The Little Match Girl (1987)

Best movie ever!

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

BEWARE OF FALSE REVIEWS & REVIEWERS. SOME REVIEWERS HAVE ONLY ONE REVIEW TO THEIR NAME. NOW WHEN ITS A POSITIVE REVIEW THAT TELLS ME THEY WERE INVOLVED WITH THE MOVIE. IF ITS A NEGATIVE REVIEW THEN THEY MIGHT HAVE A GRUDGE AGAINST THE FILM . NOW I HAVE REVIEWED OVER 300 HOLIDAY FILMS & SPECIALS. I HAVE NO AGENDA.Keshia Knight-Pulliam stars as the title character, an orphaned waif of the 1920s who helps instill the Christmas spirit into a contentious New England family.This story is based on a short story but this version has a happy ending. Well worth watching with a cast that could make "Speed 2" look like a masterpiece.If you are looking for a more faithful adaption then pass this one on by. I prefer watching this one. I had no idea at the time that the source material was a sad story.

This movie is a gem. It moves along, slowly but surely (not rushed along the way).The characters are all fleshed out, so you can understand their motivations. Among the other good (and well-cast) actors is William Youmans; he is the consummate kidder (making fun of his very-rich family, their lack-of-compassion, conservative lifestyle, ...). He first befriends the homeless match girl, and brings her home to meet his family. His mom likes her, and invites her to stay for the Christmas holiday; finally mom has someone who likes to sit down with her and have fun.William Daniels is very good at playing the stern businessman, who has lost his heart; this occurred years before when his elder son Joe (the other one) wanted to marry a poor Catholic girl ... and (GASP) refused to go into the family business. At this, his son was banished from the house (and, the rest of the family didn't communicate with him, out of respect for the heart-less dad).The story opens as all of the residents of Fennel Street are given 24-hours' notice to vacate their apartments by a corrupted chief-of-police (this eviction notice was served on Christmas Eve).Joe, the publisher of a small weekly newspaper, cannot believe that his father would have the nerve to illegally evict his innocent tenants on Christmas. He gathers the story, and begins to ready for a special edition, sticking it to his dad for this evil thing. Of the pictures taken on Fennel Street, was one of the match girl warming herself with a match: this is going to be on the front page.I enjoyed the chemistry between Keisha and Rue; Rue was the perfect "temp" mom for the match girl; they have several touching moments. The author of the screenplay plays Joe's assistant at the paper, and does it pretty well.

I'd like to know why it does not air each Christmas or even at some other time of the year - It was beautiful - I'd like to see it play more often. This was one of Keisha's best performances during a time when she was a young actress. This role suited her and she was able to play it so very well and brought the maturity needed even in a young actress. The performance was brilliant in that she never flawed in who she was and yet she got across the message that the show was suppose to have for anyone at any age. The setting was perfect. The other actors where just the right folks for each role. I don't believe that any other actor would have been able to play this role with the sort of innocence and cause for life than Keisha showed in her emotions and smallness of person. If she had not been in this role the movie would not have been the hit that it was. It really must be shown more!

"The Little Match Girl" stars Keshia Knight-Pulliam, Rue McLanahan, William Daniels, and John Rhys-Davies. It's a wonderful story and has excellent performances by both Keshia Knight-Pulliam and Rue McLanahan. If you've read the story by Hans Christian Anderson then you know the story if you don't then here it is. Heywood Dutton has been torn from his son because of a feud that has happened a few years prior. Rue McLanahan stars as Frances Dutton who is trying to bring the two together one magical Christmas. Pulliam is Molly, the match girl who every time she strikes a match something good happens. This is a wonderful story and young as well as old will enjoy this.