The Ultimate Christmas Present (2000 TV Movie) User Reviews

It is snowing in Los Angeles

[Christmas-Reviewer · 7/10 · 8 July 2016]

I grew up in the Los Angeles area. In the Los Angeles Southern California area we never get snow. In fact we hardly get rain. In Southern California it is not uncommon to spend Christmas Day in shorts. As a kid in California you always wish for Snow especially at Christmas. As you know all Christmas films seem to always take place in the snow or there is Snow somewhere in almost every outdoor shot. Christmas Cartoons always take place in the snow and when your growing up in California you feel left out. You want to build a snowman at Christmas time. However you will most likely build a sandcastle. That is why I liked this film! It was having a childhood wish come true! That is why I enjoyed this film.

In this film Two teen girls, find a weather machine at a shack in the woods. After learning of its controls, they use it to make it snow in Los Angeles. It is every kids dream come true but it has its consequences.

It turns out that the weather machine belongs to Santa Claus (John B. Lowe) and he informs Mrs. Claus about this. To help Santa Claus, she sends two elves, Crumpet (John Salley) and Sparky (Bill Fagerbakke).

The film has plot wholes but you can watch this with your family and most kids will not be bored! It is worth watching.

Just for kids

[tributarystu · 5/10 · 28 December 2002]

I had the "honor" today, to view this "masterpiece". A movie about two girls who stole a snow making machine...and guess what! Santa needs it! Oh, that's so sweet! BUT IT'S WRONG!

Not the story itself, but the way it was put on screen, having as target audience only kids...like less than 12 year old kids. Even my sisters found it pathetic, so I judged that age based on theirs.

I'd like to point out some things. One of them is, that some ideas of the movie weren't that bad, but most clearly the film was done in such a way, that it should not interest people who really want to see good movies.

Actors...well, what can you expect? I think I'd mark their performance as decent. I was really curious how the two girls would act, as I had already seen Spencer Breslin in "The Kid". His performance was acceptable, and you could notice that his character had some quite similar traits as the one in "The Kid". Anyway, he did not have a role as important as in the movie with Bruce Willis, but it was still nice to see his nice face again.

The two girls,played by Brenda Song and Hallee Hirsh, didn't have one of the hardest "jobs"... it's not that hard to play the role you actually play in real life. I tried to compare their performances with the ones of the "over talented" kids from Harry Potter. I find it hard to make a comparison between them though, because as I said, it's easy to be yourself, but it's much harder to be a teenage wizard, right?

Let me finish this short opinion sharing. The movie was pathetic, generally because it was made for little kids...still, I've seen movies with that target audiences that did make me have fun. Guess this just wasn't the case.

Not bad

[lisafordeay · 5/10 · 10 December 2022]

The Ultimate Christmas Present is a 2000 DCOM starring Brenda Song and Haille Todd.

Two young girls create a weather machine that gets noticed by Santa Claus who uses it to help him get by during the Christmas season.

Will it be a success or not?.

Overall it was an OK movie for a Disney Channel Original.

The acting is decent,the story is decent and it was a watchable flick.

If you love Christmas movies then do give it a watch as it's on Disney Plus all the time.

The special effects was decent to for a DCOM. Is it the best Disney Channel Orignal Movie no ,but since its the holiday season do give it a watch once.

"The Ultimate Christmas Present"- 7/10. Fun kids movie for the holidays.

[movies2u · 31 January 2004]

The Ultimate Christmas Present (2000) TV Movie

This movie was pretty entertianing and enjoyable. It's not a perfect movie, but it's good enough to get you into the Christmas spirit. It's about two girls who find a machine that belongs to Santa Claus, and it controls the weather. The girls take it, and reveal it can make rain, sun, wind, tornados, even snow, which is perfect because she has a paper due the last day before Xmas vacation. So, they try out the machine, and the next thing they no it's snowing- in Los Angeles! Now, the snow storm has stopped her Dad from getting home for Christmas, and the holiday spirit begins to crumble unless she can stop the machine with the help of Santa and his two elves.

This movie has plenty of fun and can be enjoyed by your whole family. Get some cookies and egg nog while watching this, and you should get into the Christmas spirit. 7/10.

Could this machine be responsible for it too?!?!?!

[RosanaBotafogo · 7/10 · 21 January 2023]

Allie Thompson is 13 and will do anything to get out of school, including manipulating nature and the weather. Allie and her friend Sam discover a mysterious mechanism capable of making snow. When they decide to use it, carrying out a perfect plan to fill the city with snow, things start to go wrong and the girls get into a big mess when the machine goes out of control and the city is devastated by a blizzard.

Very cute, fluffy as every Christmas movie should be, the difference lies in the creativity, or not, a machine thrown away by Santa Claus, so useful for the pranks of two excited girls... Very cute... At the end of December there was a unprecedented blizzard in the USA, could this machine be responsible for it too?!?!?!

This Christmas Present Is Okay

[TheMysteriousReviewer · 6/10 · 16 December 2022]

This movie has been delivered as Disney Channel's ultimate present. And the Christmas present was at least okay. The Ultimate Christmas Present is a type of Christmas film that would be meant for the kids during the holidays. Of course as a television Christmas movie from Disney Channel, it wouldn't be as good as any Christmas special with how it would be nothing more than generic. Featuring an averagely made story, weak slapstick mostly pointless characters. But there can also be times the movie can have fun moments with nice special effects, a neat concept of an invention that creates weather, a good moral of what Christmas is about and some of the room the film would give for Santa and the elves. In terms of my recommendation, I would say since we are talking about a television Christmas film, it would mostly be for the kids since they will have fun watching the invention turning California into snow. As for the rest, I would say to watch it at least occasionally for Christmas time. There may not be a lot of Christmas films Disney Channel has produced, but I would debate that it's a better type of film they produced.

