A Perfect Christmas List Movie Review

IMDb

I didn't want a whole year to go by before I shared this, so here is a review of my favorite Christmas movie this year!

Well, technically today is final day of the Christmas season for us, given that it is the Baptism of the Lord, so it's not too late after all! :D

So as you know, this Christmas season I've made it a point to watch as many cheesy Christmas movies as I can and have done so thanks to ION and ION Life. A Perfect Christmas List (2014), directed by Fred Olen Ray (who actually directs a number of these types of films), was playing back to back practically daily and I always found myself watching it every time, pretty much having it memorized by now. 

Ellen Hollman plays Sara Edwin, a children's book writer who has come home for Christmas because her grandmother Evie, played by "Happy Days" star and now retired actress Marion Ross, has taken a fall and sprained her ankle. Sara often keeps a distance between herself and her family because she has a tough relationship with her slightly overbearing and judgmental mother Michelle, played by Beth Broderick, who constantly pushed Sara and believes that she could have gone onto greater things had she gone to Harvard. Michelle overhears Evie talking with her doctor but mishears the conversation, believing that her mother is dying when really she is just moving out of her condo into a suite at the country club. It's one of those comedy of errors things. Think "Three's Company." 

Evie convinces Michelle and Sara to engage in a Christmas list, which is suggested to be inspired by one of Sara's previous books, to make this holiday a perfect one and to secretly reunite the constantly feuding mother and daughter. Michelle is happy to oblige to please Evie because she believes that her mother won't be around for another Christmas.

Part of the reason why I love this one so much is the cast, particular Sara's parents who bring me back to the 90s. Beth Broderick is best known as Aunt Zelda from "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" while Richard Karn, best known as Al Borland from "Home Improvement" and the host of "Family Feud," plays Sara's dad and Michelle's husband Tim.

As sweet as the story is, there is also plenty of corn and cheese served up in it as well. Here is a fun list of observations I have made about this film after multiple viewings. :) There are some spoilers in this post, so you have been warned!

Our Main Character

I like Sara. She comes across pretty normal as opposed to most Christmas movie heroines, that cheeky damsel in distress type. She's flawed, she's sarcastic, she's frustrated, she's insecure at times, but yet she is also loving, determined, and happens to be a successful children's author. Plus, Hollman is gorgeous. 

The only thing that really irritates me about Sara is that she is a health nut and goes overboard with it. Like, she's constantly criticizing other people's food choices, particularly processed foods. She clearly has a hatred for hot dogs and orange juice, which is actually a significant plot point throughout the movie. I know this is supposed to be a normal character trait, but it gets annoying pretty quickly because she's so preachy about it. But because this does display some of her flaws that I mentioned before, I appreciate it too.

Michelle and Sara's Mother/Daughter Relationship

I love that the focus of this movie is the relationship between mother and daughter instead of a love story, even though we still get one of those. Plenty of movies like these have a prince meet a common girl and then they fall in love, so it is very refreshing to see something close to a normal family life like this one. Being an only child, I connect to Sara in this way as well.

The only thing is, I never really get much hostility between the two like the movie continuously emphasizes. Though we see them bicker, it's nothing really out of the ordinary when it comes to mothers and daughters arguing, with Tim often acting as a mediator. There is nothing estranged about their relationship to me. It's like they're trying to force us to see this without providing better proof.

The movie also kind of contradicts itself. They keep showing evidence that the two are opposites, but yet they're both stubborn perfectionists, even though Sara is portrayed as the slightly more laidback one to contrast her uptight mother.

But I think this is the point, to show that the two aren't as different as they believe themselves to be.

Tim's Reactions

I just like how like a lot of the scenes end with a solo facial expression from Tim as the transitions. What makes this even funnier is that Tim disappears halfway through the movie to only show up at the end again, reminding people that yes, he is indeed still in the film. lol :P

Sara's Friend Ashley

Speaking of people surprisingly in the film...

If you ever watch this movie, you're not going to really know or remember who this Ashley chick is unless I explain her. I didn't even know her name until I looked it up online. Ashley, played by Lauren Nash, is literally in only ONE SCENE! Sara goes out for a drink to complain about her mother to bartender Ashley and then we never see her again. LOL

Normally best friends stick around in these kinds of movies to provide a confidant for the main protagonist, and I guess Ashley serves her purpose during the time she is on screen, but it's just odd for them to introduce a character, who is clearly close to our main character, for only, again, ONE SCENE.

Love Interest is Always Convenient to the Plot

Doctor Brandon Reed (or Read according to his business card), played by Aaron Hill, is Evie's doctor who makes house calls. Evie talking to him about her condition is the conversation Michelle overhears, which is the catalyst for the plot.

Furthermore, however, he also happens to be a handyman, which is very convenient for one of the activities on the list.

So obviously he and Sara gradually develop feelings for each other (you just KNOW that he is introduced for this reason alone as soon as you see him) and they even have a romantic ice skating scene, but at one point in the movie, Sara actually questions his interest in her. This is a natural feeling a girl could have about a guy she likes, so I appreciate that it was included, but here's the reason why she questions it. She invites him over for either Christmas Eve and/or Day, and he declines the invitation, saying that he has other plans. She then takes this personally.

