All I Want for Christmas (1991)

A brother and sister attempt to bring their divorced parents back together for Christmas.

Director:

Robert Lieberman

Writers:

Thom Eberhardt, Richard Kramer

Stars:

Harley Jane Kozak, Jamey Sheridan, Ethan Embry

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Harley Jane Kozak	...	Catherine O'Fallon
Jamey Sheridan	...	Michael O'Fallon
Ethan Embry	...	Ethan O'Fallon (as Ethan Randall)
Kevin Nealon	...	Tony Boer
Thora Birch	...	Hallie O'Fallon
Andrea Martin	...	Olivia
Lauren Bacall	...	Lillian Brooks
Amy Oberer	...	Stephanie
Renée Taylor	...	Sylvia
Leslie Nielsen	...	Santa
Felicity LaFortune	...	Susan
Camille Saviola	...	Sonya
Michael Alaimo	...	Frankie
Joanne Baron	...	Salesdervish #2
Alan Brooks	...	Mr. Chase

Storyline

"All I Want For Christmas" is a comedy about two New York City children who launch a hilarious scheme to get what they most want this holiday season. Ethan, a practical older brother, and adorable Hallie, who knows how to charm her way out of a difficult situation, are intent on spending Christmas with their parents, Catherine and Michael, and grandmother Lillian. As Ethan and Hallie embark on their adventure, almost nothing goes exactly as they planned. Complicating things is a smarmy businessman named Toney Boer, who has taken an interest in Catherine. Ethan, meanwhile, is preoccupied with not only his parents' romantic dilemma, but also his own - one brought about by his new friendship with Stephanie, his first teenage crush. What evolves is an elaborate scheme involving mice, telephone calls and an ice-cream truck, as Ethan and Hallie try to achieve their goal with the help of Stephanie. The duo's primary obstacle is their mother's fiance, Tony. The children finally succeed with a...

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Plot Keywords:

christmas | children | santa claus | divorced | brother | 

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Taglines:

How far would you go to make a wish come true?

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Genres:

Comedy | Family | Romance

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Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Robert Lieberman and writer Richard Kramer enjoyed working together on a Christmas episode of Thirtysomething (1987), they decided to collaborate again on a feature. This is the result.

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Goofs

When Ethan calls for a tow truck to remove Tony's car from in front of the diner, he says it was abandoned several days ago. But when the tow truck arrives, the lights are on and the engine is running.

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Quotes

Ethan O'Fallon: Yeah, that's right! I'm an elf... I'm the elf KING!

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Connections

References Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

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Soundtracks

She's My Cutie
written by Tracy Edmond, Ken White & John Clay
performed by K.M.C. Kru

User Reviews

heart in the right place

Ethan (Ethan Randall) and Hallie O'Fallon (Thora Birch) live with their divorced mother Catherine (Harley Jane Kozak) and grandmother Lillian (Lauren Bacall) in their upper class New York townhouse. Their father Michael (Jamey Sheridan) opens a diner based on a place important to his relationship with Catherine. Ethan is infatuated with Stephanie from Boston. Hallie asks the store Santa (Leslie Nielsen) to have her parents get married again. Then she overhears her mother agreeing to marry her boyfriend Tony Boer (Kevin Nealon). She realizes that she failed to ask to have her parents marry each other.

The kids are adorable. They're laying a parent trap. The divorced parents' chemistry is obvious and unflinching. Nealon is not necessarily a jerk but kind of a jerk-lite. This is cute but not actually funny. The movie has its heart in the right place but this is not really classic.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 November 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

All I Want for Christmas

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,645,720, 10 November 1991

Gross USA:

$14,812,144

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$14,812,144

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1