williamwolfe Review of Chasing Christmas

Chasing Christmas (2005 TV Movie)

If you like Andrea Roth, it's worth seeing.

[6/10 · 5 December 2005]

The latest in the infinite TV movie re-workings of "A Christmas Carol," this movie - shown on the ABC Family Channel under the title "Chasing Christmas" - has some sense of fun and an occasional witty touch. But the main reason to see it is Andrea Roth's performance as "Present," a.k.a. the Ghost of Christmas Present. Without having all that much to work with in the script, she creates an attractive character who balances her sense of responsibility to her ghostly duties against a dawning appreciation of the daily pleasures of normal life. She even manages to make believable those moments when she needs to convey a romantic interest in Tom Arnold's Scrooge stand-in. At any given moment in Hollywood history, there always seem to be some good actresses who lack only a breakthrough role to reach the level of success they deserve. This movie doesn't give Roth that role, but - notwithstanding whatever weak points it has - it does let us enjoy her skill, intelligence, and charm. There's worse ways to pass two hours on a December evening.