Christmas Miracle (2012) User Reviews

Very slow

[Jackbv123 · 4/10 · 16 May 2020]

First of all, reviewers, please tag your spoilers. (Some did. One of those who didn't, Christmas-Reviewer asks why he gets reported - well if you are always putting in spoilers without marking it, then maybe that's why. No I didn't report you.)

My primary complaint is how slow this movie is. It's supposed to be deep and deals with real problems and emotions. It's still slow.

There are a ton of holes and inconsistencies. At the beginning, 5 vehicles skid and crash or nearly crash within a couple minutes. They throw a flare or two and leave all the cars. No one calls the cops. So no one else comes upon this pile up for the whole night? The wife and mother comes along a little later, crashes in a different place, yet all were within walking distance of the church in a blizzard. Another one is what the kid does, plus as we see him walking along near his house, much of it is on streets and paths where there's not enough snow for his feet to make an impression . The insulin incident, as one reviewer pointed out, is indeed backwards. There seems to be one little fire between two floors, yet they all walk around like it's not that cold almost like there's central heat.

None of the characters are paragons. All of them have issues they're dealing with. In fact many of them are not very likable at least at times. The young wife complains her husband doesn't treat her respectfully, but she does act like a child. Even so, he borders on mean to her. The "rich" couple are a stereotype of just that and bicker, bicker, bicker.

The movie ends with a speech and a mini-sermon. Nice thoughts but they seemed like so many words..

There's a couple of Christmas songs by Aaron Pearl, one apparently original.

Not too bad but...

[dpijpstra · 6/10 · 26 December 2020]

Nice story but why all staying in this church while the house is on walking distance for a boy?

The babysitter got left out in the snow storm!

[shiannedog · 5/10 · 10 December 2021]

This is crazy town! A church with a Santa outfit? A bunch of difficult grown ups are lost in the mountains but a dumb kid can wander from mom and dad's house through a snow storm and find them at the same church in just a few minutes? Good grief! This is an action packed snoozer. And oh that poor babysitter is still out there looking for that kid. My my my...

Nope

[jason-filby-980-886803 · 3/10 · 15 December 2018]

It's bad...good intentions and acting not half bad but story, direction, and cohesion of story was terrible. One character has a diabetic moment almost faint which usually indicates low blood sugar so they give her a shot of insulin in her arm...they don't check her sugar count...also insulin brings sugar down not up the lady needed to eat and without checking sugar you have no clue what to inject. Not rocket science but it's not a flu shot. Small details like that lost mixed with just bad writing makes this almost a zero of it wasn't for it trying to send a good message. Filmmakers...do better!

Terrible movie, one to avoid.

[eefrost · 2/10 · 13 December 2014]

Basically, a group of people who are unhappy with their lives end up in an abandoned church after getting stranded in a snow storm. I am not sure where the miracle came in although there was plenty to be thankful for. Mostly that it is only 90 minutes long. This is one of the slowest movies I have seen, with really nothing to redeem it. There was at least a lot of snow. I could have accepted the group being stranded and snowed in and talking to each other until resolving some of the issues they all had, mostly due to lack of communication between the couples. But when the autistic son ran away from his babysitter and walked to the church under his own steam, I had to question why 8 grown-ups couldn't walk home through the woods. That and the woman who lost her insulin in the snow was still able to use it after it froze, thereby rendering it useless. It looks like they stayed all night in the church without freezing to death, and it all ended happily ever after. Slowly and painfully.

Inspiring but somewhat depressing

[vchimpanzee · 18 December 2018]

The ending is amazing, and a nice reward for all the suffering we were put through to get to this point.

I learned recently there are Lifetime Christmas movies and Hallmark Christmas movies. I've known both channels had these movies but have never wanted to spend that much money for cable, but I now realize the difference is Hallmark has light, corny, humorous and overly sweet movies, and Lifetime has challenging dramas. This movie falls into the Lifetime category, though we do get to laugh from time to time.

The acting is so-so but occasionally rises to a level making the movie worthwhile. There's a formula here but it's an enjoyable formula, when it's not really depressing.

Some people think a white Christmas is romantic. Seeing this makes me not want to associate Christmas with snow because it's just so unpleasant, and yet the results are worth it.

Is it a family film? Of course. It may be a little intense for the youngest or more easily disturbed kids, but I don't think there's really anything offensive here.

