Mr. Miracle (2014 TV Movie) User Reviews

An Angel with training wheels.

[adamjohns-42575 · 6/10 · 9 December 2020]

Despite a couple of issues, I do like this film. The biggest and most notable issue for me is Rob Morrow, whom I've always loved, but misses the mark here. His character is far too much of a caricature. It seems that he is trying to emulate Clarence from the 1947 film "It's A Wonderful Life", which runs along a similar theme. Unfortunately, it is easier to compare him to Dustin Hoffman's "Rainman" and not just because of his physical similarities, but because he acts like he is on the spectrum and has a desperate need to poop, but doesn't want to miss out if something exciting happens. I don't know if it was his choice to play it like that or whether it was the director's input, but it really irks and demeans the story somewhat.

There are many other films out there with a similar take on Clarence's attempt to get his wings and not all are successful, but the actual story of this one is really quite nice.

I do like the chemistry between Mr Miracle and his coach and it's nice to see the actor playing Eric being someone who isn't a complete slime ball as he does in so many of this genre.

It's a bit more of a redemption story set at Christmas, rather than a Christmas story featuring redemption as the only real festive tie ins are "A Christmas Carol" and the tree at the very end. Unless you count the fact that he is an Angel and there is heavenly magic involved.

I would like to see a Mr Miracle 2, which was obviously set up at the end, as that story interests me, but it doesn't look like it's been made or about to be made in the near future. I think it would have been more appealing as he would have learned to be a bit more human and therefore less cringey to watch.

Finally I'd like to say Tommy is by far the best character and performance in this film, I'm sure you will all enjoy him as much as I did.

Good Movie, bad portrayal of Mr. Miracle

[dmartin1910 · 5/10 · 25 December 2014]

Rob Morrow's direction in playing the character of Mr. Miracle was very annoying, distracting and almost Aspberger's-like in this otherwise wonderful screenplay of Debbie Macomber.

While the storyline was delightful, the directing of Rob Morrow's portrayal of Mr. Miracle was abysmal. His facial expressions and twitches made him seem mentally challenged rather than a Christmas angel "newbie" as portrayed in the book.

While MRS. MIRACLE is very clever, MR. MIRACLE falls short as a result of the lead character's performance. I don't believe it is a reflection on Rob Morrow's talent but the direction he received.

Would love to see a part two next year with another director.

Guardian Angel

[boblipton · 4/10 · 7 December 2014]

Rob Morrow is a fledgling guardian angel. He has been assigned to help Britt Irvin get her life back on track after the death of her father in this well-meaning but distracted Hallmark Channel Christmas Season movie.

Morrow as the hopelessly clueless angel offers a funny performance with a squeaky voice, but his story of learning how to do his job seems like it should be comedy relief from the budding romance between Miss Irvin and William Vaughan. Yet it takes up about half the movie and it feels like padding. More than that, it seems like auctorial commentary, telling the audience how they are supposed to feel, whether they do or not.

The details of making this movie -- the camera-work, the performances -- are well done. Unfortunately, the script seems more about the mechanical operation of the plot and telling the audience what to feel than letting us discover it within ourselves.

Obnoxious! An insult to the mind and to "Mrs. Miracle" movies.

[adoptshelterpetstoday · 9 December 2014]

Hmmm...how can I fill 10 lines just to say this movie was horrible?

Well, I was very disappointed. The plot was lousy...the main players lacked talent and were annoying...the lead actress looked like she came out of the '50's with that goofy hairstyle and general appearance.

Mr. Miracle was obnoxious...very obnoxious...and goofy. Enough said about him!

It's a shame this movie is a spin-off of Mrs. Miracle, in which Doris Roberts was fantastic...as always! There's no rhyme or reason why Mr. Miracle...a talentless nobody...was chosen for his part, while a seasoned, TALENTED actress, Doris Roberts, had made her "Mrs. Miracle" movies so particularly wonderful.

This is definitely one movie that I will change the channel when it comes on...for I will not submit myself to this stupidity!

Not good

[clairezel · 1/10 · 11 December 2020]

This is just not good. Rob Morrow is unwatchable. His facial expressions, the use of his hands, his odd voice? And the random rules, why urgency of needing to help by Christmas Eve or he's permanently banished to... Heaven? I love cheesy Christmas movies. This was not that.

AWFUL

[cheyennewhitfield · 1/10 · 23 October 2018]

I read this book in just a few days and this is nothing compared to it. The whole movie seems more focused on Harry and his adjustment to Earth. They changed the entire plot and Harry did not seem likeable. Celeste's character was pretty spot on. Addie and Harry don't live near each other, Erich and her are forced to spend time together due to him being injured from an accident, she's taking the class to get her HIGH SCHOOL diploma, etc, etc, etc. I can't even stand finishing this. AWFUL.

