The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey (2007)

When a broken hearted boy loses the treasured wooden nativity set that links him to his dead father, his worried mother persuades a lonely ill-tempered woodcarver to create a replacement, ... See full summary »

Director:

Bill Clark

Writers:

Bill Clark, Susan Wojciechowski (book)

Stars:

Aran Bell, Tom Berenger, Thomas Briggs

1 win.

Cast

Credited cast:
Aran Bell	...	Richard Tyler
Tom Berenger	...	Jonathan Toomey
Thomas Briggs	...	Jonathan's Baby
Clare Burt	...	Claire Hardwick
Benji Compston	...	Charles White
Elliot Cowan	...	James McDowell
Sam Douglas	...	Wallis Woodman
Benjamin Eli	...	Bobby Clarke
Robert Jezek	...	Jim Hardwick
Jack Montgomery	...	Edward Hardwick
Jenny O'Hara	...	Mrs. Hickey
Ronald Pickup	...	William McDowell
Joely Richardson	...	Susan McDowell
Derek Riddell	...	Parson
Saoirse Ronan	...	Celia Hardwick

Storyline

When a broken hearted boy loses the treasured wooden nativity set that links him to his dead father, his worried mother persuades a lonely ill-tempered woodcarver to create a replacement, and to allow her son to watch him work on it. The commission takes their relationship to unexpected places as the young client makes greater and more difficult demands of the woodcarver's ability, and as Christmas approaches, the three struggle to come to terms with each other, their painful memories and the process of putting their unhappiness behind them.

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Plot Keywords:

christmas | wood carving | misanthrope | grief | widow | 

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Genres:

Family

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Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 June 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Egy varázslatos karácsony

Filming Locations:

Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

£8,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

User Reviews

Moving and pleasing - a warming welcome in winter.

This story of the meeting of lonely and sad people is a gentle, moving and warming tale that I think both older (8+ ?) children and adults will appreciate. The cast generally give a good performance and gel well - you can really feel the changing relationships as the story plays out. Luke Ward-Wilkinson does rather well and is very likable - he does not annoy like many child actors. Berenger also portrays Mr Toomey in a very believable way.

The cinematography is nice in many places, especially the idealistic scenes of the country village. The outside of the Toomey house looks very much like a studio set, shot from the immediate front, but this somehow adds to the overall feeling of separation and is in no way a problem. Aside from the issue of death, there are no disturbing scenes, "colourful" language, or issues not suitable for youngsters and this makes for a very enjoyable, slow paced, experience.

The film starts and ends in a Christmas setting, the remainder being time between, and so would suit a festive, wintery viewing with the whole family. The film does make you appreciate the ones you love and want to give them a hug.

It would be nice to know "what happens next" but maybe that is part of the appeal of the story - following the journey up to a point, then leaving the characters with their new start.