Wish Upon a Christmas (2015 TV Movie) User Reviews

Does Amanda come to save or liquidate her old boyfriend's business?

[hsolaf · 7/10 · 23 December 2015]

Amanda (Larisa Oleynik) a corporate analyst who's sent from Washington to ailing businesses to "cut the fat" which means firing employees and often closing them. This time it so happens it's a Christmas ornament factory (which is more like a family of artisans in which objects are lovingly handmade)in her old home town which her old high school boyfriend Jesse(Aaron Ashmore) has inherited and runs. As often in Lifetime Christmas movies, Jesse's a sad young widower with a loving bond to his son Danny (Dylan Kingwell). Danny's a big Santa fan, and has written Santa for someone special for his lonely dad. Amanda rekindles her old flame for Jesse and vice versa, and figures out a plan to save the ornament factory without layoffs. However, her Washington bosses reject it. Amanda quickly loses her popularity with Jesse's employees and alienates Jesse as she starts firing half the work force right before Christmas.

Meantime, a charming and distinguished man with a beard, Mr. Tomley (Kevin McNulty) has been looking all over town for a trinket valuable to him. Danny has found it. He thinks it's a magical charm or amulet of Santa's sled operation without which there won't be a Christmas. When Amanda and Jesse take Mr Tomley to Danny to return it, Danny is convinced Mr. Tomley is Santa. But the "amulet" has been lost! In looking for the lost charm , events happen which eventually unite all three Amanda, Jesse and Danny. Plus, do you think the factory is saved, and all come back to work? One hint: It's a Christmas movie!

Yes, "Wish Upon a Christmas" is loaded with clichés and predictable situations. It pretty much adheres to Lifetime Christmas formulas. it's awash with romantic fantasy. That said,it's gratifying that the plot has been artfully woven to have both natural and supernatural explanations. Fantasy is not just rammed down our throats. Children and romantics can delight in the magic, skeptics can find credibility in this pleasant tale. It's a predictable tale but sweetly told. The actors are engaging and attractive. Larisa Oleynik plays Amanda with easy charm and humor, and is credible as a corporate executive. Aaron Ashmore (Jesse)is a great dad and idealistic factory owner. He's very likable and persuasive. He looks a bit, and has a vibe similar to Neil Patrick Harris. Dylan Kingwell as the boy Danny, has just the right dewy-eyed look of winsome innocence to effectively deliver some really fanciful lines. Delightful Dylan is a central character and does a splendid job.

The small-town setting is charming, with great wooded areas and beautiful old homes.There a great supporting cast. Alan Thicke plays Amanda's retired jovial dad, who phones her periodically to give her advice. The factory artisans who interact with Jesse and each other in a folksy, family way.There's a cranky old sculptor,and a sweet matronly supervisor who passes around pecan candy during work hours. All in all, "Wish Upon a Christmas" is a very pleasant Christmas film that will make you warm all over, like hot chocolate or spiked eggnog. Food for your heart, not your mind. It may usher in your Christmas spirit.

A Christmas wish

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 23 February 2021]

While loving Christmas (a lifelong love too) and having liked/loved many Christmas films, there are plenty of Christmas films that are too sappy and cheese ridden as well as predictable. Have seen quite a few films in the past few years with this type of story, which has been familiar territory for most holidays (all holidays not just Christmas) for a while now, and they have varied in success, some are very charming, sweet and engaging while others are too simplistic, dull and silly.

On the most part, 'Wish Upon a Christmas' is in the former category with some elements of the latter. It may not be exceptional or have much special to it, but it is a lot better than the rating suggests in my view and better than a good deal of Christmas films rated higher. Even with a fair share of familiar cliches and such it is better than a lot of Hallmark and Lifetime's quite inconsistent Christmas output. Is 'Wish Upon a Christmas' a great film? No. Is it bad? No, a long way from that.

Am going to start with the good things, as they far outweigh the not so good and the best of them are great. looks attractive enough. The scenery is both rustic and festive and the photography doesn't look rushed or drab. The music doesn't come over as too melodramatic while still having some presence. The direction is suitably sympathetic on the most part while taking a little time to find its feet. The dialogue is not perfect either but the cheese and sentiment don't go overboard and it generally doesn't come over as stilted.

