In Britain during the Recession that affected so much of the world late in the first decade of the 21st century, Zooey and her husband Alec want to have a child, but they can't. They might just have to consider adoption. Zooey runs a children's bookstore with her mother Diane, and Alec runs the toy company his late father founded 50 years earlier.Eli is a 7-year-old boy who lives at Mrs. Lange's children's home. But he is more intelligent than most adults and quite mature, and he dresses like a successful businessman, though he does enjoy toys and other kid stuff. No one else appears to be able to see or hear him as he starts taking to the audience. Though Zooey and Alec are able to see him as they visit Mrs. Lange trying to become foster parents one of the children.While they are told the application will take a while to process, Eli shows up at the couple's door with paperwork filled out and signed by Mrs. Lange. Zooey and Alec go back to Mrs. Lange to make sure everything is okay, and Mrs. Lange is being taken away unconscious in an ambulance. The one employee of the home who can help them doesn't really know about the process but looks at the paperwork and sees nothing wrong.So Eli begins his life with Zooey and Alec. Among his many talents: he can cook.Eli is too smart for school, so he refuses to go after the first day, but he can help Alec at his job.The toy company is in trouble. Tom is very loyal, and he has been there 45 years. But the other workers are worried about being paid. Alec can't get a new loan and the house is already mortgaged, something he didn't tell Zooey about.While in the park, Eli and Zooey meet a mystery man named Mr. Potts who knows what happened in 2007 (there is a room in their house Zooey refuses to let anyone into). Mr. Potts needs money and appreciates Zooey's help. Later, Alec is at the cemetery and Mr. Potts is there too, making sure the gravestones look good.So will there be a Christmas miracle?I should mention that even though the movie had a title related to Christmas when I saw it, it's not really about Christmas. The holiday does come near the end, though. And Zooey and Alec learn a lot from Eli.Maurice Cole is outstanding. There is no way he is seven years old. He comes across as a short adult and shows a lot of intelligence and appeal.Toni Collette is quite appealing, and when she does smile, it's a very nice smile. But she doesn't smile a lot. The other lead actors do quite well also. In fact, everyone does. Even the employee at Legoland Amusement Park who is only there for the paycheck and cares nothing about his job.It's a very worthwhile effort.

Let me start off by saying when it comes to warm holiday fun family movies there are some that will almost always come out on top and then there are some usually starring b grade sitcom actors that should only have ever made it to the ideas bank. Once you've seen Foster you can make that decision for yourself. Foster is a 2011 film that stars Toni Collette (Muriels Wedding, Mental) as Zooey Morrison and Ioan Gruffudd (Fantastic Four, W.) as Alec Morrison a long time married couple who have been together since high school, both have failing businesses and it seems their marriage if heading the same direction as well. After trying to for a child for a little while the pair end up at a foster care home ready to invest their love. They sit the initial meeting with the carer of the children Mrs. Lange played by Hayley Mills (The Parent Trap, That Darn Cat) and leave. A day or two later there is a knock at the door and one of the children from the home stands waiting to be let in he has the signed documents and a suitcase and is ready to become the newest member of the family. Eli played by Maurice Cole speaks impeccably, dresses miraculously and pretty much knows something about everything and seems to be the perfect child… Foster is a film made ideally for families, it has it's funny moments as well as its warm moments, sad moments and of course its more than happy ending with a few twists here and there to help it along. The funny thing with twists though in movies is that they can make anything happen. With all its gleeful happiness and touching tender moments there were a few things that it did disappoint me in from the very beginning. The first little niggle for me was the horrible Scottish accent that Toni used throughout the film, it was more than disturbing and sounded so fake, I can't even think of anything to compare it was that bad. The second little annoyance I found was the child, I get he is meant to be some kind of old soul but some of the things he was saying were just laughable and cringe worthy. The script could have been so much better and I'm guessing the budget went pretty much to the starring actors as well as Richard E Grant who plays the local homeless guy who has all the solutions. Apart from a more than predictable ending I think the film could have been very different if someone a little more creative got involved. It really wants to be a film that is filled with magic, unfortunately it's not. I'm not saying that this was a bad film, in fact if you want to watch a film that doesn't have the bad language, no violence just good wholesome family fun then this would be ideal, especially as a Christmas film where all the family are over the conversations and catch ups have ended and its time to wind down. This film also carries the title "Angel in the house."

Drawing inspiration from "It's a Wonderful Life" and urban legends involving giving a ride to the ghost of that girl that was killed after the prom 20 years ago, "Angel in the House" as it is known in the U.S. looks like it may have been a Hallmark TV movie in the UK. Quirky Australian Toni Collette dons a heavy Scottish accent and reaches for warmth and pathos but her past characterizations - particularly in the U.S. television show "United States of Tara" - make the viewer assume her character isn't crazy from grief but rather just plain crazy. She's married to the standard clueless white male character that now populates every non-action movie since "Mr. Mom". Into their disorderly existence walks in a offputtingly polite and well-dressed seven year old who naps a lot and Mr. Potts a homeless drifter who the viewer assumes is secretly a serial killer. While the script follows precisely the trajectory you expect once the basis premise has been established, the desired effect of touching warmth and personal growth never quite comes together. While Collette's awkward characterization of the grief stricken mother is one issue, the weirdness of the visiting foster child and his minder Mr. Pots are perhaps more at fault. The cinematography doesn't help, never has a day at Windsor, England's LEGOLAND looked quite as overcast and as little fun. Also, the father's idea to save his dying toy business is just stupid and fairly cynical. In short, a fairly good film to hate watch but not one to touch your heart.

I'm not sure how I came to have this film in my collection. I am also not sure that Toni Colette read the script before agreeing to star in this film... or maybe she just needed the cold hard cash. The script is terrible, trying to desperately to be a magical, tear-jerking, feel good movie but failing terribly to even engage. Why didn't casting and the script writers (or even the actors for that matter) communicate on lines? Hearing the lead character (approx 35 years of age) say to an 65+ yr old man "Don't do this to me, we've been friends for years...I was at your wedding" Or from another actor (similar age) playing the part of an employee "I may have been with you for 45 years but I have a family to feed" its not believable and further spoils any magic that may have been possible.Very few surprises, very little actual drama, conflict, twists or turns... 30 minutes of 'Touched By An Angel' would be more fore-filling.