Not A Fan

Rating: 5/10 (17 December 2017)

Sorry, this film just doesn't move me (and I cry a lot at movies). I find it long-winded, heavy-handed and rather preachy. It takes an awfully long time and a sledgehammer to get its message across. And I have little patience with the old conceit of an angel coming down from heaven to show us the way ("Here Comes Mr. Jordan," "Heaven Can Wait," "Stairway To Heaven," "The Bishop's Wife," "Forever, Darling," the list goes on). For a more touching look at the meaning of Christmas, and certainly a more concise one, see Twentieth Century Fox's 1952 anthology film, "O'Henry's Full House." Henry King's episode, "The Gift of the Magi," has Jeanne Crain and Farley Granger portraying newlyweds whose well-intentioned sacrifices backfire, but teach them (and us) an important lesson.