While I admit to being a sucker for just about any corny Christmas movie, this one is far above the norm as one can tell just from the cast list. Laura Dern, Lynn Redgrave, Cathy Baker, and Carla Gugino are all well respected lead actresses for good reason, and here some of them play quite small roles, though it's the quality of the supporting cast that makes this film far better than most. Patty Dukes as the angel is probably the corniest element, but one has to accept a bit of corn in a holiday movie, and she handles the role as well as anyone could. As other reviewers here have said, the dialog is quite good, and the performances by the children, especially the always-strong Mae Whitman, are engaging without ever becoming too cute. Definitely worth a watch.
... View MoreI love the Christmas season and all of the made-for-TV movie madness that surrounds it.Several years ago I stumbled upon A Season for Miracles - and never tire of seeing it. It is not a typical Christmas movie as it touches on some serious topics like homelessness and drug addiction. This serves to make it different from a lot of the dreck you see at this time of the year.Patty Duke has a pivotal part (well, actually several of them) and it's great to see her still acting. On an aside, she sure is a tiny lady! It does have a lot of what you would expect in terms of a happy ending for all involved but they do keep you in suspense about it until the last few minutes. I agree with another reviewer that the resolution does come about very quickly but that last look at the angel with Patty Duke's face is lovely.
... View MoreChristmas fantasy about a down on her luck woman (Gugino) who kidnaps her crackhead sister's two small children to keep them out of the hands of DCF. She ends up in a small New England town where a guardian angel (Duke) sets up a series of simple events to protect the trio from harm. David Conrad plays a cop who falls for Gugino, and Lynn Redgrave is the judge who must determine the fate of the three when their secret is found out. Very low-key, with no fancy special effects. Filmed on limited sets, with an imposing stone angel statue hovering over all. This is a people story that doesn't pull any punches when it comes to dealing with the unpleasantries of the doped-up mom (Dern), who is is a criminal hospital while all this is going on. Great direction by Michael Pressman on what looks like a no-budget production. Highly recommended.
... View MoreI love this movie. It was very entertaining and heart-warming. It stars some of my favorite actors.The leads are Carla Gugino, who had done many wonderful things, and David Conrad of "Ghost Whisperer". They both do great jobs here. Conrad is gorgeous as well as a good actor who seems like such a nice guy.Besides the leads, many favorite stars play small parts, including Laura Dern, Lynn Redgrave, Faith Prince and Kathy Baker! What an amazing cast. And then to top it off, Patty Duke is the angel.Even if you don't believe in angels, which I don't, this is a nice Christmas movie with a few fantasy elements. It starts out a little slow and depressing, but like most Christmas movies on the Hallmark Channel, it gets much better as it goes along.Of course, a small town like the one in this movie doesn't exist anywhere except in movies and TV shows...but it's part of the nice fantasy of this movie.I enjoyed the movie and these people so much, I wish it were a regular weekly show so I could see more of their adventures.Suzanne Lanouehttp://[email protected]
... View More