Christmas Film - The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year is a lighthearted Christmas film starring Henry Winkler, Warren Christie, and Brooke Burns, and is directed by Michael Scott. Morgan (Christie) is somewhat of a nomad, taking various jobs as a chef or whatever is sustainable around the country. At the airport, Morgan runs in to Ralph (Winkler) who is having trouble finding his flight. It turns out the two of them have the same flight, and we see Morgan swindle the aiport staff into giving the two of them first class seats. The two befriend and reach the aiport, with Ralph on his way to visit his insanely beautiful daughter Jennifer (Burns). Morgan's flight gets cancelled, and Ralph, feeling bad, offers for him to stay at their plays. Reluctantly, Jennifer agrees as she needs Morgan's cooking skills to make the Christmas turkey. Jennifer is also a single mother, who is dating a very successful but ignorant and aloof jeweler. As the story progresses, we see the bond between Ralph, Jennifer, her son, and Morgan all become much stronger as stress increases when Christmas draws nearer.

Once again, I will be reviewing the film on four criteria: Plot, acting, lead female character, and my overall satisfaction with the film.


Plot - 8 Stars. Set in Chicago, we get the "real" Christmas feeling with snow, not the ones in Southern California where it's seventy degrees and sunny on Christmas morning. Also, the idea of a stranger staying a few nights at the female's house is also one I have never seen before, which was enjoyable and refreshing to see as it was not a cliche. While it was apparent the budget for this film was rather low, this did not cut into the story-line, comedy, or camerawork much if at all, which was superb.

Acting - 9 Stars. With three veterans having leading roles, acting was great. One would not be able to point out any noticeable "fakeness" in the film at all, giving the acting and overall movie a genuine feel.


Lead Female Character - 10 stars. Brooke Burns. BROOKE BURNS. This goddess started on Baywatch and Baywatch Hawaii, which says enough in itself. She fulfills her role beautifully (see what I did there?) as the opposite of Christie, both of whom being in their early thirties and looking to settle down quickly with a spouse. She's gorgeous, and she's a pretty decent actor, an excellent combo.

Overall - 8 stars. This movie is one that is great to watch every year at Christmas time, as it's fun, lighthearted, and you fall in love with the characters immediately. It's no Home Alone, but it gets its job done as a great Christmas film to watch with the family/girlfriend/whoever.