Nathan (Neil Patrick Harris) is a doctor in a large, New England medical center. But, one day, after losing a teenage patient on the operating table, he decides to ask for an extended leave. Emotionally, he's drained. Heading to his hometown in Vermont, Nathan surprises his father with his visit and even more so when dad learns that his son is staying indefinitely and will help repair cars at his father's garage! Long ago, when Nathan was 10, he lost his mother and his widowed father has never looked in another lady's direction. Nathan, too, has neglected his lovelife in favor of his career. But, changes are coming. First, Grandmother finally arranges for dad to have a new office employee, a good-looking widow. Could this be a bit of matchmaking? Then, Nathan meets a lovely teacher, Meghan (Rebecca Gayheart) when her car needs some minor repairs and he soon feels the pull on his heartstrings. Also in town is a father, Tucker (Shaun Johnston) and his young son, Charlie (Angus T. Jones). Tucker takes care of lawns and home repairs and Charlie is expected to help, leaving him little time to play with friends. Meghan is Charlie's teacher and Nathan helps coach an afterschool basketball program. Soon, Nathan invites Charlie to be part of the group and the kid's got game! But, after the young lad collapses on the court, things change. Charlie is discovered to have an underlying heart condition. Will medicine save his life? Then, too, Meghan seems healthy but could she have a medical problem as well? Will Nathan open up his heart to love only to have it broken? This is a sweet film, somewhat sad but still a great reminder for everyone to count their blessings at holiday time. We need to reach out to others, even if it means getting hurt, and we also should tell those around us that we love them, for tomorrow may never come. All of the actors here do a wonderful job, making a film that could be described as somewhat contrived and improbable, work. Harris is terrific, with an understated delivery that turns occasionally stilted lines into touching ones. Jones, also, the young star of Two and a Half Men, is quite good as the ailing child. This flick is also a sequel to the movie Christmas Shoes, which starred Rob Lowe, and he is on hand to support the others. But, it is not necessary to see the films in order, as this one can be enjoyed on its own and has plenty of flashbacks. The settings, costumes, camera work and direction are mighty nice, too. If you enjoy thoughtful, romantic tearjerkers, you should ask Santa for a delivery of the DVD to your stocking. You will undoubtedly find it a blessing.
18 Reviews
Sad But Well Made
Christmas-Reviewer29 March 2018
Review Date 3/29/2018
When a Doctor Nathan (Neil Patrick Harris),, loses a patient , he decides that being a doctor isn't meant for him, and he wants to give it up. He decides to take a vacation to his hometown, and stay with his father (Hugh Thompson).
To tell you more would be wrong. However this film is sad but is also a lesson about life and how we deal with "Bad Things" and realizing your own mortality and how you want to live your life.
When a Doctor Nathan (Neil Patrick Harris),, loses a patient , he decides that being a doctor isn't meant for him, and he wants to give it up. He decides to take a vacation to his hometown, and stay with his father (Hugh Thompson).
To tell you more would be wrong. However this film is sad but is also a lesson about life and how we deal with "Bad Things" and realizing your own mortality and how you want to live your life.
A pleasant enough movie, but some problems that were not necessary
fallenchemist22 December 2013
Warning: Spoilers
While the movie told a nice enough, and romantic enough, story about love, family and moving on, they could have done a lot better job with some of the details. For example, if Meghan were really that sick with liver disease, wouldn't she have shown signs of jaundice by the time she collapsed? And therefore wouldn't Nathan, as a doctor, have seen that easily? Especially since he was staring into her eyes all the time.
And if Charlie was sick for that long with a heart issue, wouldn't his father have kept him out of strenuous sporting activity? I know he had issues about his wife leaving him and then dying, but he obviously cared deeply for his son. If, as Charlie said, he had seen "a thousand" doctors then this would have been well known. Just sloppy writing.
And if Charlie was sick for that long with a heart issue, wouldn't his father have kept him out of strenuous sporting activity? I know he had issues about his wife leaving him and then dying, but he obviously cared deeply for his son. If, as Charlie said, he had seen "a thousand" doctors then this would have been well known. Just sloppy writing.
Sometimes pleasant family movie, with plenty of sad moments
vchimpanzee9 February 2006
In this sequel to 'The Christmas Shoes', attorney Robert Layton (Rob Lowe) finds the shoes that changed his life in a dumpster at a church, where people deposit clothes for the poor.
