Good story, Not enough for a whole film

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Blistering performances.

***Minor Non-Plot Specific Spoilers***I watched this movie a lot as a child. I loved it and thought it was a really good movie back then. I'm sure I saw it at least a few dozen times. Over the years, I honestly forgot about it, but I was delighted when I saw it appear on Netflix a few years ago and I watched it again for the first time in at least 20 years. Watching this movie as an adult, I was absolutely amazed at how horrifying this movie actually is and there was a good long stretch where I just sat there sobbing. It's really, really tragic. I sat there for a while wondering how on earth this was a kids movie, until I remembered that I never really picked up on all of that as a child. I had a vague understanding of the stress the mother was under, because I saw my mother behave the same way, but to truly grasp the reality of this movie is not something most children will do.I still think this movie is great, and definitely worth watching. It's got all the great elements for a holiday film - magic, love, pulled heartstrings, tears, and that warm fuzzy feeling. You're not getting a typical sugar-coated holiday film here, but you'll get a film you won't soon forget.

An angel (Harry Dean Stanton) must show a mother (Mary Steenburgen) the true meaning of Christmas. It is not just presents and materialistic things, but the people she cares about.What I enjoyed most about this film is how dark it is. Others have called it bittersweet, which may be fair, but it just has so much negativity in it. A mother who hates Christmas, a bank robber, three people who die...Of course, the mother has some right to be upset. Her husband, as nice of a guy as he is, is something of a deadbeat. There is nothing wrong with wanting to open a bicycle shop... but, you know, it would not hurt to have a job in the meantime, even if it was just part-time. You have to have a home before you can do much else.Gideon is a most unusual angel, and we could question the theology behind it. Angels are not generally dead humans, but a different creature entirely... and then, how does a Christmas angel differ from a standard angel? Apparently just being killed on Christmas? And it seems like others who die are sent to work for eternity in Santa's workshop. That is not my idea of heaven. But, oh well...As a bonus, this film is the big screen debut of Elisabeth Harnois, Sarah Polley and Elias Koteas. That is quite a landmark all by itself.

One Magic Christmas is a world away from the safe, schmaltzy family fluff Disney is responsible for today. It's actually quite a bleak, downbeat and miserable film for the most part, with realistic and mundane photography and a drab production design. All of this actually serves the film well, I must point out.A young Mary Steenburgen (who has always been cast beyond her years thanks to her deep facial folds) plays a mum who is very emotionally subdued, she walks around in a daze, enjoying little of life. At Xmas her kids and husband are excited but she only worries about money and is brought down even further by people treating her badly.An angel shows up and encourages her young daughter to help find 'the true meaning of Xmas' (a theme which is quite common in Xmas movies). The film then plays out as a cross between It's a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Carol. It's effective, but it's not for everybody. I only saw it once before when I was 12, and I was depressed by it, but it's a welcome change of pace to the usual festive fare.

I absolutely love this movie. I have been looking for it for a long time. Great to finally find it, awesome. Every year when Christmas comes around i think about this movie and for the life of me i can never remember the name of it. The only thing that i can remember is that the Angel's name is Gideon. I am hoping now that i have actually written the name of the movie down that i can go out there and purchase it somewhere so that i can put it away every year after Christmas after watching it with my family and also showing it to other families also. It is good to know now that if i am having trouble finding a movie i can always come to this site and share my information about what i know and what i would like to know.