I looked forward to watching An Accidental Christmas because one of my favorite stars (Cynthia Gibb) was featured in it. (Funny that she's not even listed on the credits here?) ... Needless to say, it was Oh-So-Predictable from the very start. I went ahead and watched it anyway. I was neither engaged nor empathetic with any of the characters but something else kept gnawing at me which I couldn't pinpoint until 1/2 way through the movie. Millbern's tweezed eyebrows gave me the impression that he's gay. Perhaps he is or not, (it doesn't matter) - However, given the film's subject and his role as the husband, I couldn't get this perception out of my mind. Though his acting is 'ok', I felt the role was wrong for him. Scenes involving romantic interludes were not believable at all. This (tiny) observation bugged the heck out of me and kept me from enjoying the movie. Two Thumbs Down for miscasting and predictability.
13 Reviews
Some Accidents Are Meant to Happen
wes-connors11 December 2013
Fifteen years of marriage is enough for attractive designer Cynthia Gibb and eyebrow-plucked attorney David Millbern (as Vicky and Jason Wright). The couple is headed for divorce. Their children, way too mature-looking Cassidy Freeman (as Melissa) and younger "Tiger" Austin Majors (as Will), do not approve of the separation. When informed of divided Christmas plans, the kids conspire to bring the parents together at their California beach house. Complicating matters are Ms. Gibb's blond boss Jason Connery (as Myles) and Mr. Millbern's blonde secretary Cassidy Freed (as Kristine). With assist from his family and regulars, director Fred Olen Ray rolls these off the production line. "An Accidental Christmas" might have benefited from some tweaking at the TV Movie factory, or not...
Best performance and scene is the guy sitting next to Gibb at karate practice.
*** An Accidental Christmas (9/9/07) Fred Olen Ray ~ Cynthia Gibb, David Millbern, Jason Connery, Austin Majors
Best performance and scene is the guy sitting next to Gibb at karate practice.
*** An Accidental Christmas (9/9/07) Fred Olen Ray ~ Cynthia Gibb, David Millbern, Jason Connery, Austin Majors
Predictable and sleep-inducing
hindsonevansmike22 December 2018
The script-writers didn't break out of a slumber, let along a jog.
Workmanlike and entirely predictable (doormat wife rediscovers herself after two kids - the "daughter" looks old) and returns to her old job. Hubby can't accept this. The kids "engineer a "Parent Trap" style reunion with a Christmas booking at an old family favourite resort and...zzzzz.
We woke up as the titles rolled by. I looked at the original intended score for this and added one point.
Workmanlike and entirely predictable (doormat wife rediscovers herself after two kids - the "daughter" looks old) and returns to her old job. Hubby can't accept this. The kids "engineer a "Parent Trap" style reunion with a Christmas booking at an old family favourite resort and...zzzzz.
We woke up as the titles rolled by. I looked at the original intended score for this and added one point.
typical parents split kids rebel storyline
dorianne_swift26 November 2011
I found this movie to be pretty inane. There are better Christmas shows to watch. I found it VERY distracting to see the men especially since it seemed they wore far too much make-up. It detracted from the plot as far as I am concerned. Very predictable and boring. I think there should have been better character development, more natural acting and stronger scenes. The acting seemed really forced. I was done watching after about the first half hour but stuck it out until the end. I also feel a lot of the plot line ended up being very stereotypical. At times the plot was lost in a lot of useless dialog that did not further the plot. There was no Christmas spirit, no sense of magic watching the show and nothing to catch one's attention. Shallow characterizations combined with the bad makeup and overacting was distracting.Even a made for TV movie usually delivers much more than this.I will not be watching it again.
Terrible Writing
aculberson114 December 2011
This is seriously one of the worst movies I have ever seen. Yes, the sentiment is sweet and the actors are potentially good, but the writing was so awful that it was embarrassing and awkward just to watch. I feel that there are so many screenplays out there and ideas that could be turned into something great, but the fact that this one got picked up in this package is a sad testament to the state of TV-movies in general. It was not worth the money and time spent in developing and producing it. Would it really have been so difficult to amend the script? If they had taken a little more time to fix the plot and the script up a bit, then it could have been much much better. Actors, regardless of talent, can only do so much with a piece of writing. It's their script! It's what they go on. This movie did not serve the actors justice.
