Christmas Mountain (1981) User Reviews

This is far from a Christmas classic but I would recommend it if you're looking for something different.

[kevin_robbins · 6/10 · 17 December 2021]

Christmas Mountain (1981) is a movie I recently watched on Tubi. The storyline for this picture is around a cattleman down on his luck. He is wrongfully accused of a crime and found guilty. The town offers to set him free if he agrees to make a Christmas run up the local mountain to a poor family to provide them with items that have been donated by the community. He takes the offer and rides up the mountain where he finds a prideful family that could use some help and resources.

This movie is directed by Pierre De Moro (Hellhole) and stars Slim Pickens (Blazing Saddles), Mark Miller (A Walk in the Clouds), Tina Menard (The Nevada), Fran Ryan (Pale Rider) and Barbara Stanger (The Streets of San Francisco).

There's some crazy foreigners conversation in this that definitely surprised me. The settings and backdrops are beautiful and I loved the depiction and delivery of the characters, The opening dinner scene is very good as is the dialogue and overall premise. I can't say the Cowboy Angel worked for me, but I still enjoyed the movie.

Overall this is far from a Christmas classic but is a unique holiday film. I would score this a 6/10 and recommend it if you're looking for something different.

Nice scenery but too many shortcomings in this Christmas Western

[SimonJack · 5/10 · 22 January 2017]

As with many other independent films, this one is weak in the acting, directing and some of the technical production. "Christmas Mountain" is a good Western story about the real meaning of Christmas. Unfortunately, the weaknesses detract from the film and that sense of Christmas.

Mark Miller and Slim Pickens are fine as Gabe and Murf, respectively. But most of the rest of cast seem hesitant at times. They often seem as though they are waiting for a cue for their next line or movement. One character comes across as very self-conscious of his role, to the point that he seems like he was in rehearsal for a play. That's Mr. Findley, the store owner. It's strange that he isn't listed in the credits of the film, because he is one of the major supporting actors. I have no idea who the actor is playing that role.

Had the filmmakers done better jobs in a number of areas, this could have been a much better movie. Consider this one serious problem with the script. Christmas is just a couple of days away. The dialog of the few townspeople playing cards is a dead giveaway of a huge problem in the plot. The sheriff says, "I think someone should do something wondrous for that poor shepherd family up on Christmas Mountain. A woman being a widow and all and having a baby soon." Then, Rev. Thorndike says, "Both of those poor women, losing their husbands in that avalanche last year – my prayer is with them." If the avalanche was the previous year, and Christmas is about to be here this year, that means that the men probably died in the avalanche the previous December, or even earlier. So, here's one of the wives now expecting a baby – 12 months or more later. I don't think the plot meant to imply anything else, so this is an obvious major goof in the screenplay.

I can't believe nobody involved with the film caught that. It would have been simple to have had the avalanche at the end of last winter or early spring (the end of March) and not raised eyebrows or distracted viewers.

The fantasy aspect of this film has Gabe seeing his friend, Murf, who died the previous year. Murf appears to him and says he is an angel. Most Christian faiths don't hold that humans become angels after they die. But some faiths, and fiction stories over the ages refer to people who have died as being angels. This movie was filmed in Utah. The scenic outdoor shots mostly likely were in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest.

Giving them those worn out clothes and rotten food just didn't seem right!

[shiannedog · 7/10 · 19 June 2021]

This is actually a heart warming and well written movie. Quite enjoyable to watch. I watched it in June 90 degree weather so it would keep me cool. The portrayal of the selfish human heart by the town's people was very close to reality and can make the relatable viewer uncomfortable, but rightly so. The only negative aspect was the over emphasis on the Catholicism. I wish the Christmas theme was more theologically generic. But this was certainly a fun film to enjoy and well acted. 7.3/10.

Simply magical

[tonynworah · 16 November 2011]

I watched this movie in the Christmas of 1983 when I was in Jos, the Northern part of Nigeria. I was just 12. Then the military had just taken over and the political climate of the country was uncertain. As Christian kids enjoying a Christmas vacation in a predominantly Muslim area, we were understandably scared of whether the Muslims will use the coup as an excuse to massacre Christians.

