Christmas Every Day (1996 TV Movie) User Reviews

Decent Heartwarmer

[jlhatesjunk · 7/10 · 16 November 2005]

I thought this movie was enjoyable. It was a little predictable but most Chistmas movies are. It was well acted and well presented - they casting choices were solid. It would certainly be suitable for children to watch, and it is something you can show your elderly relatives too. The dilemmas the boy in the movie faced and his different solutions were realistic. This movie is upbeat and amusing. But, it also deals with traditional Christmas themes and the problems with focusing on yourself versus the satisfaction of focusing on others. So many Christmas movies feel the need to be heart wrenching and dramatic - this one is primarily feel good.

If you are expecting Hitchcock - then pass. If you are looking for a feel good Christmas movie that kids and adults would enjoy (except maybe the most hardboiled action movie junkie) this is a good choice.

Not bad for a Christmas flick

[Havan_IronOak · 6/10 · 22 December 2002]

Every year we get another schmaltzy Christmas flick or two. This one fits squarely in that category but is easy to watch and has some redeeming moments. --Caution -- the rest of this review contains some spoilers.

Billy Jackson is a 13 year old who's not fond of Christmas and has a typical 13 year-old's problems, He's not great at basketball, his dad runs a not very successful store in a boring small town, the girl he's attracted to has a jock boyfriend that is ready willing and able to deck him if he makes his feelings known.

After a particularly bad Christmas, his sister makes a wish that it would be Christmas every day and a time loop is formed. Billy gets to relive the day over and over. We watch as Billy tries a number of strategies.

First is Outrage since he can't really believe that its happening he protests throughout the day but of course nothing really different happens.

Second Selfish/Revenge/Romance. Since his first strategy doesn't work, Billy decides to take advantage of what he knows. He plans it so that everything goes his way. But of course that doesn't work.

Third, solve the worlds problems. Since being selfish doesn't cut it he tries being selfless and discovers that no one can solve all the world's problems.

Finally, concentrate on family, make the best of what you can do. Of course this strategy works and Billy is finally able to enjoy Christmas and the loop is broken.

The one thing that didn't quite ring true was at the end, when his mother wishes that every day could be Christmas, Billy screams. If he really has learned his lesson, then he should not have any worries that the day would repeat.

Another Rip Off Of "Groundhog Day"

[Christmas-Reviewer · 7/10 · 31 January 2018]

Review Date 1/31/0218

A self-absorbed 13-year-old (Erik von Detten) reliving Christmas, day after day, until he appreciates its meaning.

He pouts about gifts he doesn't want. Realities he doesn't want to see and little sister that is just a pain in the butt to him.

This is OKAY at best. However what it does show the viewer is the fact we will keep repeating mistakes if we don't learn from them. Those mistakes might not exactly repeat themselves in the same way but if you don't learn from them they will manifest somewhere.

What I like best about this film was that Christmas is more "Than gifts and giving gifts". "Its the giving of your time" how we "Treat One Another".

Family Safe.

Wonderful movie...gets me in the spirit every year!

[icy_flowers · 25 October 2003]

This movie may have not have been the winner of any Oscar, but still, it holds it's spot up there with a lot of other festive, made for tv movies, and always draws me to the couch with a bowl of popcorn while that special day approaches. This movie has all that a good Christmas fan will appreciate, and all that a good movie needs to be-well-good. A plot.

Young Billy just isn't in the spirit anymore. Due to a fateful wish his sister purposed to engage in Christmas every single day, Billy and his family (although he is in the only one who knows) engages in Christmas every single day for four of five days.

Some laughs.

The seconds manger scene was rather funny. And just some small quirky comments here and there. Oh yes. And of course I got a kick out of Billy's rich, spoiled cousin who was suppose to spend the day at Tinsel Town, but found herself in the prescene of carrots, mashed potatos, and peas instead.

A lesson.

To appreciate Christmas. To appreciate family. To appreciate life. To appreciate that this jubilant day can come but only once a year.

I love this movie and am so glad that ABCFamily airs it every year. I only wish it were out on VHS or DVD to buy. Maybe you can and I just don't know it?

Finally Back on TV!

[bspeakman · 7/10 · 26 November 2008]

After years of being absent, Christmas Everyday will be on ABC Family this Saturday!

If you've never seen it and you love Christmas movies, you will love it!

It is a fantastic portrayal of the Christmas spirit, of how giving truly is better than receiving, and part of what Christmas is all about!