Nathan Andrews (Neil Patrick Harris) is grown up now. As a young surgeon, when Nathan loses a patient, he says, "I can't do this any more" and returns home. He works in the garage run by his father Jack (Hugh Thompson), where he meets Megan (Rebecca Gayheart). Megan needs for her car to be fixed and, since she is learning Spanish, pretends that is all she speaks. Of course, Nathan is also deceiving Megan by pretending to be a mechanic. Lydia (Wanda Cannon) does Jack's office work and gives out advice.
The shoes end up in the possession of Tucker Bennett (Shaun Johnston), who moves around a lot and does yard work. He doesn't want to tell his son Charlie (Angus T. Jones) the truth about what happened to the boy's mother, who he claims was a dancer and wore the shoes.
Megan turns out to be Charlie's teacher. And Charlie has some difficulty as the new kid in school. Nathan shows up to volunteer at the playground where Charlie goes after school, and the two become friends. Also at the playground, Megan meets Nathan once again (can you guess where this might be going?).
Three characters in the movie go through crisis. For two, the situation may be life-threatening. A miracle may be necessary for everyone's problems to be solved. Sadly, the movie does not end well for all, but the ending is satisfying.
This is generally a pleasant family movie, even if the circumstances are not always positive. Neil Patrick Harris does a good job, and his best moments are in scenes with Angus T. Jones. Angus shows much of the same charm that he displays when playing live-action TV's most adorable brat on 'Two and a Half Men'. And Rebecca Gayheart stands out as the devoted teacher. Rob Lowe appears in only a few scenes but does quite well with them.
Some people may enjoy the music by NewSong and Blake Shelton. I'm afraid I can't be counted among them.
Overall, it was a nice movie. Just be prepared for tears.
Nathan Andrews (Neil Patrick Harris) is grown up now. As a young surgeon, when Nathan loses a patient, he says, "I can't do this any more" and returns home. He works in the garage run by his father Jack (Hugh Thompson), where he meets Megan (Rebecca Gayheart). Megan needs for her car to be fixed and, since she is learning Spanish, pretends that is all she speaks. Of course, Nathan is also deceiving Megan by pretending to be a mechanic. Lydia (Wanda Cannon) does Jack's office work and gives out advice.
The shoes end up in the possession of Tucker Bennett (Shaun Johnston), who moves around a lot and does yard work. He doesn't want to tell his son Charlie (Angus T. Jones) the truth about what happened to the boy's mother, who he claims was a dancer and wore the shoes.
Megan turns out to be Charlie's teacher. And Charlie has some difficulty as the new kid in school. Nathan shows up to volunteer at the playground where Charlie goes after school, and the two become friends. Also at the playground, Megan meets Nathan once again (can you guess where this might be going?).
Three characters in the movie go through crisis. For two, the situation may be life-threatening. A miracle may be necessary for everyone's problems to be solved. Sadly, the movie does not end well for all, but the ending is satisfying.
This is generally a pleasant family movie, even if the circumstances are not always positive. Neil Patrick Harris does a good job, and his best moments are in scenes with Angus T. Jones. Angus shows much of the same charm that he displays when playing live-action TV's most adorable brat on 'Two and a Half Men'. And Rebecca Gayheart stands out as the devoted teacher. Rob Lowe appears in only a few scenes but does quite well with them.
Some people may enjoy the music by NewSong and Blake Shelton. I'm afraid I can't be counted among them.
Overall, it was a nice movie. Just be prepared for tears.
When the Angels Want to Wear Your Red Shoes
wes-connors3 December 2013
As we follow a certain pair of red shoes from the earlier TV movie "The Christmas Shoes" (2002), handsome lawyer Rob Lowe (as Robert Layton) appears briefly. He'll reappear later, but does not play a significant role in this sequel. This time, our hero is boyish doctor Neil Patrick Harris (as Nathan Andrews). He promises to see that a teenage patient is home for Christmas, but the young man unfortunately expires during surgery. Angrily throwing his doctor's smock down in the hospital hallway, Mr. Harris declares. "I can't do this anymore!" He goes home to live and work with auto mechanic father Hugh Thompson (as Jack Andrews). Playing "stick up" with Mr. Thompson further establishes Harris has some late-term growing up to do...
