16 reviews
Christmas Child is better than a lot of movies I can name that cost ten times as much to make. I thought the opening scenes between Moses and Megan Follows were excellent and they had good chemistry and excellent dialog. Sadly, when Follows leaves the story, it seems to lose a lot of energy and slow way down.
While not full of holes, neither is it seamless or easy to follow especially from an emotional standpoint. The messages are highly positive but delivered in a slow way through the eyes of the troubled protagonist who seems to fail to appreciate what he is given. His emotional distance and alienation do not "develop" along with the story thereby keeping the emotonal tempo from moving upward to match what he is learning on his "Quest".
The final problem I had with it was that the return of Follows to the story (thereby wrapping up a major, major plot line) is given short shrift and bypasses the serious and emotionally fulfilling aspects. I have a feeling that this would have been handled at more and better length in the written version.
So, for trying to tell a good story and show with some realism a "slice of life" that is far more common and more real than typical Hollywood tripe, I give it credit. The actors are very good throughout and there are many moments that will make you think.
While not full of holes, neither is it seamless or easy to follow especially from an emotional standpoint. The messages are highly positive but delivered in a slow way through the eyes of the troubled protagonist who seems to fail to appreciate what he is given. His emotional distance and alienation do not "develop" along with the story thereby keeping the emotonal tempo from moving upward to match what he is learning on his "Quest".
The final problem I had with it was that the return of Follows to the story (thereby wrapping up a major, major plot line) is given short shrift and bypasses the serious and emotionally fulfilling aspects. I have a feeling that this would have been handled at more and better length in the written version.
So, for trying to tell a good story and show with some realism a "slice of life" that is far more common and more real than typical Hollywood tripe, I give it credit. The actors are very good throughout and there are many moments that will make you think.
- tmcdaniel1
- Jul 5, 2008
- Permalink
This film has lots of themes in it. Most of all it has deal with "finding family", "What is family", and what secrets are worth keeping. Most of all what price people pay for keeping those secrets.
This is one of those rare films that you can not multi-task while watching. You need to pay attention to the details otherwise you can easily lose track of people's names and motivations.
In this film Bill Ewing's holiday film Christmas Child concerns Jack (William R. Moses), a reporter who has been having a difficult time getting much joy out of his life. Both his wife (Megan Follows) and his job fail to revive his spirits. While he is working on a story in Dallas, TX, he comes across a photograph that gets his attention. The photograph leads him to Clearwater, TX, where he learns about the town's ornate nativity scene and confronts his past and maybe can lead him to a happier future.
This film is well made. Its heart is in the right place. I am glad that the makers of this film did not portray "Small Town" USA as bunch of hicks.
If you like stories without Hobbits & Super Heroes then watch this. Trust me it is much better than most of those films.
This is a nice films for adults. Kids will be bored.
This is one of those rare films that you can not multi-task while watching. You need to pay attention to the details otherwise you can easily lose track of people's names and motivations.
In this film Bill Ewing's holiday film Christmas Child concerns Jack (William R. Moses), a reporter who has been having a difficult time getting much joy out of his life. Both his wife (Megan Follows) and his job fail to revive his spirits. While he is working on a story in Dallas, TX, he comes across a photograph that gets his attention. The photograph leads him to Clearwater, TX, where he learns about the town's ornate nativity scene and confronts his past and maybe can lead him to a happier future.
This film is well made. Its heart is in the right place. I am glad that the makers of this film did not portray "Small Town" USA as bunch of hicks.
If you like stories without Hobbits & Super Heroes then watch this. Trust me it is much better than most of those films.
This is a nice films for adults. Kids will be bored.
- Christmas-Reviewer
- Aug 27, 2016
- Permalink
It's Christmas time and reporter William R. Moses hasn't had a decent story to his byline for a long time. He welcomes a chance to go to Texas for a human interest story, but his real motivation is to stop in Clearwater, Texas to find out the mystery of his birth.
