A Holiday Romance (1999)

If you never seen "Mr Holland's Opus" then your in luck. If you then you know that this film seems like a re-make but what hell it has Andy Griffith in it. Also it really hits home that "Art Programs in schools" are needed and are in danger. (My favorite Scene in the whole film has to do when a mother says her son might be good at sports but he can play this tuba). During the holiday season, Bethlehem School goes under review by a stern school administrator Cal Peterson (Gerald McRaney), sent to eliminate programs to save money and the school itself. Following long review, Cal decides to eliminate the music program led by music teacher Lily Waite (Naomi Judd). Cal is unaware that his teenage niece Fern (Alison Pill), whom he has been taking care of, has been changed by the music program. There are many sub-plots, including the hijinks of Jake Peterson (Andy Griffith). With a musical back ground, this film is unique in itself, it reaches out to the viewer not only through acting but through the joy of Christmas music, showing tradition in a new light, and showing that you are only as old as you feel. This film is worth watching. Beware that the film is sold sometimes under the tile of "A Song For the Season". Watch this film. It is worth watching. It is worth owning. It might even propel you into sending a letter to your favorite teacher..

This is a really good movie.. Naomi Judd makes a good music teacher. In the movie she is upset because her boss is threatening to take out the Music program at the school she works at. After watching the students in the Christmas pageant he makes a decision to keep the program running. He even falls in love with Naomi Judd's character. He then realizes why the students love music and why they like their teacher. I recommend this movie for people young and old. The movie teaches us about why music is so important for young children in our schools. It also teaches us about finding romance and also about finding one's true love.

A holiday Romance tries to overwhelm us with sentimentality. Like most sentimental films, they sometimes annoyingly tug at your hart strings. However, "sappy" would not do this movie justice as an overall consensus of the film. The movie will hold your interest, and certainly does contain more than one dimension to the story-line, and most importantly to the characters. Besides the romance that is brewing between McRaney and Judd, the film also conveys the importance of music in our lives, and does a proper job in expressing its virtues. More importantly the film makers for "A Holiday Romance" point out how instrumental a single individual can become in our lives, especially to children.Also, an extremely nice inclusion, is the much loved Andy Griffith as McRaneys Father.By-the-way, Naomi Judd looks absolutely great in this film, you would never guess that she is two years McRaney's senior.

At first, I wasn't certain whether or not I wanted to watch this film, since I happen to deeply loathe Country/Western music. However, I watched it anyway... since I needed some help with getting into the Christmas mood, this year. Well, color me surprised! It turned out to be a good movie after all. A strong storyline, believable situations and outcomes and strong performances all around. But, what impressed me most was the young girl who played the part of Fern. She's a 14 year old actress by the name of Alison Pill. She showed such a wonderful range of emotions in her portrayal. To me, the best reason to see this film is her AND the duet that she sings with Naomi Judd, at the end. It's priceless! P.S. The other thing that made me happy with this movie... NO C&W MUSIC! ;-)