IF you have seen it, now is your chance (ONLY CHANCE) to see it again! DVR it, tivo it, or just get up on Saturday morning at 7am to catch this great family flick!

question

[laurenmarie09 · 7/10 · 3 December 2006]

OK ,well it wont let me leave a comment unless i have 10 lines of text, so here goes: I enjoyed this movie a lot, yet as everyone else already stated..it was very much like Groundhog Day. It had a nice lesson, and almost everyone can relate to it. The little sister was a cute addition, and i can relate to her wanting to sleep on his bed. Anyway, I'm really just taking up space so that I will have 10 lines of text so that I can get to my question, the reason i was here in the first place. (haha)

My little boy absolutely loved the movie, though. They used to show it every year on TV and for some reason they have quit showing it. My boy is devastated and I would really like to get it for him to be able to see.

Does anybody know where i can get a copy of this movie?

25 Christmas Movies in 25 Days

[lastliberal · 6/10 · 1 December 2007]

Trying to get in the spirit of the holidays and I start with a remake of Groundhog Day. It's not Bill Murray, but it was a sweet Christmas story about how a 13 year old (Erik von Detten) finds the true meaning of Christmas.

Director Larry Peerce (Goodbye, Columbus) kept things moving smoothly and didn't get bogged down in what could have been a boring repetition.

"Starman" Robert Hays and Bess Armstrong ("My So-Called Life") were great as 1950s-type parents. Even George Allen made an appearance in his actual role as the Governor.

Great movie to kick off my Christmas adventure.

Can anyone say 'Groundhog Day'?

[CuriosityKilledShawn · 3/10 · 17 November 2000]

The makers of this film could not have seriously thought that they were making an original film. They MUST have known that they were ripping off "Groundhog Day". They must have. Having said that the film itself is alright. But a little annoying.

The kid is okay enough. He's not as irritating as most kids in movies but he does go thru some clichéd "teenage" moments involving girls that was kind of cringe-worthy to watch. Also there was no reason why he fell at the bottom of the stairs every morning. Why did that happen exactly?

This is an acceptable movie to watch on Xmas Eve or around the holiday season. So if a network is showing it then watching it will not be a bad thing.

Wouldn't Mind Watching this one Every Christmas

[gehewe · 9/10 · 5 January 2018]

A fun movie with no dull spots. It is in the tradition of Ground Hog Day which I absolutely love. In this case a 13 year old boy repeats Christmas day until he gets it right. More recently this was tried in Pete's Christmas (2013) to great success but I think the cast is better in this movie.

Absolutely love the parts played by the father and mother as well as the uncle and aunt. The 13 year old boy put good energy into his part. They really didn't give us a good reason why the day repeats (no angel or magic) but I loved it. Yes this was good enough to repeat watching.

Christmas comes only once a day

[helpless_dancer · 7/10 · 14 December 2001]

A 13 year old boy, a lad I wanted to slap across a large space, detests Christmas and all the family gathering that goes with it. After his sister talks him into wishing Christmas would come every day, suddenly it became Christmas each morning of his life. There was much whining from the boy for the first couple of mornings, but eventually he came to realize that the holidays weren't as bad as they appeared. Funny, entertaining picture even though it was schmaltzy and unrealistic.

Welcome to GROUNDHOG DAY--At Christmas!

[havert-royland · 5/10 · 24 December 2004]

My wife, daughter, and I caught this made-for-television film recently on the ABC Family Channel. It was upbeat and unpredictable, though somewhat forgettable. However, if you continue to be fascinated by the GROUNDHOG DAY premise of the same day being repeated over and over--somewhat like a manipulative dream--then it may be worth a look. (Note: The lead male actor provided the voice for "Sid" in Disney's TOY STORY.) My personal carps are few. I did not, for example, understand why the young blond girl was so important to the thirteen-year-old protagonist. (There were several fantastic opportunities to manipulate his family and his community that he passed up during his quest to score a simple date.)

Christmas tradition

[kimiesha · 8/10 · 23 December 2018]

Loved this movie as a child and now that I am an adult I have been watching it every Christmas for the past 8 years.

Poorly executed re-imagining of Groundhog Day - Hays is wasted in this!

[imdb-25288 · 4/10 · 26 March 2021]

The editing is atrocious! Even before the day starts repeating itself, the editing is choppy and the characters appear to teleport from one location to behind the piano (in the worst instance that I remember), instead of flowing thanks to smooth transitions. The movie is all about the kid, a teen who is playing 13 but looks well over 16 here. Minor detail.

If you came here for the cinematic fun that Robert Hays is capable of delivering: this is a waste of time. He's barely in it. 3/4th of the movie is boring beyond paint drying. The same scenes are copy/pasted (well, pasted-edited) which makes it a tedious 40 min watch. Unlike Groundhog Day, which is fun to watch from the beginning to end, always finding something new, watching this boring movie is a chore.