Great Dog & Teeth.

[emortland · 3/10 · 25 November 2018]

I came into this movie cold, without knowing anything about the book or author. It made me wonder if the author was pleased with the result. When the dog angel seems more believable than the Rob Morrow angel, there's something not right about this. I kept thinking his character was suffering from multiple sclerosis, what's the point of that? The good news is every actor here has beautiful teeth, and I guess that's inspiring. Now I wonder what they all thought about the final cut.

A fun movie

[herrcarter-92161 · 7/10 · 22 May 2023]

I thought this movie was fun and kind of cute. Unlike some other reviewers, I liked Rob Morrow's performance as Harry the angel. He brought a wide-eyed, goofy, naive innocence to the role. He helped you imagine what it would be like to be experiencing Earth life for the first time, with all its weird emotions, sensations and unfathomable social norms. I liked how he was almost always smiling and upbeat.

The romance between Addie and Erich was okay. It seemed a little forced and unrealistic, and I wish they had developed it a little more. Not sure why Addie had such a hard time believing in herself. Her low self-esteem needed a little more compelling a backstory for me to make it truly believable. Truth be told, however, Addie's story took kind of a back seat to Harry's. He was the character that we were most invested in, and Addie was important only in so far as her success advanced his progression as an angel.

I also read Debbie MaComber's Mr. Miracle book, and the film follows it reasonably closely. I think the book develops the Addie/Erich relationship a lot better, though. Also, there is more drama. For example, Mr. Conceito is truly a tyrant in the book and he attempts to get Elayna, who is a school employee, fired for being involved in Harry's class. He also attempts to shut down Harry's class party because it somehow violated school regulations. Details like this might have added more meat to the plot of the movie, but I guess you have time constraints in a movie and can only do so much.

All in all, I thought the movie was a fun and charming and definitely entertaining, and the characters, especially Harry, were likable and relatable.

Well, to summarize and put in the best of the good words...

[Harbinger_3781 · 3/10 · 12 February 2016]

All right. Ten stars for every movie.

Let's see - deduct 3 stars for direct insult to Master Doris Roberts' Mrs. Miracle by naming this character a "Mister": the master was talented, seasoned, experienced, and her character just plainly struck cords with audiences. The lady portrayed Emily Merkle - a real-deal Angel dispatch - so well and visceral that it made a lot of us believe that the character along with the actor truly IS an Angel. While this... Harry Mills character-- they call him "Mr. Miracle"? What a joke.

2 more stars for the horrifying comparison between Mister and Missus Miracle: At first I thought, with the record of the fantastic, lovable and radiant Mrs. Miracle, the Mr. Miracle would presumably be her husband, a MISTER Merkle, or at least an also-seasoned, high-ranking wise, old- timer Angel from above, with wisdom and guidance and influence that can spread hope and joy and happiness to the world, bring families back together and broken relationships mended-- I even thought, "Wow, a MISTER Miracle? They sent Emily's husband on Earth?" I got really so excited. Instead I saw an actor with few talent playing an obnoxious twerp whom I hate every time he does that idiotic smile and just wants to rip that right off his face - and last time I said that was on Kim Davis! - so that's saying something. For this character I'd just like to see a movie where he got all cocky and made Christmas messed up so bad that he pays for the mistake for it and his smile on his face gone entirely. Sadly, this was not it.

2 more stars gone for that guy's behaviors. And whatever being an Angel should all be about. Emily Merkle played the part truly well; caring, loving, motherly, willing to take direct actions - sometimes even uses her power with Fate well to complete her assignments, also mixed with a fine bit of badassery - the two snowball trick entrance was awesome; trajectory, counter-blindsiding, projectiles, calm... instantly silenced the kids. She played the part so close to the heart that we the audience truly felt the heartbreak when she had to leave and disappears into the silence of the night. Mr. M-- screw that; Harry Mills(he does not deserve the name) - on the other hand, was like this parasite, this adult- child, a stalker and a total peeping tom that frequently steps into the off- limits zones and meddles with affairs that should not be his to go near to, and looks like he's more like a horny loveless idiot who just can't keep it in his pants. And don't get me started on his weird walk - I thought the Angels' group got their dispatches throughly debriefed and trained so they'd blend right in and know exactly what to say... what the hell? In opening he just walk in and talks what mortals say as "rambling nonsense", he doesn't know what the simple expression "Sit down" or knock or any earth slang means, and he's like a cocky arrogant teenager who thinks they know everything and declines assistance... it looks like he didn't even take his manners, behavior, linguistics or intervention method courses before he's dispatched. Think whoever is in charge of those Angels should really be fired. Surprised no one has got suspicious of him and call the police, and spare us the pain of enduring his obnoxious smile for the next 2 hours. True Angels don't do direct approaches!

