A SEASON FOR MIRACLES

REVIEWED BY RISSI C.

Our rating: 4 out of 5

Because of: thematic elements

Rated:

There are angels everywhere.

Christmas has never been a priority for Alana “Lani” (Mae Whitman) and J.T. (Evan Sabara) Thompson. Their mom Berry (Laura Dern) has been in and out of jail and has a drug and alcohol problem. Their aunt, Emily Thompson (Carla Gugino) has dropped everything and given everything she has one time too many and now she is at her wit’s end; they have been locked out of the apartment due to her sister not paying the rent. While visiting Berry, a social worker (Kathy Baker) wants to take the kids and place them in foster care while Emily works to provide a stable home. Not wanting them to end up in the system, Emily does the only thing she can; they leave.

After hours of driving they come to the quaint small town of Bethlehem. Stopping at a diner to get some directions and food, the waitress tells them to check out an old Victorian house that has been empty for years. Finding a key, Emily decides to use it for the night. Before they can get on the road the next morning the neighbors have assumed Emily is the heir to the estate. As the ruse goes farther and the small town welcomes them, Emily Lani and J.T find that “anything is possible, if you just believe” and miracles are out there; this season is their miracle. Every year around Christmas CBS will air a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie that has something to do with Christmas. This film is one of the better stories in the series. It’s not your usual light and carefree tale, but has a serious and emotional side to it. The Thompson kids have been through a lot of upsetting turmoil for a six and eleven-year-old. J.T. doesn’t even speak except to his sister and Lani puts up a front of toughness, until time spent with the people of Bethlehem start to break through and she slowly comes to open up and begins to trust.

Emily has given up her life to help the kids and both her and her sister grew up in the foster care system. Because of that she is willing to do anything to keep them from being turned over to social services. There was a wonderful Christian underlying theme. Angels are brought in, there is talk about “the angel statue” and Lani finds it particularly captivating, while another character appears to be heavenly. She appears at different times and looks different every time, she appears most when needed and is always giving helpful advice. When talking with a man, she tells him to forgive a woman who has wronged him, implying that forgiveness has the power to change the world. I found this brief scene very special and that one line struck me as very profound. The characters were well developed in this too. The cast impressed me. Both of the kids were excellent, David Conrad plays a Chicago born cop so wonderfully it made me believe in him, and it was great to see Carla Cugino in a clean and sweet tale other than her usual dark drama.

While in Bethlehem, Emily meets Nathan Blair (David Conrad) a police officer who she falls for. When telling Nathan that she plans to leave in two weeks, he asks why and then encourages her to pursue the relationship, because then at least they have two weeks. This is both unrealistic and unwise, as it will be even more painful when the time comes for them to part, but he does it in hopes of persuading them to stay. There is nothing particularly astounding about the film. It was made to entertain, something it does very well for an hour and a half. There are some mature thematic elements. Emily lies about her life and her relation to the kids in order to keep them safe. She lets everyone believe she is the missing niece and heir to the house and asks the kids to help keep up the farce. Some talk revolves around Berry’s drug use. Alana and J.T. have two different fathers and Berry wasn’t married to either one. Near the end of the movie, a man tells a woman she can live with him. Lani steals various things due to her mother’s negative influence. Berry tells Lani to inform a man who gives her drugs where she is.

This is one of my favorite tales to watch every season; it’s not the average feel good piece of fluff, but more of a deeper tale that still manages to be a bright light to sit down and view with loved ones. It’s touching on more than one level; neither Alana nor J.T. even know what a wreath is and when Nathan comes to bring them an ornament, they also question it, in a sweet scene. Emily struggles to give them one holiday that they can experience normal festivities, while trying not to hurt anyone. By the final moments we have come to believe in these characters lives and certainly want them to have their own miracle in A Season for Miracles.