Gift of the Magi (2010) (TV)

Director:

Lisa Mulcahy

Writer:

Jennifer Notas (written by)

Release Date:

16 December 2010 (USA)

Plot:

Newly wed true lovers Jim and Della Young can barely afford moving into to their new apartment, especially when the second-hand car breaks down...

Plot Keywords:

Father Son Relationship | Christmas Movie | Love | Christmas Present | Christmas Eve

Cast

Marla Sokoloff	...	Della Young
Mark Webber	...	Jim Young
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Michelle Beamish	...	Jessie
Glynis Casson	...	Mrs. Greenwood
Thomas Grube	...	Mitch
Gary Hetzler	...	Clint Greer
Eamonn Hunt	...	Wilson
Roisin Kiely	...	Cinema Couple
Shannon Lambert-Ryan	...	Bethany Wilkes
Gerry McCann	...	City Representative
Barry McGovern	...	Gary Janardi
Clelia Murphy	...	Simone
Helen Norton	...	Photo Shop Owner
Tomas O'Suilleabhain	...	Ian McDermott (as Tom Ó Suilleabháin)
Scott Paschall	...	Mike Hasse (as Paschall Scott)
Donna Patrice	...	Co-Worker
Megan Riordan	...	Renee
Caleb Barton Smith	...	Matty
Lesa Thurman	...	Hillary Brodski
Paul Tylak	...	George Thayer
Orla Tobin	...	Co-worker (uncredited)

Directed by
Lisa Mulcahy

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Jennifer Notas		written by

Produced by
Mary Callery	....	executive producer
Mark Grenside	....	executive producer
Robert Halmi Jr.	....	executive producer
Susan Holmes	....	production executive
Alan Moloney	....	executive producer
Clíona Ní Bhuachalla	....	producer

Original Music by
Stephen McKeon

Cinematography by
Ciarán Tanham

Film Editing by
Guy Montgomery

Casting by
Louise Kiely

Production Design by
Tamara Conboy

Costume Design by
Susan Scott

Production Management
Dee Collier	....	post-production supervisor
Judith Fleeton	....	post-production supervisor (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Barry Keil	....	first assistant director
Tj O'Grady Peyton	....	trainee assistant director
Steven Sheehy	....	trainee assistant director

Art Department
Lucy Gouldthorpe	....	props
Nenazoma McNamee	....	assistant art director
Marion Picard	....	prop buyer
Pilar Valencia	....	graphic designer

Sound Department
Caoimhe Doyle	....	foley artist
Patrick Drummond	....	supervising sound editor
Steve Fanagan	....	sound effects editor
Philippe Faujas	....	sound recordist
Ken Galvin	....	sound re-recording mixer
John Griffin	....	adr recordist
Aza Hand	....	dialogue editor
Dave Harris	....	boom operator
Eoghan McDonnell	....	foley editor
Jean McGrath	....	foley recordist
Ciara Murphy	....	dialogue editor
Sean Plunkett	....	sound trainee

Camera and Electrical Department
Karina Finegan Alves	....	still photographer
Noah Davis	....	second assistant camera
Paul Deane	....	digital image technician
Steffan Hill	....	still photographer
Dave King	....	grip

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Vanessa Breen	....	set costumer
Fiona Brownlie	....	costume supervisor
Belle Phipps	....	wardrobe trainee

Editorial Department
Sebastian Guest	....	colorist
Edel McDonnell	....	assistant editor

Transportation Department
Paul Cullen	....	transportation captain

Other crew
Anna-Maria Ní Chathasaigh	....	script supervisor
Eamonn Cleary	....	scout
Orla Heffernan	....	production assistant
Jane McCabe	....	production coordinator
Orla Tobin	....	assistant co-ordinator

Production Companies

• Parallel Film Productions
• MNG Films (for)
• RHI Entertainment (presents)

Distributors

• Hallmark Channel, The (2010) (USA) (TV) (Broadcaster)
• Krause & Schneider Multimedia (KSM) (2012) (Germany) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Company:

Parallel Film Productions

Already Have It

O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi" is one of the two best-known secular Christmas stories -- the other is, of course, Dickens' "A Christmas Carol". It is also much harder to translate to a screen feature, since O. Henry specialized in short stories with 'snapper' endings -- usually sardonic jokes on their protagonists.

This TV movie makes a fair try at filling up the spaces by updating the story -- modern urban women no longer sell their hair to wig makers, and certainly not to buy fobs for their husbands' pocket watches, since men mostly don't use pocket watches these days.

But the poor we always have with us, so this story is about a husband who wants to buy a good lens for his wife's beloved heirloom camera while she wants to buy an original steering wheel for the vintage car he is restoring -- these stand in for the original gifts. And the leads, Marla Sokoloff and Mark Webber, are handsome and loving.

But the story telling soon gets lost in a maze of secondary characters who are used to fill up the time, and while Ms. Sokoloff continues as earnest throughout, Webber turns into an inconsiderate boor by the time the story is heading towards the lap.

Over all, it's a good effort, and the casting and direction are good, but the script needs a bit of work and focus, making this simply watchable. A pity.