Also, the teenage daughter, if they were married for 15 years, that would mean she's 14 at the oldest -- WAY too much cleavage and make-up for some one that age. Too much cleavage in general.
Also, the teenage daughter, if they were married for 15 years, that would mean she's 14 at the oldest -- WAY too much cleavage and make-up for some one that age. Too much cleavage in general.
Bland & Boring
Christmas-Reviewer7 August 2016
This film was a huge bore. It started off okay but it went south quickly. I love Cynthia Gibb. I have been a huge fan of hers since "Fame". This film however is not her friend. The lighting was harsh on her. She makes the most out of what is there but the child stars in this steel every scene away from their adult counterparts!
The script is a rip-off of "The Parent Trap" but it was written by people who don't know how to write and directed by someone who can't stage a scene!
Now this film is so bad that I had to sit through it to see how desperate the film makers were going to end it.
Trust me this film is bad but I highly recommend you buying it because it will put you to sleep faster then an episode of Arliss
The script is a rip-off of "The Parent Trap" but it was written by people who don't know how to write and directed by someone who can't stage a scene!
Now this film is so bad that I had to sit through it to see how desperate the film makers were going to end it.
Trust me this film is bad but I highly recommend you buying it because it will put you to sleep faster then an episode of Arliss
Casting Disaster
Oiforgot3 December 2013
Just finished watching this Lifetime Movie again. (No, there was nothing else on TV!) Whoever did the casting for this TV movie must have been on a limited budget! The casting of Actor David Millbern as a 'straight' man/husband is far-fetched! His perfectly tweezed eyebrows were distracting, and it appeared he did not even attempt to "act" straight for the role. His mannerisms were more feminine than his wife's! I'm not a gay basher, far from it! I just don't know why he was chosen to play a straight role. Yes, a good actor can pull it off, but in this case it was a fail. (We're often "shocked" when an actor comes out -- that's because they are so good at acting and doing their job!) The kissing scene was so awkward; very much like seeing Jody Foster kissing Richard Gere ... just didn't work. Anyway if the story had been written better perhaps all of the 'fluff' would not have been so noticeable. The daughter, too, by the way, clearly must have been at least 20! She definitely did not pull off being a 14 year old! Too much makeup and cleavage for a 14 year old! But again, if the story would have been more interesting and better written, I may have never noticed all the things wrong with the characters! If you're looking for a nice Holiday movie to watch, or there's nothing else on TV, rent something or go to bed! Don't settle for something on TV as I just did.
An Accidental Mess
cammietime10 December 2021
Warning: Spoilers
An Accidental Christmas is an accidental mess. It's so confounding it has the infrastructure to be a holiday cult classic. This is the really bad Christmas movie you can't help but watch.
Cynthia Gibb stars as Vicky, a confused soccer mom who often blatantly declares what she wants in life but then acts in a contradictory fashion or second guesses herself after hard core gaslighting from her family. This strange tale of a marriage on the rocks meanders in all directions before doing a final unsatisfying bait and switch. Vicky's husband Jason (an odd performance by David Millbern) doesn't help things, a workaholic lawyer who delegates family duties to Vicky without any appreciation or base respect. Vicky is fed up with this situation and is separated from Jason, creating the core conflict in the film. The trouble is Vicky, despite constantly declaring what she wants from her life, doesn't seem to know what she wants to do with her marriage, which keeps her husband, their two kids, and the audience in a gut wrenching limbo. I mean she kinda really knows the marriage is over but for unexplained reasons kinda really won't just come out and say it, so we all get to wait around for her to decide what to do.
This limbo creates tension starting with the first scene of the movie, a unique departure from nearly all holiday movies that have to set the stage first then manufacture some sort of problem out of nothing. The end to end tension gives the film an edgy feeling, but it also gets tiresome as the kids, Jason, and audience all wait around for Vicky to decide what to do next. Since Vicky and Jason are separated, not divorced, Jason constantly feels he has the wigglewroom and 'one more chance' to win Vicky back. Ditto for the kids, they execute a beach style parent trap in an attempt to keep Vicky in the marriage. The daughter Melissa (Alison Woods) steals every scene she is in and was either born 5 years before they got married or is in the 99% percentile in terms of puberty for a 14 year old. Why not just say they were married for 20 years instead of 15 to avoid this issue - avoidable sloppy writing, but I digress.
