A ne'er do well father and ex-husband who always raced his way through the holidays is forced to relive Christmas Day time and again until he gets it right in this family oriented fantasy comedy starring Jay Mohr. It's Christmas time once again, and as usual Kevin (Moore) is scrambling to get his son Ben a last minute gift before stopping by his ex-wife Jill's house for a quick swig of eggnog. Ben can't stand Jill's impossibly perfect new boyfriend, and the prospect of spending the entire evening with his former inlaws is nearly too painful to ponder. But this Christmas things are going to be different, because this Christmas might just last forever. At first Kevin resists the curious development by simply reverting to his childish ways, though he is about to find out that sometimes in order to build a better future one must finally make amends with the past. ~ Jason Buchanan
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Reviews
Brilliant and touching
It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.
A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."
By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.
I just saw this movie last night (rented from my local library), and I was not amused. Let me list how many things are wrong with this movie. Jay Mohr as a divorced man visiting his son for Christmas...actually, that's okay. What is not okay is, he doesn't care enough about his son to get him a decent Christmas present (He says at the store, "I'll have whatever he's getting" without even knowing what it was the other man was buying...how uncaring is that?). He rejects his son's invitation to go camping, not because he has work or something, but because he doesn't feel like spending time with him. He's rude to his ex-wife's parents (who didn't have to invite him, but did so that he could see his son for the holiday), he's rude to his ex-wife and her boyfriend, and when he gets the chance to 'right his wrongs', he actually does worse. He attacks a Santa Claus, attacks a Nativity Scene couple, pigs out on holiday pies, steals his wife's boyfriend's Christmas present to his son, and other things I will not mention here because it's all too insulting. If you can believe it, this schmuck actually gets his way at the end of the movie; he sends his ex-wife's very caring boyfriend packing and wins her back, after all the devious things he did! I realize this was a family film (ha!), but this man didn't do anything to deserve a happy ending. I give this three stars because it wasn't the worst movie I've ever seen (in fact, it's not even the worst Christmas movie I've ever seen), and because I feel generous as I write this. But I do NOT recommend this movie because it achieves nothing in the learning department about the Christmas spirit.
An obvious "homage" to Groundhog's Day with not so obvious results. This movie takes chances and succeeds. Jay Mohr ("Action" and "Jerry McQuire") is great as the down-on-his-luck Dad who gets many "Do-Overs" until he wins his wife and family back. Not only does he see the error in his ways, he becomes a better a person. Isn't that what the holiday season all about - a time to reflect upon past, both good and bad!? Daphne Zuniga ("Melrose Place," "Sure Thing") is sensitive and funny. Grandma, Adrienne Barbeau ("Escape from New York"...need I say more) and Grandpa, Tim Thomerson ("Volunteers"), are wonderfully comedic sidekicks playing it very dry.All in all, this movie may not be for everyone (there is belching and fighting), but the heart is in the right place. Similar to Groundhog's Day, Family Man, etc., the chance for a self-centered man to see his life inside-out to gain a greater perspective is always entertaining and sentimental this time of year.
Sure, we've seen Ground Hog's Day before, but isn't it always a case of the "Emperor's New Clothing." The casting is great. Jay Mohr is acerbic, endearing and flat out funny! Daphne Zuniga is always a treat. And great to see supporting cast with Tim Thomerson and Adrienne Barbeau. Again, you've seen it before, this time more funny! The blend between humor and drama (there are moments between Jay and Daphne that have you in tears laughing, then crying). Kudos to ABC Family for not giving us the same, saccharine sweet, dramatic Christmas movie we see every year. Definitely better than everything I have seen this year (did you see "Deck the Halls" which requires paid admission). Save your money and tune in. This one has attitude. All and All a 9/10. Well done!
Take the plot of GROUNDHOG DAY, in which Bill Murray has to do the same day over and over again until he finally gets it right, remaking himself, in the process, from a surly lout into a genuinely caring individual. Change the setting from a real Punxatawney, Pennsylvania to a stand-in-for-everywhere, ill-defined location. Replace brilliant comic lead Bill Murray will talented Jay Mohr and some good supporting actors like Daphne Zuniga and Ruta Lee. Sprinkle liberally with many of the identical incidents from the original movie, changed slightly to fit the different holiday and avoid lawsuits and replace top comedy director Harold Ramis with someone I've never heard of before and you get a dull TV movie. Don't bother with this one, folks.