Penelope Cruz, Susan Sarandon, Paul Walker

A contemporary romantic drama borrowing inspiration from It's a Wonderful Life, this thought-provoking holiday film explores the lives of five strangers as they intersect at a crossroads of for...( read more  read more... )giveness and redemption. In his directorial debut, Chazz Palminteri lends a delicate hand to allow his talent-laden cast creative latitude to portray a handful of odd bedfellows who share little in common but loneliness on Christmas Eve. Susan Sarandon is remarkable as Rose Harrison, a divorced book editor who spends the holidays at a nursing home with her mother deep in the clutches of Alzheimer's. Although Rose's own story bleeds pathos, she shows genuine compassion toward others—whether it's the abandoned, mysterious patient across the hall, or the desperate fiancée, Nina (Penélope Cruz) who broke her engagement to her beloved Mike (Paul Walker) because of his suffocating jealousy. In separate subplots soon to collide, a strange bartender (Alan Arkin) divulges how his past was forever altered by someone he thinks is Mike, while another Alzheimer's visitor, Charlie Boyd (Robin Williams, uncredited) helps Rose accept the possibility of miracles in an uplifting climatic twist. Though some of the storylines inch toward the improbable, the film manages to veer just to the right of maudlin. Instead, it arrives as a heartwarming, life-affirming tale that tugs at the heartstrings (with a haunting musical score by the famed Alan Menken). Grab some 'nog and a hanky. (Rated PG for sensuality, language, and some intense thematic material) --Lynn Gibson

Flixster Users

58% liked it

5,272 ratings

Critics

26% liked it

34 critics

PG, 1 hr. 36 min.

Directed by: Chazz Palminteri

Release Date: January 1, 2004

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DVD Release Date: October 25, 2005

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Flixster Reviews (260)


  • August 8, 2007
    OK, I'm a sucker for this sort of intertwined film where you need watch the whole movie to figure out which boyfriend happens to be the son of the strange bartender, etc. and how everyone survives Christmas Day.
  • May 31, 2007
    A good movie!
  • August 2, 2009
    Much better than I expected. Great acting.
  • May 19, 2009
    I thought the ending bit different. But other wise great.
  • February 11, 2009
    it was so sweet, made me cry..
    it's weird, but i liked seeing Paul Walker cry.. I love his eyes, they're so clear blue, and when those teardrops fell off his cheek.. well, it also made me cry. it was beautiful to see how much he cared about Artie.
    But a star off 'cuz of too hap...( read more)py ending anyway(just not a big fan of them).
    Actors were all great!
    Definitely worth watching.
  • January 3, 2009
    it's....also.....ok....it's about love? make people not lonely any more?no more specific feelings...
  • December 27, 2008
    This movie was okay although the dance that Penelope Cruz did was cringe worthy. Susan Sarandon was on top form but she always is.
  • October 14, 2008
    Strange distribution d'acteurs..mais bon
  • August 16, 2008
    an emotional experience .
  • July 8, 2008
    Miracles happen to those who need them i guess.. A sweet inspiring little movie by Chazz Palminteri. Liked it.

Critic Reviews


November 12, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

I can be sentimental under the right circumstances, but the movie is such a calculating tearjerker that it played like a challenge to me. full review

November 11, 2004
Edward Havens, FilmJerk.com

Sentimental and sappy enough to keep a maple syrup factory busy all year long, but isn't that the point of Christmas movies anyway? full review

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