Moses has no family so to speak and was raised as a foundling. He's a little jealous of wife Megan Fellows with whom he will spend Christmas once again with her family.
In Clearwater, Moses does find the mystery of his birth and the reason why a whole lot of people are trying to keep him from finding out.
Christmas Child is a nice enough family holiday classic. With Christian singer Steven Curtis Chapman playing the part of a preacher in the film, it was guaranteed from the start to have a built in audience appeal. Chapman was fine in the role, truth be told the part was no stretch for him. In the film his character and his wife adopt a young foundling child, in real life Chapman and his wife adopted three Asian orphans.
Christmas Child does have a heartstring tugging ending, but one that is totally in keeping with the spirit of the movie. There is one character in this film who gets one fabulous Christmas present.
Moses has no family so to speak and was raised as a foundling. He's a little jealous of wife Megan Fellows with whom he will spend Christmas once again with her family.
In Clearwater, Moses does find the mystery of his birth and the reason why a whole lot of people are trying to keep him from finding out.
Christmas Child is a nice enough family holiday classic. With Christian singer Steven Curtis Chapman playing the part of a preacher in the film, it was guaranteed from the start to have a built in audience appeal. Chapman was fine in the role, truth be told the part was no stretch for him. In the film his character and his wife adopt a young foundling child, in real life Chapman and his wife adopted three Asian orphans.
Christmas Child does have a heartstring tugging ending, but one that is totally in keeping with the spirit of the movie. There is one character in this film who gets one fabulous Christmas present.
- bkoganbing
- Dec 16, 2009
- Permalink
- jeannieb03
- Dec 13, 2007
- Permalink
- skt946-149-667921
- Dec 9, 2021
- Permalink
This might have been a good movie, but it just did not feel complete. It didn't feel like all the loose ends were resolved. There seemed no answer to the question of the main character's father. What happened to him? Why did the main character, the reporter, not try to find out about him? After finding out about his birth mother he seemed to have no interest in finding out about his birth father. The movie did not indicate what happened to the birth father. What was the town sheriff so out to get him? There seemed no clear explanation for that other than he didn't want him snooping around. It just left too many unanswered questions.
- cynthiaandjim
- Dec 24, 2015
- Permalink
Reporter Jack Davenport was adopted as a baby and the adoption was sealed. He is now in his forties and his only living adoptive parent, his father, passed away several months ago. It is Christmas and Jack is finally getting around to going through his father's things. There he finds a clue to his birth in Clearwater, Texas so he uses a story in Dallas as an excuse to go to Clearwater to look for his birth parents.
This movie came out in 2004 and I have seen it several times since. I can't say that about very many movies, Christmas or otherwise. This movie is very different from the dozens of predictable romance "Christmas" movies that are out there. It presents an interesting story set at Christmas with positive messages and a positive outcome. I can highly recommend it.
This movie came out in 2004 and I have seen it several times since. I can't say that about very many movies, Christmas or otherwise. This movie is very different from the dozens of predictable romance "Christmas" movies that are out there. It presents an interesting story set at Christmas with positive messages and a positive outcome. I can highly recommend it.
- bbomar-44909
- Dec 6, 2019
- Permalink
I had to do some math while watching this one to get the births and deaths and gifts of mangers right, but it was worth it.
I agree with some of the reviewers that the missing father issue was odd. And why the sheriff was so evil was not clearly explained (I wanted the sheriff arrested and locked up, to be honest, his nasty tone seemed out of place in the movie).
The lead is always a personable actor, but he looked too similar to the pastor, so distractingly the viewer might think they were related.
It was refreshing not to have a sappy, brain-dead, infantile Christmas movie, like has become the norm in 2020.
I agree with some of the reviewers that the missing father issue was odd. And why the sheriff was so evil was not clearly explained (I wanted the sheriff arrested and locked up, to be honest, his nasty tone seemed out of place in the movie).
The lead is always a personable actor, but he looked too similar to the pastor, so distractingly the viewer might think they were related.
