source: So This Is Christmas

First of all, it's absurd this movie is rated PG. The language and the bloody, violent scene towards the end should push this up to a PG-13 rating. As for an actual review: This is one of those "family torn apart by tragedy and they come together thanks to the power of Christ" movies, except in this movie, the message doesn't work at all. One character, who's a drug user, gets his girlfriend pregnant, is in a gang, and uses the foul language that should keep this movie from a PG rating, just all of a sudden changes for the better after cursing out God after his girlfriend gets stabbed in the stomach. Really, his change comes pretty much out of nowhere. The main character's change for the better is more gradual and makes a bit more sense - she's convinced to help with a church's nativity play, and that mostly combined with the friendly carpenter changes her from being a clubbing, drunken mess to a more put-together young lady. But that's not enough to save this movie. The plot overall is slow, and there's somehow too many plot threads and yet not enough. The characters are almost entirely unlikable, and nobody ever calls out the step-mom for her obvious preference for her biological son and her blindness to his drug use and stealing her money and how absurdly critical she is of her step-daughter; at one point the step-daughter shows up in short shorts and a sparkly shirt, and the step-mother says "Did you get that at a thrift store?" with contempt. Which is absurd - she's more concerned that her step-daughter may have bought clothes secondhand than that her step-daughter is dressed like a hooker and keeps coming home drunk. But then in the end we find out the step-mother is responsible for the death of her step-daughter's biological mother, but her new husband (the step-daughter biological father) is fine with that, and the drug-using son says "Hey God, please let my girlfriend live" and then there's a mediocre duet of "Mary Did You Know?" that then repeats during the credits immediately after the duet first ends. There's plenty of other Christmas movies that have a "redeeming power of Christ" message that have much more solid plots and likable characters than this one.

It's like the writers took every tragedy trope and threw them all against the wall to see what would stick. Totally unrealistic, unbelievable and absolutely nothing to do with the holidays.

Well done...good cast...predictable story line, but presents good messages for the whole family! Great film to add to your holiday viewing collection!

Wow. This movie is so bad, I'm shocked it stuck to the film. The story is trite and preachy, and the acting and writing are just awful. Easily the worst movie I've seen in years. Stay far away from this garbage.

So This is Christmas, is the story of a family broken by the death of the mother, and how God intervened and showed how love can be strongest in pain. In all of our lives, trouble seems to come when we least expect it or at our moment of greatest weakness. There is no good time to lose spouse or parent and the loss of a loved one can tear a family apart. God is a healer and He works in mysterious ways. Sometimes we need an affirmation that God is really working to help us out. What God does isn't always direct or obvious but his healing touch is profound never the less. Christmas is the time we celebrate God taking action to heal a lost and broken world and "So This Is Christmas" illustrates how God is also concerned with our world,our private brokenness and how he works to heal us and those we love. If you are one of the many people who feel down at Christmas time, let this movie lighten your heart. If you need a lift, or just want to watch an enjoyable movie; So This Is Christmas is well worth your time this holiday season!

Quite the unique film because even though (towards the end) it clearly brings a character to a life-changing decision of repentance and faith in Jesus (even exercising faith for a miracle), doing so in a clearly better fashion than most Christian films, the movie isn't "preachy," as was claimed by several reviewers who can't resist their obsessive compulsion to show their contempt for Christianity and that contempt provoked their unjustified panning of the film. Part of the evidence for that is that I approached the movie convinced it was a Christian movie but about 4/5ths of the way through, I found myself wondering if I had drawn the wrong conclusion that it was a "Christian movie" because of the repeated use of foul language (including the "F" word) and the somewhat risqué dressing of Lexi Ainsworth, while there had as yet been *no form* of gospel message presented. (Note the contrast between my claim and those who mocked it and judge for yourself.) That reveals the less_than_honest denigration of the movie as being "preachy." To viciously lambaste an entire movie because one hates Christianity so much one can't stand to hear a character humble himself for the hurt and harm he's done and cry to God for forgiveness is a bit over the top. The acting is frankly better than most Christian movies, though, of course not on par with a $30,000,000 budget and the experienced professionalism that brings. Lexi Ainsworth's acting was excellent and her performance gave a quality to the film that it would not otherwise have had, though Cassidee Vandalia also did a very fine job. It seems this movie is geared to the unchurched/non-Christian and labeling it a "family film" was an error. Many parents would not want their young children watching this film. Unless you despise any mention of the Lord Jesus *at all*, I don't you'll find the movie offensive at all regarding its Christian agenda. It's not overdone, regardless of the claims of the rabid atheists.

So This Is Christmas Is An Awesome Movie. Life is about choices and this movie exemplifies this to the point. I like the Christian theme and the point of cause and effect through choices in life. I enjoyed the plot and setting as well. I want to see this movie again in order to catch anything I might have missed. I enjoyed the camera angles, the lighting, and the script writing and can tell this movie is made with love of the art of movie-making. The humor was subtle and played well with the story as it unfolded. The preaching of His word was subdued and yet came to point perfectly in a message of Love. The cast worked well together and flawlessly. I definitely want a copy of this movie for our home collection. I will make the addition personally to our school's library. This movie will become our families new Christmas classic.

Christmas is in quotations because while there are some heavy handed religious overtones and a nativity themed play happening in the background nothing important about the movie was really Christmas related. I didn't expect much from this movie but it still managed to disappoint. I don't know if there was anything stand out terrible about it as that there just wasn't anything redeeming about it. Like not even enjoyable to watch as a bad movie, it was completely joyless. It felt like a Christian production company was trying to make a movie to appeal to secular audiences based only on the propaganda of how debaucherous secular film is. The acting ranged from bad to worse, the plot didn't really make any sense, the character development was unrealistic. It was pretty much just garbage through and through.

This is really called, So This Is Political Correctness!! That's all it is!!! Don't listen to the bogus positive reviews on this!! As a family movie, NO WAY!! There is drinking, drugs, dressing trashy like a street walker in this!! This movie is just down and out offensive!!