Christmas at Maxwell's (2006)

This Christmas will change the Austin family forever. With a successful career in the wine business, two amazing children and having married his highschool sweetheart Suzie Maxwell, Andrew ... See full summary »

Director:

William C. Laufer

Writer:

William C. Laufer

Stars:

Andrew May, Jack Hourigan, Helen Welch

Cast

Credited cast:
Andrew May	...	Andrew Austin
Jack Hourigan	...	Suzie Austin
Helen Welch	...	Rachel Henderson
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Maggie Blazunas	...	Karen's Party Friend
Sarah Christie	...	Kelly
Nicole Deanna	...	Amy
Jodi Dominick	...	Sandy, Sec to Andrew
Lauren Dowden	...	Karen
Tracie Field	...	Tootsie
Robert Hawkes	...	Col. Pickerling
Meghan Kelly	...	Snow girl
Clark Langmack	...	Jerry
William C. Laufer	...	Fr. Johnston
Rose Leininger	...	Snow Mother
Jim Mantel	...	Announcer

Storyline

This Christmas will change the Austin family forever. With a successful career in the wine business, two amazing children and having married his highschool sweetheart Suzie Maxwell, Andrew Austin has everything. But life and a past secret quickly bring change and in an instant, life no longer has the order and gentleness it once held. Suzie falls extremly ill and as Andrew struggles to find answers, his children Chris and Mary quietly search for their own. Facing a hectic holiday season, Andrew and family retreat to their summer home on Lake Erie to celebrate their last Christmas in peace. Away from the demands of the city, their world opens up to a moment in time they will never experience again as their small lakeside community quickly brings them its own wonderments.

---

Plot Keywords:

christmas | pregnancy | husband wife relationship | father daughter relationship | christmas tree | 

---

Taglines:

A film about faith, love and the human spirit

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for thematic issues and brief mild language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 December 2006 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Chagrin Falls, Ohio, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

LauferFilm.com

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Helen Welch, who plays the part of Rachel, is the singing voice for Jacqueline "Jack" Hourigan who plays the role of Suzie - Hourigan does a perfect lip sync rendition of two songs which were also written by Helen Welch and her late song writing partner Tim Freebairn.

---

Soundtracks

"A Magic Christmas Night"
Written by Mike Petrone
Performed by Helen Welch and Evelyn Wright

User Reviews

Go see this film.

This is a good, heart to heart, Christmas Movie - go see it with a friend. The movie starts out a little slow for my taste but it develops the characters pretty well and you get a feeling of strong family and community. The main character is a bit of a snobby guy and unrealistic in his expectations. But overall the movie is much better than expected.

This movie was shot on Hi-Def Sony equipment and is being distributed digitally. It is worth seeing how a small-budget independent film can have the look and feel of a Hollywood big-budget film - the film is attractive visually and the sound great when viewed in a digital, surround sound theater.

I believe when compared to all movies the rank is 5/6 but for a family Christmas Movie it is a 7.5 to 8.