The Christmas Blessing (2005) (TV)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Karen Arthur

Writers (WGA):

Wesley Bishop (teleplay)
Donna Van Liere (book)

Release Date:

18 December 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Family | Romance

Plot:

A young doctor encounters romance and deals with his past when he returns to his hometown during the holidays.

Plot Keywords:

Christmas | Male Female Relationship | Family Relationships | Illness | Based On Book

Cast

Neil Patrick Harris	...	Nathan Andrews
Rebecca Gayheart	...	Meghan Sullivan
Angus T. Jones	...	Charlie Bennett
Hugh Thompson	...	Jack Andrews
Shaun Johnston	...	Tucker Bennett
Rob Lowe	...	Robert Layton
Robert Clinton	...	Dr. Goetz
Wanda Cannon	...	Lydia Jones
Patricia Casey	...	Doris Wilson
Jesse Lipscombe	...	William Bradley
Jay D. Sodergren	...	Buddy
Margherita Donato	...	Rita
Carey Feehan	...	Sean Addison
Rick Ash	...	Bartender
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Olivia Cheng	...	Anaesthetist
New Song	...	Musical Group
Kate Ryan	...	Aide
Blake Shelton	...	Himself

Also Known As:

Miracle of the Heart (Australia)

Runtime:

USA:120 min | USA:96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:TV-G

Filming Locations:

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Company:

Craig Anderson Productions

Quotes:

Dr. Nathan Andrews: I've been reading my mother's letters. She said one day, I would meet a girl. And my heart would skip a beet when she smiled at me. And then, the day would come when I realized I couldn't live without her. Well, she was right.

Movie Connections:

Features The Christmas Shoes (2002) (TV)

Sometimes pleasant family movie, with plenty of sad moments

In this sequel to 'The Christmas Shoes', attorney Robert Layton (Rob Lowe) finds the shoes that changed his life in a dumpster at a church, where people deposit clothes for the poor.

Nathan Andrews (Neil Patrick Harris) is grown up now. As a young surgeon, when Nathan loses a patient, he says, "I can't do this any more" and returns home. He works in the garage run by his father Jack (Hugh Thompson), where he meets Megan (Rebecca Gayheart). Megan needs for her car to be fixed and, since she is learning Spanish, pretends that is all she speaks. Of course, Nathan is also deceiving Megan by pretending to be a mechanic. Lydia (Wanda Cannon) does Jack's office work and gives out advice.

The shoes end up in the possession of Tucker Bennett (Shaun Johnston), who moves around a lot and does yard work. He doesn't want to tell his son Charlie (Angus T. Jones) the truth about what happened to the boy's mother, who he claims was a dancer and wore the shoes.

Megan turns out to be Charlie's teacher. And Charlie has some difficulty as the new kid in school. Nathan shows up to volunteer at the playground where Charlie goes after school, and the two become friends. Also at the playground, Megan meets Nathan once again (can you guess where this might be going?).

Three characters in the movie go through crisis. For two, the situation may be life-threatening. A miracle may be necessary for everyone's problems to be solved. Sadly, the movie does not end well for all, but the ending is satisfying.

This is generally a pleasant family movie, even if the circumstances are not always positive. Neil Patrick Harris does a good job, and his best moments are in scenes with Angus T. Jones. Angus shows much of the same charm that he displays when playing live-action TV's most adorable brat on 'Two and a Half Men'. And Rebecca Gayheart stands out as the devoted teacher. Rob Lowe appears in only a few scenes but does quite well with them.

Some people may enjoy the music by NewSong and Blake Shelton. I'm afraid I can't be counted among them.

Overall, it was a nice movie. Just be prepared for tears.