While helping dad in the shop, Harris meets attractive single teacher Rebecca Gayheart (as Meghan Sullivan). Felled by a flat tire - a surefire way to find a date in TV movies - Ms. Gayheart thinks Harris is a "cute mechanic." She is learning to speak Spanish in order to be a better teacher, but tells her Vermont, USA class Cinco de Mayo is celebrated in Mexico as their Independence Day. The students are either too polite to correct her, or afraid to speak and be asked to leave the set. The main pupil is imaginatively bright, chubby and sad preteen Angus T. Jones (as Charlie Bennett). He is being raised by alcoholic single landscaper Shaun Johnston (as Tucker Bennett). All of the aforementioned characters have physical and/or emotional flaws...
The holy spirit of Christmas, without being too heavy-handed, seems to bring the characters together. Some may live and some may die - but all will benefit from getting to know each other. God is a fan of tear-jerking melodramas, obviously, and Heaven isn't such a bad fate for believers. It is tempting to knock "The Christmas Blessing" for mediocrity and predictability, but each of the stories in the movie series accomplishes something that is becoming increasingly rare - character-driven drama without bombastic special effects. The plots and characters created by novelist Donna Van Liere are handled well by the production team and actors. Lord knows you could find less engaging ways to spend your viewing time, without even looking.
****** The Christmas Blessing (12/18/05) Karen Arthur ~ Neil Patrick Harris, Rebecca Gayheart, Angus T. Jones, Hugh Thompson
While helping dad in the shop, Harris meets attractive single teacher Rebecca Gayheart (as Meghan Sullivan). Felled by a flat tire - a surefire way to find a date in TV movies - Ms. Gayheart thinks Harris is a "cute mechanic." She is learning to speak Spanish in order to be a better teacher, but tells her Vermont, USA class Cinco de Mayo is celebrated in Mexico as their Independence Day. The students are either too polite to correct her, or afraid to speak and be asked to leave the set. The main pupil is imaginatively bright, chubby and sad preteen Angus T. Jones (as Charlie Bennett). He is being raised by alcoholic single landscaper Shaun Johnston (as Tucker Bennett). All of the aforementioned characters have physical and/or emotional flaws...
The holy spirit of Christmas, without being too heavy-handed, seems to bring the characters together. Some may live and some may die - but all will benefit from getting to know each other. God is a fan of tear-jerking melodramas, obviously, and Heaven isn't such a bad fate for believers. It is tempting to knock "The Christmas Blessing" for mediocrity and predictability, but each of the stories in the movie series accomplishes something that is becoming increasingly rare - character-driven drama without bombastic special effects. The plots and characters created by novelist Donna Van Liere are handled well by the production team and actors. Lord knows you could find less engaging ways to spend your viewing time, without even looking.
****** The Christmas Blessing (12/18/05) Karen Arthur ~ Neil Patrick Harris, Rebecca Gayheart, Angus T. Jones, Hugh Thompson
Bring tissues
Jackbv12328 November 2017
Warning: Spoilers
The story is spread out in a lot of directions. The paths cross, so that's not so bad. But then it still drags a little. Fortunately it appears that Nathan and Meghan had more going on off screen than the brief screen time, so it is not ridiculous that they fell in love so quickly.
We really come to identify with Charlie, so ***SPOILERS*** what happens gives a really sad flavor to the movie. Got to say, for once, we don't have a completely Hallmark ending.
I wasn't impressed with sets, or acting. There were some popular songs including one performed, at least part of it, by Blake Shelton.
There were a lot of reality holes and not just the typical Hallmark ending. A lot of medical things just didn't make sense, and Nathan's age (unless he was really Doogie Howser with a new identity). And what happened to the gift that fell out of the first kid's pocket and Nathan picked up? There were some heartwarming moments and a sweet romance.
We really come to identify with Charlie, so ***SPOILERS*** what happens gives a really sad flavor to the movie. Got to say, for once, we don't have a completely Hallmark ending.
I wasn't impressed with sets, or acting. There were some popular songs including one performed, at least part of it, by Blake Shelton.
There were a lot of reality holes and not just the typical Hallmark ending. A lot of medical things just didn't make sense, and Nathan's age (unless he was really Doogie Howser with a new identity). And what happened to the gift that fell out of the first kid's pocket and Nathan picked up? There were some heartwarming moments and a sweet romance.