Sean Connery's son plays one dimensional Myles, Vicky's slimeball boss who obviously is infatuated with her and takes advantage of his power over her, but this powerplay is not explored. It's only viewed as a jealousy event for Jason. Then Jason's overly attractive 20 something assistant Kristine shows up in a bikini, this movie sure does love its cleavage for no apparent reason. Unlike Vicky, Kristine actually has the guts to chew Jason out for his ineptitude and lousy behavior towards others, finally triggering his realization that he needs to change.
After the sassy daughter my favorite character is beach house cleaner Rico, played elegantly by Minnesota native James Hong. He is the wise old man stock character, but at least he has some uniqueness about him as a person. His cheesy advice may not be accurate, but its delivery is refreshing since we usually hear this from a Santa Clause type old geezer.
Since Vicky cannot make up her mind with what she wants to do with the marriage, even though her words clearly show she is done, moved on, and excited about a new future, the plot drags during the middle section as she makes statements about liking change then gets manipulated by Jason or the kids to stick with them. Vicky has clearly moved on emotionally and accepted the marriage being over, so it is very confusing why they are in this separated state instead of flat out divorced. In real life Vicky would have divorced Jason long ago. They sell the marriage being over very well, quite realistically in fact. They do such a good job at this that it becomes clear Vicky cannot be convinced to stay with Jason nor emotionally accept that outcome. But then...the ending, ugh.
The ending is....annoying...to say the least. After all that she put us through, Vicky finally comes to the same conclusion that the audience did 10 minutes in, she needs to divorce Jason. Relief at last. Time to game plan next steps like they did in that Adam Driver divorce movie from 2019. You go girl. Except....leave it to Rico to convince Vicky in a single speech to do what Jason and the kids tried to do for two hours...make her decide to stay with Jason. Puke. Vicky's sudden change of heart completely and utterly undermines everything she said up until that point, heck just 12 hours prior she finally declared they are going to get divorced. It's like the writers really wanted Vicky to be a woman with her own agency and convictions, but the payoff for that setup never comes and Vicky is forced to do what the plot says, even if it completely contradicts her character. At the 11th hour we are given something totally contradictory to Vicky's narrative, and this is a disservice to her and frankly any woman who is stuck in a marriage she knows she needs to end but is struggling with pulling the trigger. It would be so much more interesting to watch Vicky truly call it quits with Jason and then navigate from there to the next phase of her life, independence and architecture...maybe that will be the sequel? Based on how much she fought with Jason in this movie, I would bet on it.
Cynthia Gibb stars as Vicky, a confused soccer mom who often blatantly declares what she wants in life but then acts in a contradictory fashion or second guesses herself after hard core gaslighting from her family. This strange tale of a marriage on the rocks meanders in all directions before doing a final unsatisfying bait and switch. Vicky's husband Jason (an odd performance by David Millbern) doesn't help things, a workaholic lawyer who delegates family duties to Vicky without any appreciation or base respect. Vicky is fed up with this situation and is separated from Jason, creating the core conflict in the film. The trouble is Vicky, despite constantly declaring what she wants from her life, doesn't seem to know what she wants to do with her marriage, which keeps her husband, their two kids, and the audience in a gut wrenching limbo. I mean she kinda really knows the marriage is over but for unexplained reasons kinda really won't just come out and say it, so we all get to wait around for her to decide what to do.
This limbo creates tension starting with the first scene of the movie, a unique departure from nearly all holiday movies that have to set the stage first then manufacture some sort of problem out of nothing. The end to end tension gives the film an edgy feeling, but it also gets tiresome as the kids, Jason, and audience all wait around for Vicky to decide what to do next. Since Vicky and Jason are separated, not divorced, Jason constantly feels he has the wigglewroom and 'one more chance' to win Vicky back. Ditto for the kids, they execute a beach style parent trap in an attempt to keep Vicky in the marriage. The daughter Melissa (Alison Woods) steals every scene she is in and was either born 5 years before they got married or is in the 99% percentile in terms of puberty for a 14 year old. Why not just say they were married for 20 years instead of 15 to avoid this issue - avoidable sloppy writing, but I digress.
