The Christmas Blessing (2005)

How sad is this?

Good concept, poorly executed.

Best movie ever!

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Review Date 3/29/2018When 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.

My only complaint is the scene where the elementary school teacher teaches a chapter on Mexico. Her 'Mexican' costume is cultural appropriation at its worst and her facts are wrong. Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico's Independence Day and it's not a big holiday in Mexico. That almost ruins the entire movie. Technically this movie is a sequel to The Christmas Shoes, but all the relevant information from The Christmas Shoes is mentioned in this movie anyway. The Christmas Shoes is extremely depressing and boring, with terrible acting to boot, so skip it altogether. This movie, on the other hand, has great writing and great acting. There's a guest performance from Blake Shelton and NewSong, but it's not cheesy because the concert is a fundraiser that is relevant to the plot. The movie is about a transplant, so it's tragically realistic, but it's written in a touching 'everything happens for a reason' way.

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.

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