The Christmas "Spreader of Incorrect Information"
wagdiddy24 November 2016
Warning: Spoilers
OK. When a movie is REALLY bad, I don't watch the whole thing. My threshold for bad movies is usually about 10 minutes---that's all I can take before I vomit, and that's a mess so I try to avoid that. I did watch this entire movie, so that's a plus. My fist suggestion: fire whoever did the casting for this movie. Neil Patrick Harris' "dad" looked younger than he did. Neil Patrick Harris' girlfriend looked way older than he did. Rob Lowe's character looked younger than Neil P. Harris'. Lydia, Neil's dad's girlfriend, looked way older than Neil's dad. The only person who was cast well was Angus T. Jones as Charlie. He looked the correct age. His "dad" looked more like his grandpa, however. Again, fire that caster. Cinco de Mayo is NOT Mexican Independence Day. You have just spread another round of incorrect information that thousands will now be sharing and it results in an entire generation remaining ignorant. Cinco de Mayo was merely a battle. Mex. Ind. Day is September 16. Another point: when Neil P. Harris gets to the hospital and sees the boy that had been in the accident on the gurney, a gift falls out of the boy's pocket. Neil picks it up and puts it in his own pocket, and then we never see that gift again. Was something cut out of the movie? They made such a point of him picking it up that I felt sure it contained something important that we would see again. Not so. Cutting room floor? The writing could have been tighter. Such flawless and witty repartee does not come out of normal people's mouths. No one stuttered, no one cleared their throat, no one made a mistake. Unbelievable. My husband said it's the only "feel-good" Christmas movie he's ever seen that left him not "feeling good"---the child dies in the end. No blessing there! My husband was so depressed. It was exhausting to try to cheer him up. The movie was filmed well---it didn't have that "cheesy" look and feel that so many budget movies have. It also obviously did not have a boiler-plate plot, and the settings were very pretty. Again, this movie was not awful, but it could have been so much better had the producers done a better job with casting, more believable writing, and maybe a happy ending for everyone. Charlie's dad got no blessing, and he's the one that gave up the most.
Harris is the only talent here
freakfire-111 June 2008
Warning: Spoilers
I haven't been a fan of his for too long, but I do appreciate his talents. However, I cannot find anything else in this movie to really talk about. I know it is about Christmas time, but nothing really comes from that.
Harris is a doctor turned wannabe auto mechanic in order to be closer to his dad. He cares after a kid who ends up having heart problems. Fair enough. But the woman he is after also has medical problems with her liver. Eventually the boy dies, the woman lives, and I assume Harris makes up with his dad. But everything else seems lacking.
It really seemed like a mess. There were two stories going at once and the director had a hard time combining the two. As a result, this film struggled and could not get going. "D+"
Harris is a doctor turned wannabe auto mechanic in order to be closer to his dad. He cares after a kid who ends up having heart problems. Fair enough. But the woman he is after also has medical problems with her liver. Eventually the boy dies, the woman lives, and I assume Harris makes up with his dad. But everything else seems lacking.
It really seemed like a mess. There were two stories going at once and the director had a hard time combining the two. As a result, this film struggled and could not get going. "D+"
I really enjoyed this movie
powerforjesus6 February 2006
My family and I enjoyed this movie very much. Is it possible that it will be coming out on DVD anytime soon. We look forward to watching The Christmas Shoes and The Christmas Blessings for years and years to come. These are great family movies and even if you do not cry that much you better still have the tissue sitting right beside you. It really gets to you but in a great way. It also has great family values that are wonderful. We really need more of that. It would be wonderful if they could make another sequel to this one or think of others to do like this one. We need more things to remind us what is really important. Like is the job more important than family and friends. Is your childs life on the bottom of the totem pole compared to working constantly. I guess I think of it in more of a day to day blessing because my husband works and I stay home and take care of the kids. So that they always have a parent here to talk to. Thank you.
A bit of a tear jerker but a decent TV movie
juneebuggy19 December 2014
This was pretty good, one of those made for TV, Christmas (ie) type movies. This one is based on a book and apparently a continuation of an earlier movie "The Christmas Shoes", although I didn't see that one and it didn't matter in regards to the story here. Anyways, Neil Patrick Harris plays a young doctor who returns to his hometown after losing a patient on the operating table. His plan is to give up medicine and work with his widowed father in his garage.
