November Christmas (2010) Reviews

• Fantastic

  lloydene2010-11-29

  If all movies were like this I would actually watch TV or go to the movies! This was an excellent film, well written, well directed, well acted. It's all about relationships, and that's what life is about! Thanks to Hallmark for another outstanding performance and to the wonderful cast! I appreciated the fact that God and prayer were given proper respect and significance. I also appreciated the way our human condition (sickness, broken relationships, death) was dealt with as being a part of life. Life isn't always fair and hard times come, but the way we deal with it speaks of character and faith and perseverance, and taking joy where we find it. This is one movie that I would actually buy and make a family tradition to watch. Thank you!

• Moving With A Capital M

  jack319612010-11-29

  Like most Hallmark Hall Of Fame presentations, this one really tugs at the heartstrings. Very moving, and touching. You fall in love with all the chacters. I've been watching Sam Elliott since he did Lifeguard 35 years ago. This just might be his best role yet. Mr. Sanford is a man anyone would want to have as a friend. The little girl who plays the central character is just charming. Sometimes a role like this can be overdone, and not believable, but this is definitely not the case here. I think the best thing about the film, is its theme of redemption. Virtually all the characters are redeemed, and restored. It sets out to show the good in people and how life triumphs. It succeeds wonderfully. The only minor negative is that by knowing the ultimate outcome in advance (which the film shows) it might lessen the emotional impact for some people. Than again, I can't think of anyone who would really want to see the outcome that you'd think would happen. I hope they show this film again. It would make a perfect DVD for a family to rent, and not just at Christmastime, but any time of year.

• Wonderful job

  vchimpanzee2010-12-06

  "November Christmas" is the name of a story a pretty blonde girl is reading to children at a library. We find out later it is based on the real (in this movie) life of 8-year-old Vanessa--though some details in the story being read are a little different. 15 years earlier, Tom and Beth are new in the small community. We never learn what work Tom does, but he and Beth spend a lot of time with their daughter Vanessa, who has been in the hospital a lot. Vanessa has no hair but a cheerful attitude for the most part. Her 4-year-old brother Gordon seems to accept what is going on better than many his age. Tom visits Jess' farm to buy vegetables, but he later shows up in the middle of summer wanting pumpkins. The reason: Tom is worried Vanessa might not survive to see Halloween. Jess and his friend, who have both suffered losses in their lives, go to a relative of Jess who already has pumpkins, and they come back with a big load, and a possible second wife for Jess' friend. Vanessa has a new friend, a teenage waitress who is a talented artist and aspiring writer, though right now she must work for her demanding uncle at his diner. Meanwhile, Beth is helping out with story time at the library, where Jess' wife Claire used to work and still volunteers some. If Vanessa continues to go downhill, she also won't see Christmas. It just so happens Jess grows Christmas trees, and Tom goes to pick one out. Jess is going through a lot of bitterness, but helping this family helps him a lot, and he becomes a kind and loving grandfather type. Eventually the whole town knows about Vanessa's plight, and what happens next is truly a Christmas miracle. Will Vanessa make it? I will say that the movie has a happy ending. The story is great, and the holidays are celebrated just as one might expect--just at different times. Everyone involved gives a great performance, but I believe Sam Elliott stands out from the group. If anyone gets an Emmy nomination, I believe it will be him. Emily Alyn Lind certainly deserves something, though most likely she would be nominated only in a category that favors kids. Vanessa keeps her attitude positive so much of the time. It was worthy of the name Hallmark Hall of Fame.

• So well done it seems like a true live story

  landmarkbaptist2013-11-11

  this is so well done and such a heart warming story that it seems like it was written from a true situation. I Lost my mother and a brother in law to cancer and this movie just warms my heart every time I get to watch it. if this is not based on a real life situation I would hope that people in real life would would do something like this for someone suffering from cancer no matter their age but especially for a child. I have Watched this movie a couple of times and every time it tugs at my heart and puts tears in my eyes. as others have said you fall in love with all the characters and to the point you wish you could have taken part in the making of this movie. I would suggest this move to everyone to watch this beautiful movie

• November Christmas 2013

  hawgcaller2013-11-26

  As I was flipping channels, looking for something interesting, I found November Christmas. As I checked on the information, I saw that Sam Elliot was in this movie. Enough for me to watch...... I once read where he saw some parts that he had passed up on, then later thought that he could have done that... I have always admired his work and felt that he could have/should have been a mega star, very much in the caliber of John Wayne, just in our era of time. In my view, we do not have many actors in the caliber of our hero, John Wayne. Mr Elliot has stretched his acting legs many times, in different movies and different types of roles and he has excelled in each, as I expected. In "November Christmas", Sam plays an aging neighbor to a family in crisis.This family in crisis, allows him to do a "do over" from a crisis in his past. This is something that he missed in his real life, so he gets to address that concept on screen. Sam personifies someone that is bitter from circumstances of the past, who transforms into a wonderful, Grandfatherly figure, with a new opportunity to right the past. He does just that, in grand fashion. It is saddening for me to understand what his age is, and to know that even tho he never attained the reputation of a John Wayne, He will always be a hero for me, and a truly grand actor, in my view.