I think it's worth seeing.

Lovely story

[gailmoir · 6/10 · 11 December 2019]

Def not worth a one or 2 other reviewers have given. Very beautiful story Would have been a 7 but for the child actor. Painful to watch. Hope we don't see much more of him as an 'actor'. Shame. As the other acting was nice. Makes you stop. Think and re evaluate. Yes. Some terrible moments such as the insulin incident. Very cringeworthy in its incorrectness. All the food and drinks the mother managed to put together. But overall. So what. Who really cares. Give it a go.

Holy moly

[cdanielshepherd · 1/10 · 27 November 2018]

So they all get stopped by a tree and no one tries to move it? The contractor keeps pullin crap from his truck, but he don't have a chainsaw or a chain to move that tree? It's too far to walk to town but the 'autistic' kid makes the trek in like 6 minutes? The lady needs insulin even though she hasn't eaten? The true Christmas Miracle would have been if someone had boarded up the church and set it on fire.

Old formula that works

[steeleronaldr · 8/10 · 29 November 2019]

Not many movies can retale a often told Story without boring the viewer. Solid performances and a good cast helps to keep the story moving. One thing to keep in mind though, this is not only a Christmas movie but a family orientated movie as well. I must admit that towards the end of the movie the plot takes a somewhat twist which does render a question mark. I made note that not only was this a (again) a Christmas movie but it contained the word "miracle" in the title. I won't reveal the scene but it was a bit hard to believe. I did give this movie 8 out of 10 star's mainly on the performances, believable characters and strong Story.

A good cast make this one a decent Christmas TV movie.

[MattyGibbs · 7/10 · 5 December 2015]

Eight people get stuck in an abandoned church in a snowstorm on Christmas Eve. Here they evaluate their lives in the usual Christmas movie way.

You know what you are going to get in most Christmas TV movies and the success of them in my opinion rests on the performance of the cast and the script. Personally I thought the acting was pretty good in this one, especially from Aaron Pearl, and the characters were more interesting than a lot of other Christmas movies. Although maybe a touch predictable the script stayed just on the right side of schmaltz.

The wonderful snowy settings were an added bonus and added nicely to the good overall Christmas feel.

This is a very easy watch, a film that puts you in the mood for Christmas and on that basis I think it does it's job. It's got snow, a Christmas Tree, Christmas carols, church bells and characters called Mary and Joseph. What's not to like. Although nowhere near perfect, for it's type, I thought Christmas Miracle was slightly above average.

I thought it would never end

[Christmas-Reviewer · 1/10 · 29 January 2018]

Review Date 1/29/2018

PLEASE BEWARE OF SOME REVIEWERS THAT ONLY HAVE ONLY ONE REVIEW. WHEN ITS A POSITIVE THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE THEY WERE INVOLVED WITH THE PRODUCTION. NOW I HAVE NO AGENDA! I REVIEW MOVIES & SPECIALS AS A WAY TO KEEP TRACK OF WHAT I HAVE SEEN! I HAVE DISCOVERED MANY GEMS IN MY QUEST TO SEE AS MANY " C H R I S T M A S " MOVIES AS I CAN.

Now Someone keeps reporting my reviews. I guess they are jealous because I do tell the truth. I want to point out that I never make snide remarks about actors weight or real life sexual orientation. If there acting is terrible or limited "I talk about that". If a story is bad "I will mention that" So why am I being "picked on"? IMDB? When one of my reviews gets deleted IMDB will not even tell me what someone found offensive. Well on to this review.

In this film a group of strangers are forced to seek refuge in an abandoned church after a major snow storm hits. Over the course of the evening these strangers rely on one another to make do during these very difficult times.

This film was poorly done. It goes on way too long! This film has all the "STEREO TYPES" of couples in some sort of crisis. All of them of course come together help each other and share their experience strengths and hope with each other.

What works in this film is that the actors give it their all. The film however falls apart near the end after an autistic boy is rescued from the elements.

Now That is where the film should of ended however there is another 10 or so minutes that go on and on. The reason is that the last 10 minutes become a church service. The last 10 minutes is just basically a preacher recapping what you just saw. This is the part of the film you can just skip because it adds nothing more to the story.

Had this not been a TV-movie (where movies need to fill a time slot) this would of been cut.