Harris does a decent job here, I mean its a TV movie so its not like he had to push his acting abilities. He does have some good scenes with Angus T. Jones from 'Two and a Half Men' and a plausible enough romance with Rebecca Gayheart who also does a good job. Rob Lowe is in this too, sort of a cameo type role but imperative to the story and enjoyable as always.
I have to say this was a bit of a tearjerker, way sadder than I was expecting especially if you lost a parent as a child. Several of the characters also go through life threatening situations (requiring Christmas miracles and such) with not all of the outcomes favourable. Oh and apparently recovery time for a liver transplant is about 12 hours.
Filmed in Canada -Alberta (as most made for TV movies seem to be) this features a bunch of Canadian talent and I particularly enjoyed Hugh Thompson as the widowed father and Shaun Johnston of 'Heartland' fame. 12/14/14
Harris does a decent job here, I mean its a TV movie so its not like he had to push his acting abilities. He does have some good scenes with Angus T. Jones from 'Two and a Half Men' and a plausible enough romance with Rebecca Gayheart who also does a good job. Rob Lowe is in this too, sort of a cameo type role but imperative to the story and enjoyable as always.
I have to say this was a bit of a tearjerker, way sadder than I was expecting especially if you lost a parent as a child. Several of the characters also go through life threatening situations (requiring Christmas miracles and such) with not all of the outcomes favourable. Oh and apparently recovery time for a liver transplant is about 12 hours.
Filmed in Canada -Alberta (as most made for TV movies seem to be) this features a bunch of Canadian talent and I particularly enjoyed Hugh Thompson as the widowed father and Shaun Johnston of 'Heartland' fame. 12/14/14
Many paths cross in this heartwarming Christmas sequel
SimonJack28 December 2014
This made for TV movie is a sequel to the 2002 film, "The Christmas Shoes." Both are based on novels by Donna Van Liere. Some of the characters and cast are the same in the two films. But "The Christmas Blessing," has new characters and several more families and people whose paths cross in interesting ways.
So, this film has love and romance, healing from earlier losses and overcoming long-held periods of grieving. And, it offers some new tragedy with love, sacrifice and redemption. The plot in this film is very good, but considerably more complex than in the first film. It has many sub-plots, and for that reason, the script and direction have difficulty in places keeping the parts tightly together.
As in the first film, the cast are all very good. Again, the scenery, settings and camera work are all excellent as well. This is another very good film for the whole family, including younger children. It's a nice movie for the holidays, with Christmas again forming the main setting for the film.
So, this film has love and romance, healing from earlier losses and overcoming long-held periods of grieving. And, it offers some new tragedy with love, sacrifice and redemption. The plot in this film is very good, but considerably more complex than in the first film. It has many sub-plots, and for that reason, the script and direction have difficulty in places keeping the parts tightly together.
As in the first film, the cast are all very good. Again, the scenery, settings and camera work are all excellent as well. This is another very good film for the whole family, including younger children. It's a nice movie for the holidays, with Christmas again forming the main setting for the film.
The Christmas Downer
bookandcandle15 December 2014
I sat down tonight to watch a Hallmark Christmas movie. The title included "Blessing" in it, so I thought this would be happy-ending movie.
Instead, the entire movie was depressing and brought my spirits down during this Christmas season. There was a list of members of two families that had died, along with a list of people who were ill and dying.
Thanks Hallmark for making our "spirits bright" and bringing us a depressing, morbid movie. The only saving grace to this movie was the excellent acting and the country singing. That's it. I will definitely not be watching this movie ever again. My sister did not like this movie either and said it had a wrong title and should not be a Christmas movie.
Instead, the entire movie was depressing and brought my spirits down during this Christmas season. There was a list of members of two families that had died, along with a list of people who were ill and dying.
Thanks Hallmark for making our "spirits bright" and bringing us a depressing, morbid movie. The only saving grace to this movie was the excellent acting and the country singing. That's it. I will definitely not be watching this movie ever again. My sister did not like this movie either and said it had a wrong title and should not be a Christmas movie.
Deeply flawed clunker
gordonm88828 December 2014
Warning: Spoilers
We don't expect greatness from a TV movie. We understand it will have a predictable plot, lame dialog and low production values. And The Christmas Blessing does indeed have all those defects, but it also has problems that are far more profound. The Christmas Blessing repeatedly pushes away its audience by being internally inconsistent, eye-rollingly unbelievable and amateurish. My wife and I were in the mood to like this movie, but its flaws were so great that we didn't enjoy it.