The story is warm-hearted and charming, while it takes itself seriously it doesn't feel over-serious or too heavy and the wish element isn't heavy handed. Larisa Oleynik and Aaron Ashmore are easy going and easy to engage with leads, bringing to life characters that don't come over as too perfect or have flaws exaggerated to the extent that they become bland or annoying. Their chemistry is genuine and moves realistically, even if it is not deep. Most of the supporting cast are fine, with Christie Laing standing out.

Having said that, there is one acting debit and that is Alan Thicke. He underplays his role to the point of phoning in in the dullest of ways and he does sound congested, saw absolutely no point to his character either.

Some of the dialogue early on is corny and awkward and there are a few too many recycled cliches done nothing with.

Concluding, nice film if not exceptional. 7/10

Christmas spirit

[Kirpianuscus · 23 December 2016]

one of films who preserve and use it in decent manner. a story about hope and miracle and happiness, broken stuffs and feelings and fragments of past. Aaron Ashmore remembering a soft Kellan Lutz, Larisa Oleynik remembering Jennifer Morrison and Dylan Kingwell who seems, in the first scenes, more too old for the role of Ben but becoming the pillar of this comfortable story of Christmas. so, a film who can be criticized. because it its purpose is not exactly to be great or unique but a good, modest soup for soul. because all is soft and nice and the exact mix of honey, cinnamon and gingerbread. so, a nice film.as package for the Christmas spirit.

Holly jolly Christmas...keep looking!

[michaelRokeefe · 6/10 · 13 December 2021]

A mild mannered, business-minded Amelia (Larisa Oleynik) , returns to her old home town to either enforce layoffs or just shut down a family-run ornament company. The owner just happens to be her old high school sweetheart Jesse (Aaron Ashmore). He thinks she is there to save the company. How long will it take an old flame burning to interfere with taking care of business? More than a bit predictable, although charming. Also in the cast: Kevin McNulty, Christie Laing, Terence Kelly and Linda Darlow.

Blah

[teebear817 · 4/10 · 24 November 2020]

Been there done that....and done better. Never heard of the actress. She wasnt likeable and a bit creepy. Breaking bread with a man whos throat shes gonna cut. Nice. And what the heck is with Alan Thicke? Either he had a bad cold, or his chosen voice was terrible. Pass this one by.

A failing ornament company son to old for part

[ablondmoment · 4/10 · 30 October 2022]

This was not a bad movie had a good story but the son Danny was far to old for this part it should have been someone much younger like a 5 to 8 year old playing the part. The way he kept talking about santa just was not real because he was to old for this part.

There are so many of these Christmas shows with a failing business as the plot and how they make it work. This is just another one of those this one is a failing Ornament Company. It had been around for years but still had investors running it. The main couple had dated years ago but there was so little chemistry between them at all. It seemed so forced.

A good plot idea, but everything else fails

[SimonJack · 3/10 · 12 February 2022]

"Wish Upon a Christmas" has a plot that could have made a very good movie. All it needed was a good screenplay, a couple of leads who could act beyond the high school level, a director who could get the leads to act and who would catch and correct the terrible annoying habit of the lead actress, and a much better set and assemblage of the ornament company workshop. But, with those obvious shortcomings, this film is terrible. The best I can give it is three stars, and that's for the fantasy aspect. That was a good idea for a "magical" touch, but this film did everything but kill it.

After the lousy screenplay, the next biggest and most noticeable shortcoming of this film is its almost across the board wooden acting. Most of these people are stiff. One can understand a couple of the employees in the ornament shop being a little hesitant - which would convey the suspicion about a corporate person coming to check out the business. But just about everyone appears wooden. The worst are the two leads, who play Amelia and Jesse. And the biggest distraction and detraction from the movie is Amelia, with her weird facial expression and darting, suspicious eyes. Was she expecting a monster to jump out at her at any moment? Was there a killer on the loose whom she was afraid would nab her? That behavior was something right out of a B level horror flick - the kind that used to get laughs from our audiences a ways back. Or something one might see in a silent film.

What an annoying and distracting habit to keep up on the screen. Couldn't the director see that? But there was one more gaping flaw in this film and its casting. One would have to be under heavy sedation to be able to imagine that there was any chemistry at all between Amelia and Jesse, or any possibility of romance. They just showed nothing. Although his pushing her was obvious.

