Christmas Child (2004)

Such a frustrating disappointment

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

I really wish I'd bailed on this film after the first 30 minutes.So we start with a very unhappy marriage -- with a workaholic protagonist -- and end with an unsatisfying and unconvincing resolution. (If the protagonist is meant to be transformed/reborn at the end, shouldn't he at least show a little emotion?)Another reviewer mentioned having to pay attention and perhaps my concentration lapsed a little, but I did wonder at one point whether there was a "Christmas miracle" that saw a wooden baby from a Nativity scene transmogrify into a flesh-and-blood baby. (That, at least, might have explained the wooden performance.)And while I thought the Judge's motivation was reasonably clear, I never understood the Sheriff's. It seemed like the Sheriff was there as a plot device to throw the protagonist together with the Judge (i.e. by slashing his tyres).I suspect the blame lies at the door of a poor script and poor casting, esp. of the protagonist.

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.

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.

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.