It was refreshing not to have a sappy, brain-dead, infantile Christmas movie, like has become the norm in 2020.
- cmartinelli-12-663160
- Nov 26, 2020
- Permalink
- shermie-66535
- Nov 7, 2022
- Permalink
This one was beyond horrible. I don't know what the other reviewers watched, but it couldn't have been this stinker. Wow. Just about everything about it was bad.
First of all, the story was so contrived, you knew exactly what was going to happen, every step of the way. Absolutely no surprises here.
Then there was the acting. Not only were all the actors mediocre at best, there wasn't a single likable character in the whole darn movie. They all seemed like miserable people.
I know Christmas movies are supposed to be cheesy. That's the charm of them. Well this one wen't above and beyond. Stinky as a hunk of Brie that's been left out at room temperature for weeks.
--MovieJunkieMark.
First of all, the story was so contrived, you knew exactly what was going to happen, every step of the way. Absolutely no surprises here.
Then there was the acting. Not only were all the actors mediocre at best, there wasn't a single likable character in the whole darn movie. They all seemed like miserable people.
I know Christmas movies are supposed to be cheesy. That's the charm of them. Well this one wen't above and beyond. Stinky as a hunk of Brie that's been left out at room temperature for weeks.
--MovieJunkieMark.
Love this movie 2004 Love William R Moses all the cast Muse Watson great as sheriff.
We need more movies like this .Steven Curtis Chapman
So beautiful thank you Bill Ewing
- mitchellrharl
- Jan 10, 2021
- Permalink
William R. Moses really out-did himself this time. He brings life and depth to all his parts. He's a truly believable artist. Great Smile and wonderful personality. I was pleased that he chose to do a Max Lucado story, One of my favorite stars in a movie by one of my favorite authors. What a great pair. I hope they do more stories together in the future. William brings quality to any movie or show he plays in. He has a great attitude and gives powerful performances. He is so versatile in his acting. I have seen him play heroes and villains, all done with great talent and charm. I adore William R. Moses and hope one day I would be so fortunate to meet him.
I love this story of redemption. Not a flashy Hollywood work o fiction but instead a heart warming story of forgiveness.
- auger-34098
- Dec 25, 2020
- Permalink
"Christmas Child" doesn't fit in the usual uplifting and romantic type of stories that are so popular over the Christmas holidays. But this film is quite good. It does have a sub-theme that looks at the origin and real meaning of Christmas. And that is seen through a main plot of finding family and discovery of one's roots. While it may not appeal to some people, I think this film will be very meaningful to those who have been adopted, or who have adopted children themselves or had to give up a child for adoption. That would be several million in North America alone, and as many in Europe and perhaps other areas. Most people grow up with their biological mom, or dad, or both. So, they don't ask where they came from or who their parents were. But, for those of us who have been adopted, it's quite different. It's a natural thing to wonder about who a mom or dad or parents were and to want to find out something about them.
This film treats this subject in a very good way. I rate it highly for that reason. And it would rate still higher but for one main character who is not essential to the story, and for some aspects of the script and film that are distractions, or that don't fit well or make much sense.
I won't give the story away, but will note these few points and shortcomings. William Moses gives a mostly superb portrayal of Jack Davenport. But, in the opening scenes, it's not quite clear why his relationship seems so cold with his wife, Meg, played by Megan Follows. One can't help thinking that love has gone out of their lives - that he no longer loves Meg. Jack has been grieving his adopted father's death nine months earlier, Now he is curious about his blood parents when he finds a photo and keepsake items in his dad's safety deposit box. But why should this make him is so cool toward his wife? Not once when they talk on the phone and he calls her from Texas, does he say that he loves her. Was an intentional aspect of the film - to have viewers think there was no longer love there and their marriage was falling apart? It's a further distraction that could easily have been eliminated just by Jack telling Meg at the end of one or two phone calls, that he loves her. That would further drive home the notion that something else is bothering Jack deeply.
