Beverly Hills Christmas (2015) User Reviews

Not The Best Christmas Flick Out There.

[P3n-E-W1s3 · 4/10 · 8 December 2017]

If it wasn't for Dean Cain and some of the supporting cast this would have been a really dire movie. As it stands, it's badly written (though the premise is sound and should have made a better story), even worsely directed, and poorly acted.

The movie is lacking in wit, humour, melancholy, and Christmas atmosphere. In fact, this should only be shown as a "How NOT to make a Christmas Film".

Though I suffered through the really bad acting at the beginning of the movie, it did appear that Donna and Ravin Spangler started to get into their characters at the halfway stage... or I could've just adapted to their horrendous acting.

I wouldn't advise anybody to watch this film at any time as there are so many better Christmas Films around, which I would recommend over this one.

Can't believe they made a sequel

[Jackbv123 · 4/10 · 17 November 2018]

This is a strange take on the person dies and becomes an angel with a mission trope.

Acting was bad almost across the board. People reacted to statements before the person was done speaking. Mean characters were one dimensional. Too many of them were brain-dead dumb.

The plot was convoluted and predictable.

Characters changed personality instantly.

One positive note - Ravin and Jerry are cute together.

Oh my word

[donnaelliott-75845 · 2/10 · 20 October 2020]

I love a bad Christmas movie, but this? Just awful. On the plus side, the very fact that Donna Spangler is the lead 'actor' in this, gives all talentless people some hope....

This is about the worse Christmas film I have Seen

[Christmas-Reviewer · 1/10 · 21 October 2016]

BEWARE OF THE POSITIVE REVIEWS. THEY WERE WRITTEN BY PEOPLE WHO ONLY RATED THIS FILM. THIS TELLS ME THEY HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE MAKING OF THIS TERRIBLE FILM"

"Beverly Hills Christmas" is TV-movie about spoiled people. There is no redeeming value to anyone and your rooting for bad things to happen to everyone because the leading woman is awful and her daughter is no better.

Now with this film is truly about is that a woman just died in a car crash. She was a ball buster career woman who avoided going home like a NBA player. On the way home one night she dies in a wreck. She then meets her angel that tell her she must save her own daughter from making terrible choices. She has until 9:45 on 12/24 to do this which is about 3 days. Now why 9:45 its never clear.

Now it turns out that this woman daughter is a spoiled brat that makes the mother seem nice. Well anyway you can connect the "Christmas Lights" from here.

Now in a nutshell the daughter ends up working in a "Soup Kitchen" and learns life is not all about "Shopping".

AS you can figure With help from a guardian angel, the spoiled rich, very material girl learns that true value is found in assisting others and not in material things. The message is good the execution is not.

There is nothing good (Or original) about this film. The screenplay is "by the numbers"awful and the acting is worse than an amateur dinner theater in Boise.

I have seen close to 200 "Christmas"Television-Movies". This is the worse one!

Christmas dud.

[cobnut · 13 October 2017]

I have been a member of IMDb for 13 years, and this is the first time I've written a review. That's how dreadful this film was to watch! People must be warned...

Even for a made-for-TV Christmas movie, the plot is markedly formulaic. The moral message feels forced, and the pace and timescale are incohesive. The dialogue is flat, and the dramatic elements are predictable and poorly executed. The sets and locations are reasonable, but the special effects are hilarious. Lots of fans, slow-motion and fake electrical discharges that wouldn't look out of place in a low-budget 1980s sci-fi flick.

The characters are trite, and the lead Donna Spangler is wooden to the point of unintentional comedy. Her stilted delivery made me cringe, and as with the rest of the movie, I kept waiting for the punchline that never came. Dean Cain has demonstrated his acting chops in other roles, but in this one he is background noise in bad sunglasses. I second another review that says he did provide the only laugh-aloud moment in the whole film, but even that was unintentional.

The young secondary lead Ravin Spangler is reasonable yet unremarkable as a spoiled rich girl turned good. Mara Rydell as the maid Lucille had potential, but was not utilised effectively. There are several other supporting characters in the film who appear to be there as furniture. They have few lines, wander about in the background of scenes where no background characters are necessary, and they contribute nothing to the plot.

The one dim bright spot in the whole festive failure is Brandon Tyler Russell, who plays his character 'Jerry' in a manner that evokes genuine sympathy. Jerry is essentially the only character who is given any depth, warmth or likability.

