. Absolutely horrible, not that I expected anything of higher quality from the Hallmark channel.Don't waste your time.

The premise of an African-American female Scrooge in the modern, struggling city was inspired, but nothing else in this film is. Here, Ms. Scrooge is a miserly banker who takes advantage of the employees and customers in the largely poor and black neighborhood it inhabits. There is no doubt about the good intentions of the people involved. Part of the problem is that story's roots don't translate well into the urban setting of this film, and the script fails to make the update work. Also, the constant message about sharing and giving is repeated so endlessly, the audience becomes tired of it well before the movie reaches its familiar end. This is a message film that doesn't know when to quit. In the title role, the talented Cicely Tyson gives an overly uptight performance, and at times lines are difficult to understand. The Charles Dickens novel has been adapted so many times, it's a struggle to adapt it in a way that makes it fresh and relevant, in spite of its very relevant message.