Really don't understand how the group that brought us High Angels like Emily Merkle has stooped so low, and if the story was that Mills was a new recruit and he got a lot to learn then I just don't see why they recruited him in the first place! And the movie ended with Mills getting more assignments? Och... Jesters help us.

That leaves the movie with still three stars. The redeemable quality was that Nora Allen was playing a character that's got much more wisdom and was so much smarter. HER character, Celeste, should be performing this assignment, and Henry Mills should be an Angel that belongs in the circus or sh*t. Yet still, when Celeste said something about "Addie's dad requested divine intervention" I laughed. Emily Merkle's influence, her behavior, her words, her actions... all of them pointed to what resembled a true divine intervention, giving the audience thoughts whether it was Pamela, and the fact that they did NOT mention it made it more likely, and Celeste's words just broke the mystical temperament, leaving only a sense that some mortal organization ordered adjustments for someone, and they sent some obnoxious, expendable recruit for the task. Sometimes, less is more.

I don't usually view a Christmas movie - or a movie, in general - with that low a score, but this... ugh.

Oh my - terrible movie...

[judytalk · 1/10 · 26 December 2014]

It's bad enough we are subjected to the same movies over & over & over during the season from Thanksgiving to New Year's, but this one is horrible.

The movie seems to jump from one scene to another and has no flow. While we know the theme is make believe, it is totally unbelievable and an insult to Doris Roberts. Her performances makes Mrs. Miracle believable, you pull for her, you feel her sorrow on leaving the families. Rob Morrow just comes off as an annoying stalker you just want to go away. This is writing at its worst.

Hallmark Hall of Fame movies were class acts, but many of these Christmas movies are lousy & this one especially should never have been made. Apologies to the actors who tried but just could not pull it out of the gutter, your time was wasted, sure hope they paid you well.

Uplifting Journey of Self-Discovery

[onreact · 8/10 · 29 April 2024]

I could have saved decades of self-inquiry if I had watched this earlier.

Male lead Rob Morrow excels as permanently grinning overzealous but naive angel apprentice struggling to make his first case love herself.

If you have ever doubted yourself or made yourself fail due to not believing in yourself this movie will boost your self-confidence.

The guardian angel character is so friendly it's almost unbearable but it's probably the normal state of mind of an angel arriving on Earth.

The film is family-friendly, there is no sex or violence so you can watch it all together. I did in April so it's not strictly a Christmas story or movie.

Just don't expect fancy special effects or uttermost drama. It's a slow paced character study that reflects insights of modern psychology.

It could be mistaken for a Hallmark or Christian movie and even though it will delight those audiences as well it's more a serious therapy type of movie dealing with childhood trauma. So don't expect cheap laughs either.

All in all a well spent evening and uplifting journey of self-discovery.

Given the hate comments here I decided to review it and give a star more to keep the balance. After all it's a low budget TV movie so 7 would suffice but given the sophisticated message 8 is fine as well.

Not at all a miracle

[TheLittleSongbird · 3/10 · 5 October 2021]

Christmas films can go either way, which has been my experience watching overtime the festive output of Lifetime and Hallmark. They can either be well-meaning, charming, warm-hearted and don't feel too heavy. Or they can be too over-sentimental, cheesy, contrived and bland. There have been many films of theirs that have fallen in both camps and in the camp where there is a bit of both. The premise for 'Mr Miracle' did sound quite charming.

Sadly the execution was a long way from charming, pretty much the complete anti-thesis. Really did want to like 'Mr Miracle' and there was actually potential for it to be good, but, while it does have a few good things, it does a lot wrong. Being particularly unbalanced by one aspect talked about at great length already to the extent that it ruins the film. This is not coming from somebody who takes pleasure in being critical and actually tend to be generous, including on films often looked upon with scorn.

'Mr Miracle' has a few redeeming merits. With one massively glaring exception, the cast are game and do their utmost best to bring the film and their characters to life. The leads are particularly appealing.

It's a decent looking film too, especially the nostalgic looking scenery that has a very festive atmosphere. Some of the music is pleasant.

