An Accidental Christmas (2007)

Just finished watching this Lifetime Movie again. (No, there was nothing else on TV!) Whoever did the casting for this TV movie must have been on a limited budget! The casting of Actor David Millbern as a 'straight' man/husband is far-fetched! His perfectly tweezed eyebrows were distracting, and it appeared he did not even attempt to "act" straight for the role. His mannerisms were more feminine than his wife's! I'm not a gay basher, far from it! I just don't know why he was chosen to play a straight role. Yes, a good actor can pull it off, but in this case it was a fail. (We're often "shocked" when an actor comes out -- that's because they are so good at acting and doing their job!) The kissing scene was so awkward; very much like seeing Jody Foster kissing Richard Gere ... just didn't work. Anyway if the story had been written better perhaps all of the 'fluff' would not have been so noticeable. The daughter, too, by the way, clearly must have been at least 20! She definitely did not pull off being a 14 year old! Too much makeup and cleavage for a 14 year old! But again, if the story would have been more interesting and better written, I may have never noticed all the things wrong with the characters! If you're looking for a nice Holiday movie to watch, or there's nothing else on TV, rent something or go to bed! Don't settle for something on TV as I just did.

This is seriously one of the worst movies I have ever seen. Yes, the sentiment is sweet and the actors are potentially good, but the writing was so awful that it was embarrassing and awkward just to watch. I feel that there are so many screenplays out there and ideas that could be turned into something great, but the fact that this one got picked up in this package is a sad testament to the state of TV-movies in general. It was not worth the money and time spent in developing and producing it. Would it really have been so difficult to amend the script? If they had taken a little more time to fix the plot and the script up a bit, then it could have been much much better. Actors, regardless of talent, can only do so much with a piece of writing. It's their script! It's what they go on. This movie did not serve the actors justice. Also, the teenage daughter, if they were married for 15 years, that would mean she's 14 at the oldest -- WAY too much cleavage and make-up for some one that age. Too much cleavage in general.

This was similar to Parent Trap, set in Christmas time. The writing left a lot to be desired. The story line wasn't developed well and you never really felt connected to the main characters. The split up of the couple was never explained until the end, so why would the audience want them to stay together? The addition of the "boss interested in the wife" was just plain hokey. It would have been more credible if she was interested in him and there was a conflict in deciding who she wanted to be with.The scene where the little boy was lost was either completely edited to pieces or the worse writing of the entire show. The actions of the characters were totally unrealistic. The mom and daughter wouldn't have stood there holding onto each other - they would have been out there yelling and searching. And how did the dad know exactly where to find the boy - there should have been more dramatic search. From the camera view, they drove straight to the boy and found him - while mom and daughter were standing there crying. It looked like the boy was incapacitated due to a severely injured leg, yet dad picked him up, took him to the car, and set him down. No hospital? The log he lifted off the boy - not that big or heavy. The boy should have been able to roll it off.The "almost reconciled" scene towards the end was poorly written. When they were discussing the faults of the relationship, there wasn't a discussion of regret and desire to fix - just "let's end it" on her part. The conversation didn't start out that way and there was no explanation for why it ended that way. I can't blame the movie on poor acting because actors can only do so much with a bad script.

OK, so it's not that great, but it's better than the one review in IDBM will have you think.Remember the child Lindsay Lohan playing twins trying to get their parents back together in The Parent Trap? Somewhat like that, but with Christmas put into the formula. Cynthia Gibb, who has a kind of Audrey Hepburn quality(big compliment!) is compelling as Vicky,a recent architect'apprentice, who wants more of an identity than just a wife and a mother,like Mrs Kramer in "Kramer vs Kramer". David Millbern as Jason Wright, the stunned husband who just doesn't get why his wife walked out on him, is endearingly nonplussed. And yes, he has a kinda high gaydar quotient,maybe because(if you take a look into his internet resume)he is an "activist" and Advocate contributor.That said, I didn't find this ruined the film for me, it may have added another dimension.Jason may not be the stereotypical dominant macho type, but he can still be oppressive and insensitive to his wife and too embroiled in his job. Lots of husbands may have an "is he or isn't he"look and in real life they get the benefit of the doubt, why not here?And he IS likable and to me believable as the husband and father.The children, hoping for a reconciliation, plot to force Vicky and Jason to spend a family Christmas together in their beach house in California.Myles,Vicky's hunky architect boss and old flame, (Jason Connery, Sean's son)is also spending his Christmas there,which provides some tension to the equation. Will Vicky give still-in-love Jason a second chance? Or will she defer to achieving her professional and newly found independence goals? Vicky doesn't seem to have gained enough footing in her new life to give it up so soon.Jason,on the other hand, may look like an easygoing guy and loving father,but husbands don't usually shed their old habits to give their ex-wives the necessary space to regain their identities.It could go one way or the other,but although viewer sympathy is naturally with the father and children, in reality it's not an easy call. The way it is resolved in "Accidental Christmas"is not satisfyingly explained and it all seems too easy, a flaw in the script.The actors are not at fault, though. Millbern and Gibb are both good as the main characters,and Mr. Connery is just fine as Myles, we wish he had a larger role.James Hong, as the wise Chinese beach caretaker,who gives Vicky and Jason some sound advice, makes himself noted in a small character role.In the end the viewer feels like the film could have been more consequential in treating the wife's dilemma,so it feels like a missed opportunity. Still it is deserving and very watchable.