Sean Connery's son plays one dimensional Myles, Vicky's slimeball boss who obviously is infatuated with her and takes advantage of his power over her, but this powerplay is not explored. It's only viewed as a jealousy event for Jason. Then Jason's overly attractive 20 something assistant Kristine shows up in a bikini, this movie sure does love its cleavage for no apparent reason. Unlike Vicky, Kristine actually has the guts to chew Jason out for his ineptitude and lousy behavior towards others, finally triggering his realization that he needs to change.
After the sassy daughter my favorite character is beach house cleaner Rico, played elegantly by Minnesota native James Hong. He is the wise old man stock character, but at least he has some uniqueness about him as a person. His cheesy advice may not be accurate, but its delivery is refreshing since we usually hear this from a Santa Clause type old geezer.
Since Vicky cannot make up her mind with what she wants to do with the marriage, even though her words clearly show she is done, moved on, and excited about a new future, the plot drags during the middle section as she makes statements about liking change then gets manipulated by Jason or the kids to stick with them. Vicky has clearly moved on emotionally and accepted the marriage being over, so it is very confusing why they are in this separated state instead of flat out divorced. In real life Vicky would have divorced Jason long ago. They sell the marriage being over very well, quite realistically in fact. They do such a good job at this that it becomes clear Vicky cannot be convinced to stay with Jason nor emotionally accept that outcome. But then...the ending, ugh.
The ending is....annoying...to say the least. After all that she put us through, Vicky finally comes to the same conclusion that the audience did 10 minutes in, she needs to divorce Jason. Relief at last. Time to game plan next steps like they did in that Adam Driver divorce movie from 2019. You go girl. Except....leave it to Rico to convince Vicky in a single speech to do what Jason and the kids tried to do for two hours...make her decide to stay with Jason. Puke. Vicky's sudden change of heart completely and utterly undermines everything she said up until that point, heck just 12 hours prior she finally declared they are going to get divorced. It's like the writers really wanted Vicky to be a woman with her own agency and convictions, but the payoff for that setup never comes and Vicky is forced to do what the plot says, even if it completely contradicts her character. At the 11th hour we are given something totally contradictory to Vicky's narrative, and this is a disservice to her and frankly any woman who is stuck in a marriage she knows she needs to end but is struggling with pulling the trigger. It would be so much more interesting to watch Vicky truly call it quits with Jason and then navigate from there to the next phase of her life, independence and architecture...maybe that will be the sequel? Based on how much she fought with Jason in this movie, I would bet on it.
Obnoxious movie !!
maryann451027 November 2018
Very poor writing
PattiJoA27 November 2011
This was similar to Parent Trap, set in Christmas time. The writing left a lot to be desired. The story line wasn't developed well and you never really felt connected to the main characters.
The split up of the couple was never explained until the end, so why would the audience want them to stay together? The addition of the "boss interested in the wife" was just plain hokey. It would have been more credible if she was interested in him and there was a conflict in deciding who she wanted to be with.
The scene where the little boy was lost was either completely edited to pieces or the worse writing of the entire show. The actions of the characters were totally unrealistic. The mom and daughter wouldn't have stood there holding onto each other - they would have been out there yelling and searching. And how did the dad know exactly where to find the boy - there should have been more dramatic search. From the camera view, they drove straight to the boy and found him - while mom and daughter were standing there crying. It looked like the boy was incapacitated due to a severely injured leg, yet dad picked him up, took him to the car, and set him down. No hospital? The log he lifted off the boy - not that big or heavy. The boy should have been able to roll it off.
The "almost reconciled" scene towards the end was poorly written. When they were discussing the faults of the relationship, there wasn't a discussion of regret and desire to fix - just "let's end it" on her part. The conversation didn't start out that way and there was no explanation for why it ended that way.
I can't blame the movie on poor acting because actors can only do so much with a bad script.
The split up of the couple was never explained until the end, so why would the audience want them to stay together? The addition of the "boss interested in the wife" was just plain hokey. It would have been more credible if she was interested in him and there was a conflict in deciding who she wanted to be with.
