Christmas in Wonderland (2007)

Director:

James Orr

Writers (WGA):

Wanda Birdsong Shope (written by) and
James Orr (written by) ...

Release Date:

27 December 2007 (Russia)

Genre:

Comedy | Family

Tagline:

Two kids, a mall, a million in cash, ...what could go wrong?

Plot:

Three kids and their Dad move from L.A to Edmonton. When they go shopping at West Edmonton Mall they find counterfeit cash. They inadvertently help catch the crooks, and later make a discovery about Santa.

Cast

Patrick Swayze	...	Wayne Saunders
Matthew Knight	...	Brian Saunders
Amy Schlagel	...	Mary Saunders
Zoe Schlagel	...	Mary Saunders
Tim Curry	...	McLoosh
Carmen Electra	...	Ginger Peachum
Chris Kattan	...	Leonard Cardoza
Preston Lacy	...	Sheldon Cardoza
Cameron Bright	...	Danny Saunders
Matthew Walker	...	Santa
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Marty Antonini	...	Elliot Block
Rick Ash	...	Bartender
Suzanna Bastien	...	Clerk
Suzanne Bastien	...	Zellers Employee
Matt Bellefleur	...	Walter Crump
Morgan Brayton	...	2nd Cashier
Courtney Brin	...	Ticket Counter Agent
Rachel Hayward	...	Judy Saunders
Mark Holik	...	Husband
Karen Johnson-Diamond	...	2nd Cashier
Maureen Jones	...	Lingerie girl
Michelle Molineux	...	Spa Attendant
Duncan Ollerenshaw	...	Guy in Lingerie Store
MacKenzie Porter	...	Shane
Paul Punyi	...	Priest
Sean Tyson	...	Randolph
Donovan Workun	...	Smith
Melanie Yeats	...	Luane

MPAA:

Rated PG for rude language.

Country:

USA | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG

Filming Locations:

West Edmonton Mall - 8882 170 Street, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Company:

Insight Film Studios

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Making of 'Christmas in Wonderland' (2007) (V)

Soundtrack:

Christmas In Wonderland

Worst Movie Ever

I got to see an advanced screening of this movie in Edmonton. Sadly while its good for a movie to be made in Edmonton, this is the worst movie i have ever seen. Worse than Police Academy Mission in Moscow. Worse than a Sylvestor Stalone or Hulk Hogan comedy. And those are bad movies. Im sure most direct to DVD movies are better than this. And this is sad as i do enjoy GOOD Christmas movies.

The script is terrible and doesn't give the actors much to work with, but only a few actors seemed as though they are not just reading lines. The movie is full of product placement. Initially at their house with apple products and a PSP in center screen, then at the mall with the kids going on a shopping spree. The West Edmonton Mall had a terrible CGI makeover from the outside to make it seem 'magical' as it was painted in blue gold and pink. The first 5 minutes of mall footage was like a promo video for the mall. (Although it is a great mall and you should all visit it, this is meant to be a movie not an infomercial.)

The love story in the movie is unbelievable. The older boy misses his girlfriend from LA. But luckily he finds an attractive girl with the same obscure name as his old girlfriend, who also just moved from LA, and who has the exact same catch phrase as the boy does. He says one line to her, and they are instantly dating. It must have been love at first sight.

There were a couple of bright spots though. Tim Curry Played a Scottish Canadian Mountie. He forgot peoples names and i did laugh when he called one of his helpers 'Rico' when that was neither of their names. But this gag was used several times and grew tiresome by the end of the movie. Santa also made many appearances, making the whole family believe in him again.

One part i cant get over though is the image of the north pole. One of the boys opens a door supposedly to the north pole. The next scene is very poor cgi animation. I think the whole audience was shocked by its lack of quality. They must have hired a computer graphics student who hadn't finished the course yet. As it was beginners level stuff.

To conclude, while I got a free pass to this movie i still felt somewhat short changed by it all. I would have hated to have paid money to see it. Terrible.