Filipe Neto I decided to watch this movie on Christmas day afternoon with my family. I knew almost nothing about it but the title caught my eye... a movie about Christmas to watch on Christmas. Makes sense.The script mixes the dreams and problems of three people: a middle-aged lady who dreams of her mother, Alzheimer's in a vegetative state, getting better enough to talk to her; a girl who dreams of solving her problems with her jealous fiance and, finally, this same fiance, who lives being pestered by a man who believes that he's the reincarnation of his deceased wife, of whom he didn't had time to apologize for a fight. Dreams, the yearnings of several people winding down on Christmas Eve... we've seen things like this in several movies before and this one doesn't bring anything new. What's interesting is to see so many familiar faces together in a movie that's not well known.Penelope Cruz and Paul Walker gave life to the protagonists. She, of course, is a hot-tempered Latina and he's a man in love but jealous. Both are beautiful, played very well, and their chemistry worked in the romantic scenes. Susan Sarandon made a more complex character, full of deep psychological shadows and obvious difficulty in relating to people. In a way, she made this film deeper and emotive, prevented it from being dominated by the main couple. Alan Arkin and Robbin Williams made relatively brief appearances, but important for the script's unfolding. Of course, Williams was impeccable and Arkin made a lot of pain in his character, making us have some compassion for him.Looking further, I understand the reason this movie never took off. If we exclude the star-cast and their good performance, we have virtually nothing here. It's just one of those movies we've watched and forget, so it will surely fall by the wayside... well, it was released in 2004, we're now starting 2018... looking back, does anyone remember this movie? I have my doubts. Still, if you're tired of watching always the same movies at Christmas ("Home Alone", "Sound of Music" or those eternal biblical epics released fifty years ago) and you're simply looking to surprise your family with something that none of them still saw, this movie might be a good bet for the Christmas holiday.

KathND80 I like a good sentimental holiday movie, but this one dragged on and did not interest anyone in the room. The rest of the family asked why I recorded it. Characters were hollow and poorly developed. While many cast members were great actors, the material left them with little to work with and their acting talent was not evident from this film. Plot lines were forced and incomplete. It felt like they just ran out of time and ended things. What was the deal with the guy in the ER? Did his resolution get edited out? When the movie was finally done we were left with the feeling of "what just happened her?" Was the angel figure theme supposed to mean anything? Just confusing. Does this want to be Love Actually? It's not.With so many holiday movies to choose from, I'd recommend moving on to another one. Want a sappy holiday movie - try Remember the Night or Christmas in Connecticut.

SnoopyStyle It's Christmas in NYC. Divorced publisher Rose Collins (Susan Sarandon) struggles to survive the loneliness of the holidays. Her mother is in hospice with Alzheimers. She goes on a date with the much younger Marco from the office. Mike (Paul Walker) is a cop who is battling jealousy over his girlfriend Nina (Penélope Cruz). Mike is stalked by kindly and possibly delusional waiter Artie Venzuela (Alan Arkin). Jules (Marcus Thomas) has a plan to hurt himself so that he can attend the Christmas party at the hospital to relive his best Christmas as a kid.Screenwriter David Hubbard doesn't have much to his credit and Chazz Palminteri is not known as a director. They are able to gather some great actors but the various stories don't pull me in. Sarandon is somewhat interesting but I don't find the other stories that compelling. Paul Walker really bugged me. The movie moves very slowly. I feel a lot like Mike impatiently waiting for Artie's explanation. Strange or unlikely things keep happening that throws me for a loop. Loneliness at the holidays is an interesting theme but I'm not thrilled with this movie.

bbewnylorac A curious little film that I received from a magazine DVD giveaway (!) and that I watched in December on a quiet night. It has an excellent cast, great cinematography and a sincere script. Things I liked include the banter between the two cop partners; Penelope Cruz's acting; and an intelligent Susan Sarandon in just about every scene. The problem is that it is a little too sweet. There are some very dark themes -- the death of a baby; a jealous husband's violence leading to death; and a young man so distressed he badly injures himself. Yet the audience doesn't witness these horrible things; they're all just described to us. You get the sense that all the loose ends will be tied up, and the film has quite a gentle pace. But it is obviously a movie made with love, and the cast give it their all. And there are some great ideas and some really lovely scenes, such as Sarandon gatecrashing a party and longing to belong to a big family.