The scene where the little boy was lost was either completely edited to pieces or the worse writing of the entire show. The actions of the characters were totally unrealistic. The mom and daughter wouldn't have stood there holding onto each other - they would have been out there yelling and searching. And how did the dad know exactly where to find the boy - there should have been more dramatic search. From the camera view, they drove straight to the boy and found him - while mom and daughter were standing there crying. It looked like the boy was incapacitated due to a severely injured leg, yet dad picked him up, took him to the car, and set him down. No hospital? The log he lifted off the boy - not that big or heavy. The boy should have been able to roll it off.
The "almost reconciled" scene towards the end was poorly written. When they were discussing the faults of the relationship, there wasn't a discussion of regret and desire to fix - just "let's end it" on her part. The conversation didn't start out that way and there was no explanation for why it ended that way.
I can't blame the movie on poor acting because actors can only do so much with a bad script.
Parent trap + manipulative kids + soccer mom trying to achieve her dream + workaholic jealous dad + arbitrary Christmas theme that fell flat in the sand
novaatlassvg10 November 2020
Warning: Spoilers
The movie tries to convince the viewer that the wife is a workaholic like the husband but the evidence proves otherwise.
The husband forgets to pick up his kids, he forgets getting gifts for his family, and has no ability to function as a single parent. All of this is in the first part of the movie. The wife has made it clear she wanted to work as a home builder before they even got married and the money the couple received to start her business was used to help the husband's dream of becoming partner at a law firm. She became a soccer mom for him and when she went to chase her own career the only way she could do it was to no be her husband's housekeeper. She even says her husband won't miss her with a good housekeeper and it seems to be true for the first half of the movie. She can even do her job and do everything her husband seems to constantly forget.
Middle part is just, wife is wrong because she didn't want to be ignored and ignore her dreams anymore. Her kids treat her like she is the reason why their family is messed up and she just has to accept their dad ignoring them. They don't care if their mom is happy, as long as they get one beach Christmas. The kids even try to make the mom jealous of their dad and his assistant's relasonship. The wife gets a chance to achieve her dreams and goes to a dinner but a storm rolls in and drenches her, and what looks to be her only chance. She walks in the door and her whole family laughs at her. She described her life as a soccer mom as "I was just a piece of furniture that gets passed by while everyone else goes about their lives".
It isn't until the third act and a lecture by his assistant that makes the husband think he was an terrible dad and husband. He has done nothing but laugh at his wife and tell her his assumptions of her career advancement is only because her boss wants in her pants. The wife even admits she feels like he hasn't loved her in years, the husband tears up and thinks that and allowing her to continue working will fix their relasonship. Right after that they are opening Christmas presents and some of the gifts the wife picked up at the beginning of the movie are tagged "from dad", no gifts actually from the dad are shown so it is likely he forgot them again or the assistant picked up something. Thankfully they don't just kiss and make up after the husband cries. The husband still turns self destructive anytime she sees his wife talking to her boss, at the end she ends up running after him when he runs away from the sight of her talking to him. The she gives the big speech of "I am the luckiest person in the world, I love you" he gives his unearned equivalent of "I know" and all the issues that seemed to plagued her getting her dream just, disappeared.
Long story short, this family needs therapy, and the mom needs to stay out if she wants her own life because the rest of her family are use to manipulating to get their way, but that wouldn't line up with the plot they ripped from parent trap.
A lot of romance movies aren't a good example of relasonship but this family is toxic with a capital T.
Let's give it a great score!
minunimion11 September 2022
Too many people are so unhappy of their lives and they have to criticize the other lives. This is just a movie, but, first, acting is really good, second, writing is more than acceptable, so in the end it's an enjoyable movie, but of course it's not if you have bitterness in your heart and you can't accept the little things that the life is offering you. Acceptation is the secret, enjoy everything you can, it doesn't matter whether or not it's great. An happy ending story is what I like, because at the end I feel light, I feel joy, I feel peace. I learned many things in my life, but only now I understood that the life is how you create it and even if it's a little bit late, I'm trying to fix what I broke with my arrogance, egoism, anger. I started enjoying little things and I don't have expectations. I'm not saying it always works , but it works much more times than before, so now I can appreciate a movie like this, I mean easy, simple, and in the end I have a big smile on my mouth and I can fly. I know that for many people, it looks stupid, but maybe a day they will understand.