On a final note, the movie doesn't have much of a Christmas setting or feel to it. Aside from a few decorations and a brief Christmas party, the plot could have taken place at any time of year. Overall, I'd say give this movie a miss. There are plenty of made-for-TV Christmas movies that get it right. This is not one of them.

Awful movie

[dtdenver-987-925546 · 1/10 · 1 December 2017]

I give holiday movies a lot of leeway. But this one was irredeemable. The woman who produced, starred, directed, employed her family, and flushed the toilets afterward was nipped/tucked/puffed within an inch of her life. Her daughter was cast as a queen bee mean girl but really, just so homely and stiff it was embarrassing. And Dean Cain - c'mon. Stop with the Christmas movies or at least lose weight and shave. He looked like he just got off a 2-week bender.

"The Room" of Christmas movies

[jennjolivet · 1/10 · 16 December 2018]

I only finished watching this movie to see how bad it was. On that level, it did not disappoint.

You mean it's not a comedy?

[mkneudeck · 1/10 · 19 December 2016]

I was only able to see the last half of this film school reject. The only good thing about it was that it made me laugh out loud during the big climactic moment. "Cool!"

Angel Gabriel sporting aviator shades? Not a good look, but it turns out they were necessary for the "big scene."

Shooting the reflection in his shades for the "big scene" was pure artistic genius. I guess there weren't any puddles around.

The standards for these made-for-TV Christmas movies are minimal, but this one really lowers the bar. Directing, production, and writing are gimmicky and formulaic. How hard is it to make one of these things anyway?

I had to look this movie up to see if it was supposed to be a comedy, or perhaps has a cult following in the awful movies category.

This movie is a sin against Christmas

[amanda_raffi · 1/10 · 8 December 2019]

It's a tragedy, the acting, the premise. The main Actress should be fined for torturing us with her horrendous acting. I thought it was a joke or a spoof. If you want to cringe and laugh, go for it. If you're actually looking for a quality xmas movie look elsewhere.

I could only handle 10 minutes

[asarandes · 1/10 · 11 December 2018]

Horrendous excuse for acting. Sound off so bad it's like it's a dubbed foreign film. I was so annoyed I didn't make it past dean Cain mouthing to the blonde bimbo that she can't touch alive people. Horrendous.

From a Christmas movie pro, this is the worst one I've ever seen.

[freddyfingerz · 1/10 · 4 September 2018]

I have seen hundreds of Christmas movies. I don't write reviews often, but I just couldn't let others suffer if I can help it. From the every first 5 minutes of this film, everyone can tell how horrible it will be (people about to get hit by an automobile don't press their bodies against the very same direction they will be getting hit by).

The worst part? (yes, it's about to get even worse), they are making a sequel to this movie.

A Little Gem!

[timothyratajczak · 10/10 · 7 December 2017]

I confess: I'm a soft touch when it comes to Christmas movies. BUT - that doesn't mean I'll watch just anything. "Beverly Hills Christmas" manages to be both new and familiar at the same time. The message is timeless, the theology may be a little shaky (but c'mon - it's a fantasy!) and you'll be smiling by the film's end. Great performances by the "kids" (Ravin Spangler and Brandon Tyler Russell) and the adults (Donna Spangler, Vincent De Paul and Kirsten Lea) and some neat cameos by Dean Cain and John Savage. Even if you figure out what's going to happen way in advance, it's still worth the journey. It may not be "Miracle On 34th Street" but "Beverly Hills Christmas" is a little gem! Highly recommended!

It's a pretty awful film

[DimityBlue · 2/10 · 12 December 2018]

The film starts with Angelina (a go-getting business woman) showing how go-getting she is by firing an underling on Christmas Eve. Minutes later, she's killed by a drunk driver.

She wakes in Malibu (according to the Archangel Gabriel, it's Purgatory) and is told she can save herself by saving her daughter, Ravin, who's set upon being a go-getting, heartless businesswoman like her mom. Btw, it's almost a year later and she's got 3 days to complete the task.

Apparently it's true you can't speak ill of the dead, because a number of characters tell Ravin what a kind, loving angel her mom was. Ravin's new stepmom (one of Angelina's best friends!) gets Ravin working at the soup kitchen she helps run, where Ravin learns about true friendship while sweeping the floor and watching a regular at the soup kitchen get brought back to life.

The storyline is shaky and most of the acting is terrible. Lucille (Mara Rydell) was great as the maid who can hear Angelina's voice but never realises her ex-boss has come back to save her own daughter. (They really needed to use Lucille more.)

Lucille and an incredibly cute killer dog called Bunny are the best bits of the film. Dean Cain fans will probably watch this but, otherwise, save your time and watch something better.