The first flaw is Casting! Neil Patrick Harris plays a surgeon who has returned home. Given that he is a surgeon, he must be in his 30s (or older), yet his Dad is played by Hugh Thompson, who also appears to be in his 30's (and who, by the way, looks nothing like Neil Patrick Harris.) "Father and Son" look so clearly to be about the same age that my wife and I kept shaking our heads in disbelief every time they were shown together.
And another major character, a 10-year old boy, has a father who is played by Shaun Johnson, who looks in this film to be in his mid-50s. The casting of these two father/son combinations is so incongruous -so ridiculous - that it destroys any "suspension of disbelief" that a sympathetic audience might have.
The second major flaw is the story-telling. We meet a 10-year-old boy, played by Angus Jones, who is depicted as a lonely but normal boy who is good at basketball. Later in the movie, we learn (in totally unconvincing medical scenes) that he has been long diagnosed with a severe cardiac condition that will likely be fatal. Wow, that's a surprise, completely inconsistent with how the boy has been depicted Remarkably, the female lead character has a similar issue. We have followed this female character for the entire film -she jogs constantly and has appeared to be healthy - and she has been dating the surgeon character. In the film's last 20 minutes, she suddenly faints. The healthy lady jogger and her surgeon boyfriend discover that she has an undiagnosed liver condition that requires constant hospitalization and is untreatable and terminal. Her surgeon boy-friend never noticed anything -no jaundice, no symptoms - no signs at all of illness. But we are now asked to believe that, out of the blue, she is dieing and her only hope is a liver transplant.
What lazy story-telling! What ever this TV movie was intended to be, it ultimately comes across as nothing more than a shallow attempt to manipulate the emotions of its viewers.
Lastly, The Christmas Blessing depicts the medical profession and illness in a completely unrealistic way. For example, shortly after her life-saving liver transplant, the patient is visited by her boyfriend at her hospital bed - and she is shown as being completely recovered from her transplant. There is no pain, no weakness, no fatigue and no IV tubes! She is seemingly ready to go jogging in a day or two, as if she had received a pedicure rather than a liver transplant. It is mind-boggling - the kind of lapse you might forgive in a grade school play but not in a TV movie.
Yucch, The Christmas Blessing is a real clunker of a film - it is really bad even as measured against the low standards of Hallmark/Lifetime movies. Stay away!
The first flaw is Casting! Neil Patrick Harris plays a surgeon who has returned home. Given that he is a surgeon, he must be in his 30s (or older), yet his Dad is played by Hugh Thompson, who also appears to be in his 30's (and who, by the way, looks nothing like Neil Patrick Harris.) "Father and Son" look so clearly to be about the same age that my wife and I kept shaking our heads in disbelief every time they were shown together.
And another major character, a 10-year old boy, has a father who is played by Shaun Johnson, who looks in this film to be in his mid-50s. The casting of these two father/son combinations is so incongruous -so ridiculous - that it destroys any "suspension of disbelief" that a sympathetic audience might have.
The second major flaw is the story-telling. We meet a 10-year-old boy, played by Angus Jones, who is depicted as a lonely but normal boy who is good at basketball. Later in the movie, we learn (in totally unconvincing medical scenes) that he has been long diagnosed with a severe cardiac condition that will likely be fatal. Wow, that's a surprise, completely inconsistent with how the boy has been depicted Remarkably, the female lead character has a similar issue. We have followed this female character for the entire film -she jogs constantly and has appeared to be healthy - and she has been dating the surgeon character. In the film's last 20 minutes, she suddenly faints. The healthy lady jogger and her surgeon boyfriend discover that she has an undiagnosed liver condition that requires constant hospitalization and is untreatable and terminal. Her surgeon boy-friend never noticed anything -no jaundice, no symptoms - no signs at all of illness. But we are now asked to believe that, out of the blue, she is dieing and her only hope is a liver transplant.
What lazy story-telling! What ever this TV movie was intended to be, it ultimately comes across as nothing more than a shallow attempt to manipulate the emotions of its viewers.
