Thomas Kinkade's Christmas Cottage (2008)

A look at the inspiration behind Thomas Kinkade's painting The Christmas Cottage, and how the artist was motivated to begin his career after discovering his mother was in danger of losing their family home.

Director:

Michael Campus

Writer:

Ken LaZebnik

Stars:

Peter O'Toole, Jared Padalecki, Marcia Gay Harden

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jared Padalecki	...	Thomas Kinkade
Marcia Gay Harden	...	Maryanne Kinkade
Peter O'Toole	...	Glen
Aaron Ashmore	...	Pat Kinkade
Richard Burgi	...	Bill Kinkade
Geoffrey Lewis	...	Butch
Chris Elliott	...	Ernie (as Chris Elliot)
Richard Moll	...	Big Jim
Kiersten Warren	...	Tanya
Jay Brazeau	...	Mr. Rosa
Charlotte Rae	...	Vesta
Edward Asner	...	Sidney
Tegan Moss	...	Nanette
Gina Holden	...	Hope
Malcolm Stewart	...	Lloyd

Storyline

Necessity is the mother of invention. In the weeks leading up to Christmas 1977, Maryanne Kinkade has fallen behind in her mortgage payments and is about to lose her small house in Placerville, a town in California's gold country in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. Her son Thom, who attends art school and is in his 20s, determines to make the transition from amateur to professional painter to help save the family's home. He seeks advice from an aging mentor.

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Plot Keywords:

christmas | painting | mortgage | artist | painter | 

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Taglines:

Love is the brightest light of all.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for language, some suggestive content and smoking

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 November 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Christmas Cottage

Filming Locations:

Fort Langley, British Columbia, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Birch Grove Films, Firm Films, Lionsgate

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Aaron Ashmore, who played the younger brother of Jared Padalecki's character in this movie is in fact three years older than Padalecki. Ashmore was born in 1979 while Padalecki was born in 1982.

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Goofs

Though set in 1977, in the bar scenes there is a draught beer pull for Bud Light, a beer not introduced until 1982.

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Quotes

Maryanne Kinkade: I don't know what to say.
Pat Kinkade: Say 'Merry Christmas.'

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Crazy Credits

Inspired by true events

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Soundtracks

Do Ya Wanna Tijuana?
Written by Kyle Newmaster and Dave Pelman (as W David Pelman)
Performed by Kyle Newmaster
Courtesy of DP Music Production

User Reviews

Tragic-Heartwarming Masterpiece

The movie feels like an old black and white movie due to the slow pacing and the nature of the dialogue, which is perfect for the atmosphere of the movie. This movie is incredibly tragic and depressing, but heartbreakingly realistic. It's so grim that it's hard to watch at times on account of the overwhelming gloom. Yet the saddest scenes are the most poignant ones. If you've seen Jared Padalecki as Sam in Supernatural or as Dean in Gilmore Girls, you know that he is a master at portraying youthful innocence in a grounded, relatable way. Sam and Dean were never quite as optimistic and idealistic as Thomas Kinkade is in this movie, so it's a marvel to see Jared add such depth and uniqueness to Thomas without making him anything remotely like Sam or Dean.