Finally, I could see no purposes whatsoever in the character of the sheriff, Jimmy-James, played by Muse Watson. If anything, his inclusion and Jack's interplay with him act like red herrings to the story. They have nothing to do with the plot. Instead, this gives a negative drift to the film. Was it intended to portray a southern red-neck sheriff who resents a city-sicker coming to town? Especially one from up North? Because that's sure what it looks like. Now, the sheriff wasn't crass or crude or bombastic in anyway. He was rather calm and cool. But he had nothing better to do in the town than watch, pursue and nitpick with a pleasant journalist from out of town? There is one hint that Jimmy-James's harassing streak comes from jealousy. When Jack first goes into Kirby's Café to look over the pictures taken by the late Rev. Krause, and the waitress, Cindy, pays more attention to him than to Jimmy-James, the sheriff flashes an ornery look on his face.
But, again, all the incidents with the sheriff and Jack after that don't fit the story overall, and they detract more than they help the story. If anything, they paint Jack as something of a dummy. One doesn't challenge a law officer who's doing his job, however picayunish it may seem. And, the sheriff's hounding Jack makes him to look like a red-neck with nothing better to do. Everything of substance about this story could be told and more meaningfully, with the sheriff's character eliminated entirely - or changed to eliminate the disputes.
The movie was filmed in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, as the fictional town of Clearwater, Texas. The street scenes clearly show a small town of the range of 10,000 or so population. Such towns usually have a few churches, not just one community church. There is a line by Jack late in the film that refers to other churches in the town. That makes it a little odd that all the people that Jack meets in this story would be members of or attend this one church. And, for the annual Christmas Eve program at the nearly life-sized hand carved nativity scene, the gathering doesn't seem very large if the nativity scene is the pride of the community. One other small goof in the script is when Jack is invited to the celebration at Stafford's barn. He doesn't ask for directions, and the person doesn't tell him how to find it
This movie is based on a short story by Max Lucado, "The Christmas Cross." He revised it in 2003 and changed the title to "The Christmas Child: A Story of Coming Home." The film has a very good ending that fits perfectly with the themes of family and Christmas. Here are a couple of lines from the film
Dan, the helper in the church, "Christmas Eve. Special service. You plannin' on comin?" Jack Davenport, "I'll think about it." Dan, "It's a good thing God didn't think about it. He did it. He came. Now, that's somethin' to think about."
Judge, "I figure he worked 10 years carving this nativity scene."
This film treats this subject in a very good way. I rate it highly for that reason. And it would rate still higher but for one main character who is not essential to the story, and for some aspects of the script and film that are distractions, or that don't fit well or make much sense.
I won't give the story away, but will note these few points and shortcomings. William Moses gives a mostly superb portrayal of Jack Davenport. But, in the opening scenes, it's not quite clear why his relationship seems so cold with his wife, Meg, played by Megan Follows. One can't help thinking that love has gone out of their lives - that he no longer loves Meg. Jack has been grieving his adopted father's death nine months earlier, Now he is curious about his blood parents when he finds a photo and keepsake items in his dad's safety deposit box. But why should this make him is so cool toward his wife? Not once when they talk on the phone and he calls her from Texas, does he say that he loves her. Was an intentional aspect of the film - to have viewers think there was no longer love there and their marriage was falling apart? It's a further distraction that could easily have been eliminated just by Jack telling Meg at the end of one or two phone calls, that he loves her. That would further drive home the notion that something else is bothering Jack deeply.
Finally, I could see no purposes whatsoever in the character of the sheriff, Jimmy-James, played by Muse Watson. If anything, his inclusion and Jack's interplay with him act like red herrings to the story. They have nothing to do with the plot. Instead, this gives a negative drift to the film. Was it intended to portray a southern red-neck sheriff who resents a city-sicker coming to town? Especially one from up North? Because that's sure what it looks like. Now, the sheriff wasn't crass or crude or bombastic in anyway. He was rather calm and cool. But he had nothing better to do in the town than watch, pursue and nitpick with a pleasant journalist from out of town? There is one hint that Jimmy-James's harassing streak comes from jealousy. When Jack first goes into Kirby's Café to look over the pictures taken by the late Rev. Krause, and the waitress, Cindy, pays more attention to him than to Jimmy-James, the sheriff flashes an ornery look on his face.