Now what I do like about this film is that it does have the moments you do expect in a "Christmas Movie" and it does them well. Its family safe but good luck getting the kids to sit still for this!

What I was most disappointed in was that the last act. I think the story could of been better served had "ALL THE CHARACTERS" reunited at the church and we see that they became close friends or still in touch with each other.

Wanted a Hallmark type movie and instead saw something much better!

[sabrinaweissler · 10/10 · 19 November 2018]

I can't tell you how surprised I was with this movie. It told a great message, the acting was fine and there were two songs sung by George Canyon that made us instant fans. Yes..the movie does celebrate the concept of relationships, faith, and moving on past a tragedy. It does a great job with these themes and really made an impact on my entire family who viewed it. It was a great movie!

More Meaningful Christmas Movie Than Most

[Clairsigne · 6/10 · 9 December 2018]

Nice movie about love, family, marriage, friendship and faith in God.

medically wrong in epic proportians

[Tiny T · 4/10 · 2 January 2021]

SPOILER ALERT First mistake. Never leave your autistic kid with a regular girl from the neighborhood. Special kids need special attention which requires special education, which you should know if your into support groups which she turn out to be. Second fatal mistake. DON't administer insuline without checking the bloodsugar first. The fact that the woman is light headed does mean most likely she lacking sugar in her system, so she has to eat first and then she needs insuline to proces it to her cells. If you do not eat in cases like that, the insuline would probably kill you. Aside from those catastrophic mistakes, the story is a very big stretch to get all those people in that nice church. Some inconsistencies though. They could walk the rest of the way to town, however the autistic kid managed the trip in record time. Must be a uphill downhill thing. Nobody tries to move the tree!!!! Wy on earth not? The contractor got all kinds of equipment including an aks. Unbelievable. And why does everybody drive so fast in the middle of snow fall like that? And as far as I could see, nobody used snow chains on there tires. If you making so many shortcuts, then just start the movie in the church and explain there situation in conversation which would have been much more believable. The rest is Christmas worthy, all the broken or disturbed relation are mended, by the help of the others. All missed opportunities are turned around, even the lost faith in the good lord by the priest is brought back by the rescue mission for the autistic child. So if thats what your looking for then your in for a treat, if you manage to survive the buildup to it.

in an old church

[Kirpianuscus · 26 December 2023]

A beautiful Christian movie. For me, it is the only matters thing. The acting, the bizarre situations, the dialogues - not always inspired- , the oasis of unrealism , the forced situations ...each of them is only detail.

Significant is the remind of solidarity and kindness.

And the church.

And the smart simplicity of story.

Each of them makes Christmas Miracle a certainly must see. For discover, in essence, the true significance of Christmas and a christian film just fair crafted , using ordinary crisis in gentle, smart and good manner.

Among spirit of holliday and consumerism, against artistic sins , real a very good film.

Too many holes and subjects with skimpy backgrounds for a plot with depth and feel

[SimonJack · 5/10 · 18 November 2022]

"Christmas Miracle" is a film that one wants to be able to rate higher, for its overall theme. The idea for having eight strangers, three couples and two single men come together to weather a winter storm is okay. But then, to have each one with a load of some sort and trying to develop and resolve that - all of them, in 92 minutes, doesn't work. That overpowers the screenplay, and so there are a number of holes that the minds of many in the audience nag for filling. And, because they don't, the film suffers for it.

An example is with what appears to be the lead couple - Mary and Joseph Wells. They are estranged and separated because he gave too much time to his work as a contractor. He says she was always busy with her committee work. They have a special needs boy, Matt. She says Joe's never there for them when they need him. This is not a big struggle over infidelity, adultery or something that directly challenges one's love and affection for family. It's not in a big city. It's in a small community. It's clear that Joseph loves her and their son. He wants to get back together, but Mary doesn't want to until the very end. She is most concerned about the women on their street seeing her and saying she wasn't able to keep their marriage together. Joe says the neighbors don't think that. It seems as though pride and some other things are occupying Mary. She's more concerned about what people say and think than she is about their relationship, love, marriage and family. At least, that's the way it sure seems. If not that, then Mary's role seems forced, or she really doesn't love the guy. But, Allison Hossack is a good actress, so I'm sticking with the unbelievability of the matter in the first place in the screenplay.