I'm not down on this film because it had a negative overtone of a big corporation closing down a mom and pop business of many years, with so many dear people tossed out on their ears. If anything, the set for this company made it appear like an operation that was probably about dead. It looked as though these people were working in a rundown building, with poor lighting, a dull setting, and a messy place. The fake cheery atmosphere was supposed to be there in the people humming a Christmas carol together. No one smiled. It wasn't a happy atmosphere. Who would want to work there? Unbelievable - and really bad. But that was supposed to get one's sympathy for them?

Although the 11-year old Danny seemed a bit big, and old, for believing so intently in Santa Claus, the young actor was about the only cast member who was animated enough to seem real and believable. And there's a strange thread in this film with Amelia calling her dad, Mr. Pierce, once in a while and getting advice from him - which is usually out in space somewhere.

Just before watching this movie, I watched another on the same DVD disc. I gave that one, "The Christmas Contract," eight stars. It was one of the freshest and most original plots I've seen for Christmas films in some time. And, it was superbly acted and made. So, I'm not a Grinch about Christmas movies overall. But, just as with a barrel of apples, when one sometimes finds a rotten one, so is this a lousy film, amidst others that ranged from fair to very good.

This film had a few flickers of promise in the script, but unfortunately, that's all there was. Here they are.

Danny, "What do you want for Christmas, dad?" Jesse, "I got you - what could I want?" Danny, "A puppy?" Jesse, Nice try."

Rachel, "So, when your daddy comes to pick you up and can't find you, I'm supposed to tell him that you wandered off into the woods alone to see a hole?" Danny "Yyyesss."

Mr. Pierce, "You shouldn't talk yourself out of a solution before you even start."

Amelia, "How big are the cockroaches?" Jesse, "The size of your fist."

Jesse, "Nothing is a waste if it brings you joy." Amelia, "Were you this corny when we dated?"

Amelia, "What do you do when you start to hate the thing you're good at?"

Charming Fantasy

[rebekahrox · 8/10 · 16 December 2015]

A widower's son asks Santa in a letter for someone special for his dad. Meanwhile, his Dad's old high school sweetheart, now a successful corporate actuary, comes to town to shut down his factory and the major employer in the charming old-fashioned town. With a little help from a distinguished old man with a white beard mysteriously come to town looking for a lost bauble, everyone gets their happy ending. this is one of the better entries of the season, thanks to some charming performances by the main actors. Aaron Ashmore and the young actor who plays his son are particularly winning. Amelia is well played as well, as is Mr. Tomptey (alias Santa Claus). The only weak link is Allan Thicke who has an unnecessary role as her father. He delivers his lines like he has been nipping at the eggnog one too many times.

Magical movie

[dontakeitpersonal · 8/10 · 20 December 2020]

It has been a long time since I saw a movie with a magical touch. The classic, fire people just before Christmas is always a good base to start off on. The bauble gave this stiry an interesting twist on other likewise movies.

When You Believe

[Christmas-Reviewer · 8/10 · 26 September 2016]

BEWARE OF FALSE REVIEWS & REVIEWERS. SOME REVIEWERS HAVE ONLY ONE REVIEW TO THEIR NAME. NOW WHEN ITS A POSITIVE REVIEW THAT TELLS ME THEY WERE INVOLVED WITH THE MOVIE. IF ITS A NEGATIVE REVIEW THEN THEY MIGHT HAVE A GRUDGE AGAINST THE FILM . NOW I HAVE REVIEWED OVER 300 HOLIDAY FILMS & SPECIALS. I HAVE NO AGENDA.

In the Lifetime TV movie Wish Upon a Christmas, tough-as-nails business exec Amelia returns home for the holidays. Not to celebrate Christmas but to help a family business from going under. Her initial plan is to fire people. But as she spends more time at the ornament company, she grows close to the people who work there including the company's owner, Jesse, her old high school boyfriend.

This film hits all the right marks and it does deliver. It is very charming. The only minor gripe I have is that the part of Ben was most likely written for a 7 year old. The part however is played by a child of 11 or more. He is a good actor but again it should of been played by a younger child.

The film is family safe. Kids might not like it but for fans of Christmas films this is a must see. I am glad I saw this one.

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Hidden Surprises

[Lonely-Mom-Xmas · 8/10 · 25 November 2019]

What starts as a typical 'boy gets together with old girlfriend who is going to fire half the staff of his factory" turns into a charming story thanks to a missing bauble.