lady-leverage
Only mild spoilers.One of the best holiday films I have seen in years, it is sure to pull at your heart strings with excellent performances by all cast. It is as beautiful as the paintings of the artist whose story it is telling a must see in my opinion. Padalecki shines as a young Kinkade and conveys emotions that are spot on for every scene. Peter O Tool will make you laugh and cry in his portrayal of Glen the famous painter who inspired the work of Kinkade as he struggles to finish just one last painting. If you chose not to see this film then mark my words you are missing out on a beautiful piece of cinema. Its a classic and one of my favorites, I even pulled it out this past July and I am not usually one of those Christmas in summer types.
dennis
This movie moves slowly. This is a VERY different type of thing. Sometimes I am in the mood for a slow-mover (so, this one rises to the top of the list). Also, there are no "kookie" gimmicks used to fill-it-out. These things, alone, make this a special viewing.Beyond that, I enjoyed Peter O'Toole's role (dying inside because of his wife's death, looking for inspiration to paint again). Add to that, a familiar cast of faces, including: Ed Asner as a bright (but subdued) role of an art dealer. Chris Elliott also stands out as the large-ego'd mayor of PlacervilleShake, and pour into a tall glass. In the world of Christmas movies with $12 scripts, this one stands out.
manxman-1
The overload of sugar in this movie would kill a truckload of diabetics. Dreadful, dreadful dialog that would make the regular viewer cringe with embarrassment. Watching the hugely talented Peter O'Toole in this movie makes one hope that he never has to watch this or ever again have to descend to this level to make a living. For this particular viewer, the only thought that went through my mind was, please somebody hand me a fork so I can stick it in my eyes. This is a movie made for old ladies who live alone with a houseful of cats. If Thomas Kinkade has a story to tell, then he needs a much more gifted writer to bring it to fruition. This is a movie that would reduce even the most sympathetic of souls to batter their head on the coffee table in utter despair. Watching Peter O'Toole, who does everything but wear a sandwich board saying, "My character is going to die very soon", one prays that he will just peg out so that one will no longer have to observe the depths to which he has sunk in acting in this tripe. A definite miss.
sycorax
There was a reason why I bought this movie: Peter O'Toole. He's one of the greatest actors of our time and normally he's able even to make something out of a lousy script. However, in the case of "Thomas Kinkade's Home for Christmas" even Peter O'Toole can't save the movie. He gives a good performance, but every time he opens his mouth I was cringing because of the cheesiness of what he had to say. His character is pure cliché, but at least he isn't alone with that. All of the characters in the movie behave like something out of a kitschy novel and everything they do and say is absolutely predictable. We have the loving, caring mother who's a victim to circumstances, but nevertheless tries not burdening her sons; we have the sons who're as good, loving and boring as if they were cousins of the Waltons; we have the noisy neighbor; the irresponsible father (but he's having his heart on the right place because otherwise we wouldn't understand how Mommie dear could ever love him) and of course the wonderful, old mentor who feels inspired by the energy and adoration of the youngster. Besides the entire movie looks like a Kinkade painting - sweet, kitschy and overdone. I actually like "feel good" movies, but this isn't one for feeling good, but for feeling overfeed on sugar!
AD