Then out of the blue, this wonderful whimsical movie was aired on TV.

The film centered on an ex convict and his relationship with a poor Mexican family, especially the little boy that inadvertently brought out the heart the ex con never knew he had. The ex con now finds himself trying to help the family overcome their poverty and finds himself pitted against a reluctant white community who felt they had given the Mexican family all the help they deserved.

Despite all the problems facing the Mexicans, the little boy still has time to pray for the ex con. The prayer is answered in the form of a cowboy angel. The angel had died years ago but the con knew him when the angel was alive. It is up to the angel and the boy to show the con that he was a better man than he believed himself to be.

In today's Hollywood with the pervading sense of cynicism and materialism and atheism, the movie will be scoffed as being corny and clichéd. Definitely its a low budget movie with a simple storyline. But still a beautiful movie with even a more beautiful message of hope and love. The final scene when the ex con was leaving the Mexican family and the kid was chasing him for a final goodbye was a tear jerker. I can still remember how my younger sister and myself cried silently.

The film is a gem and I thank both the movie producers and the channel that aired it on TV. At least, because of it, some frightened kids that were hiding in unwarranted terror of being killed by Muslims, were able to lose some of their fear and realize that hope really sets us free.

nice fresh apples

[retepvnadullap · 7/10 · 4 December 2021]

Where did they come from. Ending is defenitly an "alter" and a bad one. I enjoyed it through it's flaws. Where did they come from. Ending is defenitly an "alter" and a bad one. I enjoyed it through it's flaws.

Horrible

[teebear817 · 1/10 · 10 December 2020]

I could write a 1000-word diatribe detailing why this movie is so bad but I don't feel like it. just trust me this is bottom of the barrel filmmaking. Bad writing bad directing bad acting bad musical score. Horrible

Ageless Messages

[PrairieCal · 10/10 · 5 April 2015]

One could waste time pointing out the flaws and failings of this film ... the low budget, the uneven acting, the less than perfect village and sets. But in doing so, one would reduce themselves to little better than the towns people in the story. And the story, by Mark Miller of "Savannah Smiles" fame, is everything. It hearkens back to the very heart of Christmas, to kindness, to sharing, to giving --- not of one's surplus, but of one's best -- and attempting to live as the great teacher taught us to live.

This movie is not only heartwarming and uplifting, it awakens, it teaches, it instills in viewers, both young and old, the ageless messages which are all too often forgotten in today's world.

And the real life miracle of this film is that it was lost for over twenty years, and now becomes a treasured gift to anyone lucky enough to discover it. This is a highly recommended family movie to enjoy with young children. A film to pause and contemplate. Barbara Stanger steals every scene she's in. Mark Miller and Slim Pickens are amazing.

The true meaning of Christmas.

[tammy59 · 10/10 · 8 December 2007]

This is the best Christmas Movie I have ever seen!! It is great for all ages. It truly captures the essence of Christmas. Many times we forget what Christmas means, and this takes us right back to it. It has a great cast. They all play their parts real well. Many times we forget people who are in need or we judge them by the way they look. We forget to look closer and see the real human being. This is a great movie for children to watch to learn values from. I haven't seen it in years and have been looking at all the Christmas movies on television wanting to see it again. I love all the funny movies at Christmas, but this is the one that touches my heart.

Gentle and heart-warming, a low-key, Christmas Western

[The_Invisible_Dog · 8/10 · 23 December 2022]

Cowboys, Christmas, ghosts, human kindness, all in the early 80s: my subconscious could have concocted this just for me. It's Scrooge-esque (Slim Pickens appears a like some gentle Jacob Marley) but our lead guy aint so bad. Good-hearted cowboy sent on a mission to deliver goods by grizzly townsfolk (more like the real Scrooges) to a poor family expecting a baby. They're sheep people but he's a cowboy so never the twain should meet? Thus unfolds a message of harmony between those who are different. 'Little House On The Prairie' feeling of morals and tender emotions (somehow I got wet eyed at his church speech). Carols and folksy Christmas music abounds. Snowy scenes, mellow vibe. Can't think of a more Christmassy western than this.