Lastly, The Christmas Blessing depicts the medical profession and illness in a completely unrealistic way. For example, shortly after her life-saving liver transplant, the patient is visited by her boyfriend at her hospital bed - and she is shown as being completely recovered from her transplant. There is no pain, no weakness, no fatigue and no IV tubes! She is seemingly ready to go jogging in a day or two, as if she had received a pedicure rather than a liver transplant. It is mind-boggling - the kind of lapse you might forgive in a grade school play but not in a TV movie.
Yucch, The Christmas Blessing is a real clunker of a film - it is really bad even as measured against the low standards of Hallmark/Lifetime movies. Stay away!
Don't Trip Over The Christmas Shoes..
kz917-14 December 2017
Ack. When the most entertaining thing in the movie is (direct from Nashville) Blake Shelton sporting a mullet, the movie has serious problems.
Starring Neil Patrick Harris, Rebecca Gayheart, Rob Lowe (for a few scenes), and a little bitty Angus T. Jones this movie really should have been better!
NPH is a doctor returning to his hometown after losing someone on his operating table. He meets and falls for Gayheart who is the new teacher in town.
Too many people in this movie have life threatening medical conditions. The writers needed a does of reality and their conditions and the activities they were doing don't really compute.
Skip it - this one was a mess.
Starring Neil Patrick Harris, Rebecca Gayheart, Rob Lowe (for a few scenes), and a little bitty Angus T. Jones this movie really should have been better!
NPH is a doctor returning to his hometown after losing someone on his operating table. He meets and falls for Gayheart who is the new teacher in town.
Too many people in this movie have life threatening medical conditions. The writers needed a does of reality and their conditions and the activities they were doing don't really compute.
Skip it - this one was a mess.
Less a review than a question any help on answer appreciated
schwae6 November 2018
The church featured at the beginning of The Christmas Blessing (2005, Lowe NPH et al) here Rob Lowe finds the shoes in the trash, since such things are rarely done exclusively on a studio set and I must presume done on location, does anybody happen to know the name of that church and where it is located? I was curious because it has similar design elements to an older Catholic church in my own hometown. I know that many of them are often even during that time have many similar elements or from the same designer, including elements such as window trim design of high Altar and what not, but such did have my curiosity biting at me
Anybody that knows enough about the production of this film to know the answer it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance and God bless.
Anybody that knows enough about the production of this film to know the answer it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance and God bless.
What a Downer
Lburnett-827-23157318 December 2018
Warning: Spoilers
First off it's hard to get past Neil Patrick Harris looking the same age as the actor playing his father. Not to mention using the spare parts of a dying child to save the teacher. Children dying doesn't follow the typical happy Hallmark theme. No this was not a "Christmas Blessing."
The Christmas Shoes Re-DUX
P3n-E-W1s328 December 2016
This film is a strange beast as it's better than the original first film. If you enjoyed the Christmas Shoes then you should enjoy this festive tale.
Beware though, you will need a box of tissues for the ending: This is a heartwarming tearjerker which does just as it says. Even though the clichés are throughout the story; but then again isn't that just the case in Christmas films(?); I found myself reacting to the characters situations. It's the acting and direction that work the tears free from your eyes.
I really liked the idea of "The Christmas Shoes" journey through the film. It is a little cheesy, but the world is a small place, and things like this can, and do, happen.
Well worth watching on a cold winter's night, while cuddled up under a blanket, by a fire.
Beware though, you will need a box of tissues for the ending: This is a heartwarming tearjerker which does just as it says. Even though the clichés are throughout the story; but then again isn't that just the case in Christmas films(?); I found myself reacting to the characters situations. It's the acting and direction that work the tears free from your eyes.
I really liked the idea of "The Christmas Shoes" journey through the film. It is a little cheesy, but the world is a small place, and things like this can, and do, happen.
Well worth watching on a cold winter's night, while cuddled up under a blanket, by a fire.
Real tear-jerker
cowgirlhorsegardener3 December 2022
Warning: Spoilers
This was the first time I have ever watched or even heard of this movie. And without spoiling it, it is full of tear-jerker moments: both happy and sad. If you love a long movie about family and coming to terms with life's issues and challenges, then I highly recommend giving this movie a try. Family is important. Never give up on the hopes,dreams and friends that come into your life. This movie teaches a good lesson about how lies and deceit can quickly ruin a chance at love and how no matter what life throws your way, the strength and power of love and friendship can and will withstand and outlast everything that is thrown at you. Charlie is a good example of what can happen when people come together. R. I. P. Charlie.
See also
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