It is so daring, it is so ambitious, it is so thrilling and weird and pointed and powerful. I never knew where it was going.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

This movie is about 2 girls who find a weather machine that is Santa Clauses that can change the weather. The girls change the weather into a snow storm to get more of the Christmas spirit. Brenda Song was great but not as great as she is in The suite life of Zack and Cody. Spencer Breslin was better in this movie than he was in The cat in the hat. Halee Hirsh was good as the main character. John B. Lowe was good as Santa Claus because he really looked like a real Santa Claus and Susan Ruttan was okay at playing Santa Clauses wife. This was not an all that film but it was okay. John Salley and Hallie Todd were good as playing their parts and the I give the acting a top 7/10.

I first saw this movie the year it was first released, 2000. It has shown every year since, especially around the holidays and I think it is becoming a great little holiday classic. Good, clean, fun family movie. Hallee Hirsh is adorable as the lead and looks so cute as her younger self.

"The Ultimate Christmas Present" is an okay movie with reasonably good actors and actresses, the characters are okay and they story is pleasant. My favorite part of the movie is that it had to do with snow because I love snow. But if you saw the behind the scenes, you would find out that the snow was actually made out of sugar and rice. Only a few scenes had real snow that was created by a snow making machine. "Joey", played by child actor Spencer Breslin, had the typical little brother to older sister rection. I especially like the parts where the mother is catering for her many parties in the Christmas season because her helper when she is catering, the chef, has lines that are very funny. He has much talent and his wittyness livened up the show a little bit. And I do agree with other reviewers that he should have had more lines and was a good character to have.We all know that it is impossible for it to snow in L. A. let alone 14 inches in one night, but if you like fantasy movies where the plot of the story could never happen, this would be a good one for you. It seemed that Allie, Joey's sister in the movie, had a perfect life except for that one little thing with her father about Christmas. It is a typical thing for Disney to do. Have the main character have a perfect life except for a few minor problems in which the movie is centered on. But it is fun to see. Adults might think it is a silly thing to make a movie out of, but children and teens 6-14 may have the opportunity to enjoy it.

I have always been a fan of Peter Scolari, and he was very funny in this family Christmas film about a snowstorm in Los Angeles. The lively pace kept my children's attention, which is a feat in itself! There were also plenty of humor that adults could relate to, too, which I appreciated. The two teenage girls were quite good, and I expect we will see more of them in the future, and the little boy was from "The Kid, which was a pleasant surprise. It was a clever, funny holiday film with a message about family togetherness, which I appreciated.