TERRIFIC DISNEY MOVIE

[zamboni-4 · 9/10 · 18 December 2000]

Our family loved this holiday movie about two girls who find a snow machine and make it snow in Los Angeles. This is the best Disney Channel Film I have seen. It had terrific comic moments and tender moments, too. Recommended for ages four through early teens

SEE THIS ONE WITH YOUR FAMILY!

[Linda-104 · 9/10 · 29 November 2000]

My three kids and I saw this film at a sneak preview during the Disney Craft Fair, and we really enjoyed it. It's basically about two junior high girls in Los Angeles who find a weather machine. After a few very funny mishaps with the dials, they make the machine create snow so that the schools will close early and they can get a headstart on Christmas vacation. The machine goes out of control, and a blizzard is created in Los Angeles! I don't want to give too much away, but this movie was really a lot of fun, and heart-felt, too. My 10 year old son was thrilled to discover that John Salley, one of his favorite basketball players, was in the film as a seven foot elf! It also starred Peter Scolari from "Bob Newhart" as a very funny boring weather man who is trying to figure out the source of the mysterious snow. I am surprised that Disney made this for cable, as it could easily have been a "real" movie. It has a great message about being together for the holidays, and lots of humor, too. I think most kids and their parents will really get a kick out it.

Becoming a Classic Christmas Movie on the Disney Channel

[calendarnow · 10/10 · 17 December 2003]

I first saw this movie the year it was first released, 2000. It has shown every year since, especially around the holidays and I think it is becoming a great little holiday classic. Good, clean, fun family movie. Hallee Hirsh is adorable as the lead and looks so cute as her younger self.

Lively and Funny

[gwenivere · 9/10 · 27 December 2000]

I have always been a fan of Peter Scolari, and he was very funny in this family Christmas film about a snowstorm in Los Angeles. The lively pace kept my children's attention, which is a feat in itself! There were also plenty of humor that adults could relate to, too, which I appreciated. The two teenage girls were quite good, and I expect we will see more of them in the future, and the little boy was from "The Kid, which was a pleasant surprise. It was a clever, funny holiday film with a message about family togetherness, which I appreciated.

A girl finds a weather machine. She uses it to make it snow. The snow causes much trouble. Eventually the dad gets home and it's OK.

[xsoccerdudex · 9/10 · 31 December 2005]

I loved this movie! It was great and somehow I found myself watching it countless times. I loved the great job that the family did by making the family so busy. Also, Edwine, the weatherman, does an awesome job which I'm sure the directors intended. I looked at the goofs and didn't see many, so a great job off set. This movie is very good so I won't even look at the summarization above if you may want to see this one.this movie. If you're into the heist, suspenseful, and violet movies,this isn't the type of movie you want to watch. But, if you like an occasional "cute" Disney flick, you'll like it. I give this movie a9/10 (if i could I would give it a 8.5 but the rating scale doesn't allow that)!

It was okay but not all that.

[husnain_05 · 8/10 · 24 December 2005]

This movie is about 2 girls who find a weather machine that is Santa Clauses that can change the weather. The girls change the weather into a snow storm to get more of the Christmas spirit. Brenda Song was great but not as great as she is in The suite life of Zack and Cody. Spencer Breslin was better in this movie than he was in The cat in the hat. Halee Hirsh was good as the main character. John B. Lowe was good as Santa Claus because he really looked like a real Santa Claus and Susan Ruttan was okay at playing Santa Clauses wife. This was not an all that film but it was okay. John Salley and Hallie Todd were good as playing their parts and the I give the acting a top 7/10.

Snow in L. A. for once

[chrishewittpiano · 10/10 · 16 July 2002]

"The Ultimate Christmas Present" is an okay movie with reasonably good actors and actresses, the characters are okay and they story is pleasant. My favorite part of the movie is that it had to do with snow because I love snow. But if you saw the behind the scenes, you would find out that the snow was actually made out of sugar and rice. Only a few scenes had real snow that was created by a snow making machine. "Joey", played by child actor Spencer Breslin, had the typical little brother to older sister rection. I especially like the parts where the mother is catering for her many parties in the Christmas season because her helper when she is catering, the chef, has lines that are very funny. He has much talent and his wittyness livened up the show a little bit. And I do agree with other reviewers that he should have had more lines and was a good character to have.

We all know that it is impossible for it to snow in L. A. let alone 14 inches in one night, but if you like fantasy movies where the plot of the story could never happen, this would be a good one for you. It seemed that Allie, Joey's sister in the movie, had a perfect life except for that one little thing with her father about Christmas. It is a typical thing for Disney to do. Have the main character have a perfect life except for a few minor problems in which the movie is centered on. But it is fun to see. Adults might think it is a silly thing to make a movie out of, but children and teens 6-14 may have the opportunity to enjoy it.

Great Change of Pace- Add this one to your Holiday Watch List

[gehewe · 8/10 · 10 January 2017]

A Christmas Movie with a 13 year old Hallee Hirsch as the star. I saw her on JAG when she was a little older. She is very good and does very well with this movie. Love some of her expressions. This was the best Santa Claus I've seen with his Irish accent and the part of the elf was great (maybe the original miracle on 34th St was better). Favorite scene was when the Secret Agent Man song was played. Spencer Breslin the older brother to Abigail Breslin was in the movie.

Great lively change of pace to our Hallmark Christmas movies. The child star made the movie. I wish we watched it with our sons 18 to 21. I think they may have liked it.