The young couple here are newly weds of three days. But their squabbling and arguing just isn't convincing. It really seems forced and unbelievable. Randal Edwards and Siobhan Williams otherwise are okay in their roles, but their bickering scenes are way out in the galaxy for believability. Then, the bickering of the other couple, Madeleine (Lori Riolo) and Drake (David Nykl) is almost deadpan. The way the film flushes out each one's naivete about their financial condition doesn't gel with the first scenes. And, if anything, it says that this couple of 15 years or so were a man and woman who never really knew the other.

Of course, James Mason, the clergyman with a loss who walked away, has his ghost to overcome. Then there's Darryl who drives a truck after failing his final exam to be a medical doctor. And Matt wandering off into the night and the babysitter all distraught.

This film tries to pack way too much into a story that then leaves it rather shallow.

The film has some other production problems as well. Continuity is a big problem more than once. When Mary sets out from her house in her SUV, she drives through the small downtown streets before getting onto a highway to head for the abandoned church where Joe and the others are stranded. But later, when the boy, Matt, sneaks out of the house to walk to the old church, he's never along a sidewalk or the town streets anywhere. Instead, he's on a road in a heavily wooded area. And, as one other astute reviewer noted - a big hole in the story is why everyone would stay in the old church when a boy can walk the distance from his home. Sure, Madeleine had a sprained ankle, but Joe and one other could have walked to the town or to his house to then return with help.

In a nutshell, there are too many plot holes and too little background on these people to make this a substantial film and satisfying story. And, in spite of that, the film seems to drag on at times. So, it's conclusion seems more like a fairytale with a happy ending, rather than one or more miracles, after a small group of people were stranded together.

Tedious movie with awful characters and wooden acting

[trvwatson · 1/10 · 18 November 2022]

This movie chogged along, but went nowhere, The characters were a bunch of annoying jerks who spend every minute arguing about pointless nonsense.

Everyone was obsessed with marriage and flaunting their rings at each other. In one scene, the immature blond girl goes to talk with the spoilt bratty women to have a heart to heart, but they both just start comparing their jewellery and their money status, and after two minutes they have discussed noting but who has the most stuff. The husbands are all simps, and the wives were all entitled whinebags. There was NOTHING about Christmas at all. Just a dreary badly lit, badly written, badly acted mess.

Not great but tells a story

[Keeya2013 · 7/10 · 4 November 2015]

I disagree with the 2 star review, yes it is a slow movie but it does actually have a point. Maybe you were just not paying attention. The freak snow storm was in the Pacific north west, as such it would be possible that the ladies insulin would have been chilled not frozen.... I understand that insulin can be refrigerated, NO? As for the walk to the town, I believe it was quite a distance, as the son walked for a long time and got lost in the woods, so maybe lesson learned there, stay put where everyone could be in one place, fire burning, sheltered and reasonably comfortable. Strangers sharing stories and wisdoms, and providing each other with a shoulder and support. I did find the idea that Matt would sneak out of his house a bit far fetched, but, since I do not have an autistic child, I do not fully understand how this would be portrayed in a character. The movie does have a point, when the final scenes are played out it becomes very clear when it comes to the ending. Possiblythe previous reviewer did not wait for the end of the movie to see the conclusion. Is this the absolute best Christmas movie out there? No, but it does share a message, it gives a person pause to reflect and maybe that is the point. Take the message from the movie an leave the sub-par bits behind!

Where is the cheer?

[adamjohns-42575 · 4/10 · 10 December 2022]

Christmas Miracle (2012) -

This film was a bit depressing right from the start and had none of the Christmas cheer that I've come to expect from these Made For TV films.

I'd already turned off a God bothery film before I started watching this one, so I was a bit apprehensive about seeing another one, actually set in a church, however I loved Dan Payne in 'Mulligans' (2008), so I was prepared to give it a fair try. He wasn't in it enough, didn't get even topless and it wasn't really worth it overall in the end.

By the time the credits rolled I wasn't sure that any of the couples should have been married or stayed together. The experience that they all faced only seemed to show them up more than ever, especially the newlyweds.

And James Mason (Why would you choose that name?) was a strange one too. He felt like a creepy preacher from a horror film or someone that should be on a list, if you know what I mean?