However, a lot doesn't work. The dialogue does tend to sound awkward and could have been a good deal tighter, also rather too reliant on the cheese and schmaltz. The story often is pretty dull and feels too thin for the length, and then the last act is rushed and contrived and ends too neatly. There is also nothing new to it and didn't get anything from it emotionally. The charm and heart are missing. The characters could have done with a good deal more growth, despite the valiant efforts of the cast the characters felt underdeveloped.

The direction never rises above workmanlike and the character interactions are at best routine, not entirely disconnected but the spark isn't there. What ruins 'Mr Miracle' is the titular character himself, instead of coming over as a real, sincere person he is instead too much of a neurotic caricature to the point of unintentional creepiness. Which Rob Morrow overdoes dreadfully, everything about the performance was exaggerated and over-compensated.

Summing up, pretty weak. 3/10.

Misses the mark on all levels.

[jk-692-236394 · 13 December 2014]

The movie has no heart. For some reason the point seems to be for this angel, Rob Morrow, to get the main character, Addie, to "believe" in herself. Why? I have no idea. There is no sense of urgency or meaning to this fact. Now here I am at the end of the movie still not able to figure out what the heck her problem is! The main character we are suppose to care about Addie, seems lost, self centered and has zero self awareness and resents her Dad for nothing. You want to slap the character. I had nothing but irritation for her. Was not impressed by the actress playing her. It is hard to have any sympathy for her, when she had two loving supportive parents but does not like herself. Go to therapy then but do not make an entire movie around it! Rob Morrow decided to go with a very strange voice and odd take on being a new angel. He is hard to watch. He acts like a backwards person who walks around is a daze. It does not work. It does not even feel very Christmas-y. If you want a nice movie to play in the background while you work around the house, skip this one.

Not worth your time

[wjsmith419 · 2/10 · 6 July 2022]

Rob Morrow's Harry Mills is a happy idiot child of Dustin Hoffman's Ratzo Rizzo (Midnight Cowboy) and. Raymond Babbitt (Rainman). He's awful in this movie, which is also just badly cast across the board. If this were a food review, it would end with "Not worth the Calories." So, not worth your time.

Still cringing at this one

[Jackbv123 · 2/10 · 29 December 2023]

I often say that you should stick with a movie past the early parts that are absolutely horrible. This movie does even out, but getting there is very painful. The beginning is totally filled with silly stupidity. The character of Harry is insulting, not just to those around him but to the viewer as well. As I said, eventually he learns and becomes only mildly annoying, but the stupidity lasts definitely past the half way mark. That is too much.

Addie would be appealing, but her insecurities are likewise too much to endure. Which leads me to the observation that the movie is filled with too much Pysch 101, no 001. Time after time a character points out a psychological flaw in one of the characters, sometimes even Addie about herself. Erich has his own set. These insecurities could be a good back story, but there is no subtlety. Not only are they pointed out too often, and in uncomfortable situations, but there are signs that for Addie and Erich they are incapacitating. How are these two able to live in the "real" world?

At some point after half way, after the viewer has been crushed with all the silliness and pysch stuff, the movie becomes watchable. There is some obvious predictability, but a decent finish.

I am very thankful that enough time has passed since this 2014 movie that I don't have to worry about a sequel.

The title is Mr. "Miracle"

[king_edward-91442 · 4/10 · 20 November 2021]

While the premise of the story is a good one for a Christmas movie, finding confidence in oneself and true love is always a wonderful feeling for the Christmas season. However, without any deptb or background as to why their self-esteem and relationships were in the pits to start with, that theme falls flat.

To top it off, the main character Mr. Miracle wa s portrayed by an actor who decided he wanted to be Dustin Hoffman for the day and mixed up the title of the movie. He was trying waaay too hard to be Dustin in Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. From about 30 seconds into the movie until the end that was the only thought in my mind, WHY IS HE TRYING TO BE MR. MAGORIUM?

Sorry, there is only one Dustin Hoffman and you are not him. I loved the Magorium movie, I am hoping that you haven't ruined it for me. If the writers specifically told you to act the part as if you were Magorium, I feel sorry for the actor, but if this was your choice, use a little more imagination and come up with your own character and don't try (and fail) to steal someone else's character.

Cringe and bare it

[emilykirtz · 5/10 · 18 November 2021]

This movie has such great potential, with a wonderful story to tell . Almost every one is great but the main character could at times hard to watch. I get he should have certain naïveté but they made him less unexperienced angel and more sweet over the top guy on the spectrum. Which would be fine but if that is his character they should have made that clear in movie. Over all the movie was a good movie but honestly I had to fast forward through some of it.