Well, DUH! Why wouldn't he have other plans? He just met her a few days ago! :P

But yeah obviously they get together in the end, and what I like about it is that he doesn't propose marriage to her right away like most Christmas movies go. He even flirtatiously jokes towards the end "Aren't we moving kind of fast?" when Sara comments about raising a family in her hometown. It's suggested that they only become a couple for now, which is nice. Nothing about them rushing into marriage because they are so overcome with love. They make a nice couple too.

By the way, if you ever get the chance to hear Aaron Hill speak, do it. You won't regret it. ;)

That Stupid Perfect Christmas Tree Scene

These next few points is where the movie gets a little nonsensical. Lol

This Christmas tree thing is the activity where Brandon's handyman-ness comes into play. Since Gran Evie wants a real tree this year, her daughter and granddaughter have to scramble to find her one because there aren't any local Christmas tree farms around, which is actually pretty surprising for a movie like this. :P

Michelle then sees a headline in the paper about the perfect Christmas tree now placed outside of the mall, so she decides that she and Sara should go STEAL it. :P

Bringing a chainsaw they borrowed from handyman Brandon, they sneak into the tree's location, PULL it down on them only using a rope, and then Sara saws the rest of it.

They receive absolutely no repercussions for this. It is never even really acknowledged again.

I get that it's a Christmas movie and why would it be brought up again, but it's still stupid. Easily my least favorite part of the movie. lol

The Photographer in the Santa Claus Scene

This whole scene is so cringeworthy! lol

So Sara uniquely has a fear of Santa Claus well into her adulthood and apparently she threw a fit the last time she was in his presence. How old she was then is never clarified, but guess what? The next activity on the perfect Christmas list is to take a photo with Santa. However, the following exchange between Sara and Santa's photographer (Scott Thomas Reynolds) is what really steals the show for me:

Photographer: You girls jiggy for a photo with Big Red?
Sara: Did you just say 'jiggy?'
Photographer: Rad, right?
Sara: You read my mind.
Photographer: You got style, babe.

Then both Sara and Michelle look at the guy like he's a creep, even going as far as backing away from him a little...but I have no idea why. LOL! Like, I don't understand that whole dialogue. What is he talking about? What does he mean by her having style? Because he thinks that they share the same slang? And why do they react to him that way? I mean, he comes across a bit strange and dorky, sure, but there's no reason for them to be necessarily that disgusted by him. None of it makes sense! It's like Ray wanted his slang to be as corny and dated as possible and we the audience are supposed to react the same way Sara and Michelle do. I just think that it's funny. lol

The Dance Sequence Outside of the Grocery Store

The final item on the list is to give back to charity, so Sara and Michelle decide to collect money outside of a grocery store for the children's shelter. They wear these short red and white dresses, and upon seeing Sara get donations instead of her, Michelle asks the guy next to her playing the saxophone (Algie Kirkland), "What does she got that I don't got?" Then the guy responds, "A shorter skirt."

...

I know that this joke is innocent in this context, but still! lol

So Michelle rips off the bottom seam of her skirt to show more leg (to the sound of a WHISTLE in the background!) and automatically starts getting donations herself. She then tells the saxophone player ("Bub," as Michelle likes to call him) to jazz it up a bit, and inspired by an employee sweeping the sidewalk, he starts a whole routine similar to STOMP!, complete with some other guy randomly playing a trash can. All of a sudden store patrons come out and dance a whole choreographed number and because of this they attract more attention for donations.

Symbolic Grandfather's Christmas Ring 

Michelle's father, Evie's late husband, passed away while in the military from what I gather, revealing why Michelle is withdrawn and not a fun loving person. Evie and Tim claim that Sara reminds Michelle a lot of her father, which explains why Michelle is so protective and controlling over her.

Michelle's closeness with her father actually leads to the best scene in the film. He once gave her a Christmas ring, which is the last thing he had ever given her, so it is very precious to her. When she and Sara bring Christmas gifts to the children's shelter, Katie (Yanellie Ireland), a child who is deaf and mute, for some reason does not get a gift. Michelle reaches into her bag and takes out the ring, pretending that she must have missed it because it is so small. She then presents it to Katie to keep, putting a huge smile on the child's face.

This is such a heartwarming, serious scene when compared to the rest of the movie. Seeing Michelle give up something that is very important to her to make the little girl happy is very moving.

Because of this list, Sara and Michelle's relationship is now repaired with Michelle loosening up and accepting Sara's writing career, which brings me to my final observation...

Sara's Message to Her Mother

Michelle asks Sara to sign a copy of her book for her and we see Michelle's reaction to the message, but not the message itself. I really like that the film leaves this to the imagination. The audience is asked to fill in the blanks, and seeing Michelle crying happy tears, we can gather that it was a lovely note. She and her daughter now have a better understanding of each other, thus a healthier relationship for the future.

So there you have it. I have other things that I could say about this movie, but those are my basic points.

Is the film and the acting in it a little over the top and ridiculous at times? Sure, what Christmas movie isn't? That's part of what makes them fun!! But the overall joyful and simple story about family makes up for it. I have a very close relationship with my own mother and we do a lot together, so I love seeing a Christmas film reflect that.

A Perfect Christmas List is just such a nice movie. I felt happy whenever I watched it, and I think that was the intention. :-)