source: A Christmas Visitor

A Christmas Visitor

This is from the era of good Hallmark movies. Movies that were about something, focus of a family. It is not one of the repeated formulas, there are now 3 plots that are very similar. This touches the heart, shows healing. This movie is more real. As a family with loss holidays are rough and this shows the way many families react.

I bought the DVD of this movie because I am a fan of William Devane and I was really disappointed about "A Christmas Visitor". The story of the movie is so boring and slow in the development that you just want to turn off your TV or DVD player after about the half of it. The dialogues are really bad and belong to a daily soap opera but not in a TV movie. William Devane was alright in his part and he was acting quite good, but he did so much better in other movies and projects. Meredith Baxter was horrible and couldn't really bring the warm hearted mother to the viewers. Instead she was playing very cool and wasn't better than a middle-class actress. I absolutely cannot recommend this movie. Spare your time and your money for this one.

This film gives a look at the suffering a family experiences at the death of a child, and the healing that can finally come to them. The family learns of the death of their son on Christmas Eve, 1991, ruining the Christmas season for them. They do not celebrate it again for many years. There is an interesting comment by the daughter that will remind viewers to consider the needs of surviving children in such a situation. The Matthew character makes a reference to Jesus, but I suspect that other comments he makes come from non-Christian sources. I wonder if any other viewers would recognize those comments. If so, it would be an interesting addition to the data on this movie.

I thought it was a good, heartwarming Christmas movie, with fine performances by everyone. It was better than a lot of the overly-sentimental movies on the Hallmark channel. There were a few minor things I had problem with: It did bother me that they never really explained at the end whether he was a ghost, or an angel, St. Christopher, or what. It also bothered me that the sister just "knew" her test results and never actually bothered to listen to the doctor tell her that she was OK. The part where the guy is talking to himself about the war struck me as gratuitous (who is he talking to?), but otherwise it was good. Casting William Devane and Meredith Baxter was great, but the daughter and the Christopher guy were both really bland. A romance for the sister would have perked this up some. Suzanne Lanoue http://tvmegasite.net suzanne@tvmegasite.net

This is a story about healing from loss. It is a little slow paced but full of feelings. Likewise there isn't a lot of depth to the plot, but again it is about feelings and family. Part of the healing comes from a visitor to town and to the family who appears to be a complete stranger. There is a hint that this visitor is more than he seems. The acting is good and the characters are appealing and sympathetic. It is a good story for the Christmas season.

First saw this on TV, then got it on DVD for my mom. I still love it! Just have to remember the tissues.

OMG this movie is so well executed; i can only say its well worth your time to watch. i highly recommend this one! ignore the low ratings; some folks are just hard to please or never ever pleased at all......i encourage you to watch this gem. Try not to tear drop!!!!

I love this film, I love the sentiment, and I love the feeling it leaves me with, have faith, and all will be well. Now I know that's not always true, but who wants to watch a Christmas film that tells us life can just go on getting worse and worse no matter what. I find William Devane's portrayal as the father of the family very touching, and near the end, where he and Matthew part company, I find myself welling up with tears every time. I know it's a little sugary in places, especially when the townspeople are handing out free postage stamps and Christmas lights etc., but I'm genuinely warmed by the demonstration of kindness, and I admit to wishing life imitated art more often. Anyway, if you're looking to be gently lulled into the true spirit of Christmas, then this film is for you. Maybe there's a little message for us all somewhere in there.