The quality of the image is fuzzy, as if filmed through gauze. The characters are unremarkable. Everyone is phoning it in, pretty much. Things start to get interesting 3/4th in, when the kid gets it and starts acting like good Bill Murray, helping people. This does little to salvage the movie, because the "leftovers" feeling of already having watched it (GH Day) is prevalent throughout.

A great concept (of course: it's stolen from a movie hit!) but poorly eexecuted. T.he teen actor gives it his all., but it's not enoughh. N ot sure who would enjoy this eexcept schildren and the infirm, from a hhospital bed or a prison one, makes the time go by , but that's about it.

Great Movie for Relearning the Spirit of Christmas

[munnie · 10/10 · 2 December 2006]

Although it might be considered one of the "Groundhog Day" movies of Christmas (like "12 Days of Christmas Eve") it once again brings home many of the true values cherished during the holidays. After a frustrating and disappointing Christmas, our main character inadvertently wounds his young sister by insisting there is no Santa. In order to appease her, he wishes, at her forceful request, that every day be Christmas. His wish comes true and he is forced to relive Christmas Day over and over again. He slowly comes to discover that happiness is made and chosen, and best enjoyed when shared. If you enjoy a cheerful premise with a happy ending, this just might become one of your holiday viewing regulars.

A Groundhog Day for the Christmas Season

[Blackjack254 · 18 November 2002]

This show was never meant to be original. The producers decided to take the "Groundhog Day" formula and use it for the Christmas season. I thought this Christmas special was very good, even better than "Groundhog Day". The relationship Between Billy and Diane was more believable than the one in "Groundhog Day". In this Movie, Billy doesn't "step on the gas" so quickly. he just tries to get her to notice him, and they start a friendship. It is far less contrived then the Romance in "Groundhog Day" where the two Characters fall in love in ONE DAY. I also like the Christmas Pagent scenes, and I also like it when Billy always wakes up to "Jingle Bells" and the various expressions on his face. They should put this one out on video.

Better then Christmas Do over

[atinder · 8/10 · 10 November 2012]

Christmas Every Day (TV 1996)

13 year old boy, who dose not like Christmas, who is being rude and nasty but when He tells his sister that Santa is not real, she then wish it would be xmas every day.

And her wish come true, that the boy keeps waking up on Xmas day.

Before you say they rip-off Groundhog down, this is actually remake of Christmas Every Day (TV 1987) and also was remade again as Christmas Do over.

This was really good and sweet movie, had a lot stuff happens in this movie, there funny moment as well.

Acting was really good ,this great Xmas movie

8 out of 10

Hilarious!

[Blaze-17 · 8 November 2000]

I saw this movie one night, and it really cracked me up! The look that has Billy every morning when he hears the exact same Christmas cheers is hilarious! It's funny how he knows how each day is going to turn out, since he keeps living the same day over and over, and how he's adjusting the same day every day until it stops.

Watch this movie. It can give you a real, good laugh!

Enjoyable Christmas Fare

[tangell · 8/10 · 22 December 2000]

This movie has been played on the same station, same time, every Christmas Day since 1997. Since this year is no exception, it has become almost family tradition for it to be watched. Over all I like the movie based on a Ground-hog day genre. The characters are funny and Erik VD, is a joy to watch.

Not as bad as I thought

[junesakl · 8/10 · 20 December 2005]

True movie was a slight ripoff of a tremendous Bill Murray flick, but you've got to admit, Diane (played by Kara Woods) is a definite cuttie. Has anyone seen her in any other films our TV shows out there? She was the lone bright spot in an otherwise lame movie.

Everyone has had a crappy Christmas at some point of time in their past, and after seeing this movie I've come to realize that it's never as bad as you think. Besides the lame storyline, and mediocre acting, it manages to sum up how bad some Christmas's, and then again how heartwarming, they can be. Thank god they found Kara Woods to play Diane, without her this wouldn't have even made video stores but gone straight to UPN.

Very funny

[blackjack128 · 10/10 · 3 December 2000]

You know, the next time I hear that rendition of "Jingle bells" on the saxaphone, I will laugh out loud. I think it's funny how billy always woke up with the stuffed toy on his head and some of the ways he tackled the day were very funny.

(if you consider the following information a spoiler, I suggest you leave now)

I love it where he always wakes up to the same song, spilling water on everybody, and "and the angels headed for bethlehem....Again! and Jesus was born in the manger....Again!" time loop storys prove to be hilarious, what with groundhog day and this. watch it.

Cheap Ripoff and REALLY NOT WORTH WATCHING

[SerpentMage · 26 December 2001]

I started to watch this on Christmas to kill time. But man oh man what cr.p. It is a cheap ripoff of a good film and so gushy and unrealistic that it really ticked me off. I was really disappointed when I saw this movie. What a waste of time!