Parent Trap meets Kramer vs Kramer:Children want their liberated ex-soccer mom back!
hsolaf25 December 2010
OK, so it's not that great, but it's better than the one review in IDBM will have you think.Remember the child Lindsay Lohan playing twins trying to get their parents back together in The Parent Trap? Somewhat like that, but with Christmas put into the formula. Cynthia Gibb, who has a kind of Audrey Hepburn quality(big compliment!) is compelling as Vicky,a recent architect'apprentice, who wants more of an identity than just a wife and a mother,like Mrs Kramer in "Kramer vs Kramer". David Millbern as Jason Wright, the stunned husband who just doesn't get why his wife walked out on him, is endearingly nonplussed. And yes, he has a kinda high gaydar quotient,maybe because(if you take a look into his internet resume)he is an "activist" and Advocate contributor.
That said, I didn't find this ruined the film for me, it may have added another dimension.Jason may not be the stereotypical dominant macho type, but he can still be oppressive and insensitive to his wife and too embroiled in his job. Lots of husbands may have an "is he or isn't he"look and in real life they get the benefit of the doubt, why not here?And he IS likable and to me believable as the husband and father.
The children, hoping for a reconciliation, plot to force Vicky and Jason to spend a family Christmas together in their beach house in California.Myles,Vicky's hunky architect boss and old flame, (Jason Connery, Sean's son)is also spending his Christmas there,which provides some tension to the equation. Will Vicky give still-in-love Jason a second chance? Or will she defer to achieving her professional and newly found independence goals? Vicky doesn't seem to have gained enough footing in her new life to give it up so soon.Jason,on the other hand, may look like an easygoing guy and loving father,but husbands don't usually shed their old habits to give their ex-wives the necessary space to regain their identities.
It could go one way or the other,but although viewer sympathy is naturally with the father and children, in reality it's not an easy call. The way it is resolved in "Accidental Christmas"is not satisfyingly explained and it all seems too easy, a flaw in the script.The actors are not at fault, though. Millbern and Gibb are both good as the main characters,and Mr. Connery is just fine as Myles, we wish he had a larger role.James Hong, as the wise Chinese beach caretaker,who gives Vicky and Jason some sound advice, makes himself noted in a small character role.In the end the viewer feels like the film could have been more consequential in treating the wife's dilemma,so it feels like a missed opportunity. Still it is deserving and very watchable.
That said, I didn't find this ruined the film for me, it may have added another dimension.Jason may not be the stereotypical dominant macho type, but he can still be oppressive and insensitive to his wife and too embroiled in his job. Lots of husbands may have an "is he or isn't he"look and in real life they get the benefit of the doubt, why not here?And he IS likable and to me believable as the husband and father.
The children, hoping for a reconciliation, plot to force Vicky and Jason to spend a family Christmas together in their beach house in California.Myles,Vicky's hunky architect boss and old flame, (Jason Connery, Sean's son)is also spending his Christmas there,which provides some tension to the equation. Will Vicky give still-in-love Jason a second chance? Or will she defer to achieving her professional and newly found independence goals? Vicky doesn't seem to have gained enough footing in her new life to give it up so soon.Jason,on the other hand, may look like an easygoing guy and loving father,but husbands don't usually shed their old habits to give their ex-wives the necessary space to regain their identities.
It could go one way or the other,but although viewer sympathy is naturally with the father and children, in reality it's not an easy call. The way it is resolved in "Accidental Christmas"is not satisfyingly explained and it all seems too easy, a flaw in the script.The actors are not at fault, though. Millbern and Gibb are both good as the main characters,and Mr. Connery is just fine as Myles, we wish he had a larger role.James Hong, as the wise Chinese beach caretaker,who gives Vicky and Jason some sound advice, makes himself noted in a small character role.In the end the viewer feels like the film could have been more consequential in treating the wife's dilemma,so it feels like a missed opportunity. Still it is deserving and very watchable.
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