A brother (Ethan Embry) and sister (Thora Birch) attempt to bring their divorced parents back together for Christmas.Apparently this film did poorly at the box office and critics hated it, too. I can understand that, as it is sort of a lame version of "The Parent Trap", except less quirky and the kids try much less seriously. Really, this one had me wondering why the parents broke up in the first place. (Presumably if it was worth divorcing over, they probably should not get re-married).What makes this average film worth watching is the kids. Ethan Embry is decent and it is no surprise he has gone on to a remarkable career. Thora Birch is fantastic. Just amazing. Exactly what happened to her, I do not know. After "Ghost World" she seems to have faded away.

This cheesy little Christmas movie is my favorite of all time. When my children were younger we never missed sitting and watching it together. Now we all own a copy on DVD and it has become our traditional Christmas movie along with the classics. The costumes in this movie, especially Santa's, are gorgeous. The relationships between parents and children, brother and sister, grandmother... are endearing. The performance of Baby It's Cold Outside is a definite highlight. The movie does a good job of giving off the New York feel of Christmas. I hate to admit it, but my children and I so love this movie, that I am Nana to my grandchild because of it.

I enjoyed this movie the first time around. True there may be some cliché themes, but it is a Christmas movie. So, give it a break. I know the critics hated it. Perhaps they lost sight of what the movie is supposed to be about: asking Santa for the ultimate gift a re-united family.Now that I am a parent I appreciate this film even more. The daughter who is now 6, loves the film and can immediately identify with the character Hailey, played by Thora Birch. Laruen Bacall reminds me a lot of my own grandmother. Bottom line: if you haven't seen this film yet, watch it with an open mind. Even better, watch it with a child.

Leslie Nielsen took a break from his usual latter day lowbrow comedy to portray a department store Santa Claus who just might be the real thing in this 1991 Paramount release. Shades of "Miracle On 34th Street." The story here is not exactly feel good material since it has to do with a couple who are planning to separate and then divorce so close to the Christmas holiday. This really upsets their kids (Thora Birch and Ethan Embry) so they decide to ask the aforementioned Santa to help them in their efforts to bring their parents back together in time for the holidays. Almost everything in the film is overacted and used to a rather poor effect. All I want for Christmas is to know that I'll never have to see this one again.