Young prep school kid Fred Savage late of The Wonder Years is a preppy kid who
has to write a book report on the how the other half lives. So this would be Jacob Riis goes to Philadelphia's skid row for some live derelicts. He finds one in Hume
Cronyn.
The two bond in some interesting ways and the scenes between Cronyn and Savage make this holiday film something special. No sugarcoating here in describing what goes on with the daily lives of the homeless. as portrayed by
Cronyn and his companion Badja Djola who is a saxophone player who has seen
some better days.
Old age is tough enough and I'm now old enough to experience it first hand and for me it's with a state pension and social security and an apartment I can
afford at this point. For Cronyn he had a tragedy that scarred him permanently
and now he is a derelict in the sense he has no real direction.
The young and old have a memorable Christmas together in this wonderful and surprisingly not that sentimental holiday tale.