What I found really weird was that nobody phoned the Police or the Ambulance services at any point in this film, despite having phone service. Surely they weren't the only people on the road that night and the police would have been better at search and rescue? Not to mention the need to prevent further collisions and risk to others. Even if they'd tried and been unable to get through or the phone line had cut out, it would have been something, because otherwise it was a gaping hole in the plot.

It definitely wasn't my favourite Christmas film, but at least the story was different to the usual formulaic romances, although I do love some of those.

Some of the acting was pretty bad and it got very Bible bashy and drawn out at the end too. There was no point in turning it off at that point though.

My crush on Dan aside (He was way too good for Allison Hossack as Mary), I don't think that I will revisit this film again, because I just feel that it could be made with a bit more joy. Which kind of reflects my thoughts about the church as a whole. Be more gospel and less dirgey!

4/10.

Dan Payne to the Rescue

[gasket360 · 8/10 · 25 August 2021]

Well, of course this is soporific and saccharin, and so sweet I nearly went into DKA by the time we got to Silent Night. But ya know what, this is the kind of movie that, just for a little bit, takes one into a fantasy world of make believe where, predictably, everything will work out just right. And what's wrong with that? It's a formula movie--kind of like a chain restaurant--you know what to expect before you walk through the door and take the first byte (sic). Would I watch it again? As long as I can get the Dan Payne visage on my TV screen, YES I would watch it again--and again!

a good Christian movie

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 11 December 2020]

A group of strangers are stranded in a snow storm after a pileup of cars. They find shelter in an abandoned church far from town. I like the idea of various strangers in an isolated place discussing their troubles and relationships. There are little nagging side issues. Madeleine should definitely remove her boot before her foot swells up. They shouldn't be placing the candles next to the windows which would lose a lot of heat. With so many fires, they should have a fire extinguisher. They should check inside the car first for the insulin. They should try to push Mary Wells' car out of the snow and get Madeleine to a medical clinic. She should have brought a pot to boil water and cook some food. They definitely should be pushing the car out to look for the boy. That kid struggles to play autistic. Jennifer should definitely definitely call the cops immediately even before the parents. Non of these issues are cinematically fatal and one can ignore all of them. As far as Christian movies go, this is more interesting than most. The filmmaking is rudimentary which is fine for a TV movie. These are somewhat compelling characters dealing with personal troubles that people can relate to. The Christian motif is done very well with answering prayers and the church bell. It's a big ah-ha moment when James Mason starts climbing up in the church. There are great messages and it's a very sweet movie.

SPOILERS! Unique But Lost Its Mark

[richard.fuller1 · 7/10 · 10 December 2017]

Seven motorists are stranded in the snow at an old abandoned church. This should have been the miracle. Unfortunately, the movie shifted the 'miracle' from the motorists, effective in their own light for the situation they are in, to a small child. Our focus on seven people who are unable to find their way out of the snow, because a tree blocked their way, to first a woman who is able to find her way to the church in her SUV, tho she too gets her vehicle stuck in the snow, but it is when the child wanders out to the church as well, the focus awkwardly shifts. A child on foot is able to get close enough to the church, but the initial seven persons weren't able to wander the same path in reverse. The most remarkable aspect of the film is those vehicles sliding in the dark, quiet snow, with all parties having no idea when the automobiles will come to a stop. And now these seven people rely on one another. There is no bickering, really not the 'problems solved' as we get in other movies of this kind. If these people do not work together, any or all of them could meet an untimely fate in these woods. I saw this movie many years ago and have never forgotten it. Its a nice holiday flick, very low key but it delivers. Had the attention remained on the people in the church, it would have been stronger. And the child doesn't give a good depiction of autism.

A good festive film

[r96sk · 7/10 · 24 December 2020]

Filled with heart, a good festive film.

'Christmas Miracle' is a satisfactory watch. It features a solid storyline, as well as one or two alright stories behind it. It obviously isn't perfect and could've done things better, but for what it is it's enjoyable.

The cast is something that could've been greater, none of the onscreen talent really stand out all that much; though, I will say, they work well together as whole. Allison Hossack is the pick of the cast.

It's more their stories which make this a positive production to see unfold. It can feel a little light in parts, but it serves the intended purpose. The short run time and, relatively, strong score also help the enjoyment factor. The final scene is nonsense but ends just about quickly enough.