The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

A Hallmark Hall of Fame production so the quality is definitely above and beyond a normal made-for-Hallmark Channel movie. Released about twice a year to American television, these are usually pretty good movies which would sometimes be able to compete in the theaters. Anne Heche and Tate Donovan were both very good in the lead roles. The story is mostly about a runaway teen but there's surely a nice Christmasy feel here. Other Hallmark Hall of Fame productions have a way of really tugging at the heartstrings but this falls a bit short of that. Still a nice little movie for Christmastime.--A Kat Pirate Screener

Danny and Bridget Byrne, who lost their mother several years ago, are being raised by their father Christy, who runs a Christmas tree farm in Nova Scotia. Danny takes pictures for his high school yearbook and he has a deadline, but his father thinks the farm is more important because, after all, it pays the bills, and Danny is to take over someday.After the harvest, the family delivers trees to New York City and sets up a stand to sell them. As usual, they stay with nice old Mrs. Quinn. As usual, widowed 'museum lady' Catherine O'Meara won't buy a tree. Danny visits her workplace with samples of his photography, and Catherine is impressed.When the time comes for the family to return home, Danny is missing. A year later, he has been replaced on the farm, and Bridget and Christy return once again to New York City to sell more trees. Rip, one of New York's finest, still does not have good news for Christy, who has returned to the city several times hoping to find his son. The 'silver bells' of the movie's title refer to a photograph that is part of the museum's 'look up' promotion. The Post is asking people to guess the location of the bells, and if no one does by Christmas, the paper will print the answer. Catherine's boss, a real estate developer, likes the idea, but his son thinks it's a waste of time.You don't have to be Allison Dubois to figure out the rest. Though there is one unexpected development that could complicate things.This is a pleasant family movie overall, but nothing really outstanding. It's at least as good as other Hallmark Hall of Fame presentations. I would say it is well-acted with the usual formula feel-good writing, though I like the formula. The only thing that might be considered offensive: a dispute between Danny and his father gets physical, which I found unnecessary.Anne Heche is pleasant enough and attractive with long hair, though I might have been happier with a different actress.It's a good film if you like this sort of thing. Which I do.

Hallmark presented their typical Holiday story that involved a young teenage boy who was very confused and trying to find himself in this big world. He lost his mother and his father did his very best to guide his son, however, there was a conflict between the father and son and he simply took off to the Big Apple and disappeared while the father was selling his Christmas Trees in Manhattan. Ann Heche appears in the film and helps the young runaway establish himself with at least a place to sleep and earn a few bucks. As I was watching this TV film, I began to wonder about the Silver Bells and found this story typical for the Holiday Season, too Sweet for me.

"Silver Bells" was billed as the 225th presentation in the Hallmark Hall of Fame made-for-television film series. Sadly, this effort was not among the strongest of their offerings.The likable cast included Anne Heche and Tate Donovan, whose characters were a widow and widower, and who inevitably became the central romantic couple. Unfortunately, the plot focused on a teenager runaway problem, as opposed to joys of the holidays, which should have been the film's central preoccupation. As played by Donovan, the young runaway's father was a hard-working Christmas-tree dealer and decent man, and it made no sense that the boy would take to the streets of New York City following an argument with his father. The runaway story bogged down the film as a lugubrious, mechanical plot device. The film should have celebrated the holidays with more joy in the lives of the characters. The most heart-warming scenes were the ice-skating sequence and the singing of the children in the church choir. The son Danny (Michael Mitchell) was an aspiring photographer. The film should have been about the photos, the great New York scenery, and the young man's love of photography, not the maudlin, melodramatic, and ultimately unconvincing story of a runaway.