But, again, all the incidents with the sheriff and Jack after that don't fit the story overall, and they detract more than they help the story. If anything, they paint Jack as something of a dummy. One doesn't challenge a law officer who's doing his job, however picayunish it may seem. And, the sheriff's hounding Jack makes him to look like a red-neck with nothing better to do. Everything of substance about this story could be told and more meaningfully, with the sheriff's character eliminated entirely - or changed to eliminate the disputes.
The movie was filmed in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, as the fictional town of Clearwater, Texas. The street scenes clearly show a small town of the range of 10,000 or so population. Such towns usually have a few churches, not just one community church. There is a line by Jack late in the film that refers to other churches in the town. That makes it a little odd that all the people that Jack meets in this story would be members of or attend this one church. And, for the annual Christmas Eve program at the nearly life-sized hand carved nativity scene, the gathering doesn't seem very large if the nativity scene is the pride of the community. One other small goof in the script is when Jack is invited to the celebration at Stafford's barn. He doesn't ask for directions, and the person doesn't tell him how to find it
This movie is based on a short story by Max Lucado, "The Christmas Cross." He revised it in 2003 and changed the title to "The Christmas Child: A Story of Coming Home." The film has a very good ending that fits perfectly with the themes of family and Christmas. Here are a couple of lines from the film
Dan, the helper in the church, "Christmas Eve. Special service. You plannin' on comin?" Jack Davenport, "I'll think about it." Dan, "It's a good thing God didn't think about it. He did it. He came. Now, that's somethin' to think about."
Judge, "I figure he worked 10 years carving this nativity scene."
A good friend bought me this film on DVD. While not being one I had heard of, watched it out of curiosity and turned out to be quite a surprise. It didn't particularly sound like much but with a story by prolific writer Max Lucado thought it might have something to offer. Then there was the Director William Ewing, a big production directorial honcho at Sony Pictures with a string of massive hits under his name. Ewing, gave up the fame and fortune to start his own not-for-profit production company! An admirable move indeed.
As soon as this film began the production values were obvious, cinematography by Spanish born Fernando Arguellies offering highly stylised visuals, fetchingly compiled music score and strong performances from a varied professional cast - telling the story of an adopted big city journalist searching for a connection to his past history. His search begins with only a mysterious photograph left to him by his recently departed adoptive father.
The adapted screenplay may have omitted some details from the original story or there may have been post production cuts (?) as there are a couple of odd situations (and characters) that transpire during his search - leaving some things a little up in the air. But the story was intriguing enough to keep the viewer interested, and apart from the odd bits it was highly entertaining (maybe it needs a second viewing to sort out some fine details, occasionally stories can be like that?). If wanting a rest from the endless comic book superheroes, car chases, and explosions, this thoughtful film is a refreshing contender.
As soon as this film began the production values were obvious, cinematography by Spanish born Fernando Arguellies offering highly stylised visuals, fetchingly compiled music score and strong performances from a varied professional cast - telling the story of an adopted big city journalist searching for a connection to his past history. His search begins with only a mysterious photograph left to him by his recently departed adoptive father.
The adapted screenplay may have omitted some details from the original story or there may have been post production cuts (?) as there are a couple of odd situations (and characters) that transpire during his search - leaving some things a little up in the air. But the story was intriguing enough to keep the viewer interested, and apart from the odd bits it was highly entertaining (maybe it needs a second viewing to sort out some fine details, occasionally stories can be like that?). If wanting a rest from the endless comic book superheroes, car chases, and explosions, this thoughtful film is a refreshing contender.