Its so bad its funny

[roniekononova · 1/10 · 11 December 2016]

This is probably the worst movie I have ever seen. I Got through 20 minutes before I had to turn it off. The acting is so bad it will make high school plays look like professional acting.( and I have seen a fair share of them) the graphics and editing XD I'm not even going to get into that, even the pros XD who buys a coffee and holds the cup sideways I mean obviously it's empty. overall it was a horrible 20 minutes of my life, if you don't laugh you would probably end up crying. What makes this whole thing even sadder is this is a 2015 movie. 2015 I have seen 80's movies better than this;and I am not a fan of the 80's. Don't watch it, it's really horrible, unless you want to look at a good example of what NOT to do when making a movie. seriously don't do it.

Terrible acting

[huntergirl-13189 · 2/10 · 23 October 2020]

Dean Cain is a decent actor. Donna Spangler is not. Most of the people in this movie act as cardboard as if they had never seen an actual human.

Not worth the purchase

[yarbroughstarla-40175 · 1/10 · 15 August 2019]

If you are a Dean Cain fan you will be highly disappointed in this movie. Its one of those that used a big name to get you to but it because otherwise it would sit and collect dust which it does after stomaching it the first time. Dean is in it for maybe 10 minutes total. The rest is filled with horrible acting and annoying cleaches.

horrible

[lydiamcabee · 1/10 · 11 November 2021]

I've seen better acting in porn tbh, absolutely horrible and the audio makes them sound like robots lmao. These people act like they have never interacted with anyone ever.

FUN movie!

[brentadams · 9/10 · 14 December 2015]

This is a great Christmas movie! Fun for the entire family...with a wonderful message in which we can all benefit. It has a great cast: Donna Spangler (Angelina Foxworth), Dean Cain (Archangel Gabriel), John Savage (Mr. Winters), Ravin Spangler (Ravin Foxworth), Brittan Taylor (Hannah), Simona Fusco (Yvonne), Cindy Marinangel (nurse), Brandon Russell (Jerry), Vincent De Paul (James Foxworth), Sue Wong (Sue Wong). There is also a ridiculously adorable little Pomeranian (Bunny). And, it is directed by Brian Skiba (2011 Arizona Film Maker of the Year; who has directed, written, and edited numerous films) Can't wait for Beverly Hills Christmas Part 2!!!!

An Enjoyable Christmas Story

[codymiami · 10/10 · 28 December 2017]

I like to see celestial characters in holiday movies. Enjoyed that their is a story of a young girl's(Ravin) redemption from being spoiled. It was fun to watch with my family on UPTV this season.

Donna Spangler does it all... poorly

[selfdestructo · 8/10 · 5 May 2023]

Wow! I had read things here about this movie like, "it's a sin against Christmas" and "The Room of Christmas movies," so naturally I HAD to see it. This was actually a bit different than I had anticipated. It is, for the most part, dull and talky. And, really, not even a real Christmas movie. But stay tuned for the final act (and its aftermath). It is a doozy! I thought Ravin (Spangler's real daughter) was the best actor in this whole mess, and she is no great shakes, either. She could play spoiled and snotty, but when it came to the serious/sad scenes... well it seems like she's got one character in her repertoire, anyway. Her mom seemingly reads her lines off the not-yet-familiar script in every scene. Dean Cain fares no better, but he's off in some dreamworld, and you can't fault him for the material given.

A rich, shrewd businesswoman (Spangler) buys her daughter a pony for Christmas, then is promptly killed by a drunk driver on her way home. So she is given an ultimatum by "Gabriel" (Cain) for her to get her daughter off the "naughty" list and onto the "nice" list. Problem is, she can only communicate with her maid(?!!). Ravin's spoiled-as-well sister shows up with her boyfriend, who, shockingly, plays in a punk band. They hired some pretty boy Brit for this part, who is basically the exact opposite of a punk rocker (or, British accent? We have a winner!). You too will laugh. But they save most of the hilarity for the end, where the "boy Ravin likes" has a heart condition, and they think he's going to die in the hospital. It is a veritable sap-a-thon, and worth every penny of the one dollar I paid for this movie.

SPOILER: Mom sacrifices her very existence so that Ravin can be with the boy she has a crush on (although the script bails on that promise, family movie and all).

No director is credited! If you look up the details of this movie, you'll see a guy named Brian Skiba was given the honor. One can only assume he had his name taken offa this thing. Also, can someone be credited as both executive producer AND producer? This marks the one and only time I've seen that occur.