Michael Thompson My Summary is the best I could do without giving the ending away, but the ending spoils this movie completely as far as my wife and I were concerned.On the face of it this movie starts off very nicely, with an elderly well off older man wanting to find female companionship for Christmas, with no ties.You will go into this film waiting for the usual romantic ending, so you will be disappointed.I'm not giving away the ending, so watch this film at your leisure, but be ready for the ending, it's changes the entire movie's concept, for want of a better word.Don't get me wrong, the verbal exchanges, the nervousness, the maturity between the two are very evident, are played well.But the ending ruins what could have been a mature romantic story.I don't know how to end this review, so ill leave it there.

jeromec-2 Of all the holidays in the year that is seriously celebrated in the United States and Canada, likely Christmas is the most family orientated, especially in Canada.Widows, widowers, students, those without any family, can have a pretty miserable December -- especially if they've had closeness in the past.Jason Robarts, always gritty, usually charming, sometimes humorous and dryly witty, plays a retired architect (John Tanner) who has lost his wife just 10 months ago. He wants to celebrate his traditional Christmas: i.e. by going up to a remote cabin with his son and later on his daughter in law and grandchildren children along with his deceased wife. This year, since there was only Robarts, his family tries to persuade him to come to them. He does not like the idea: he wants the cabin, snow and what he has always done.He goes to a dating agency and explains what he wants: One thing is certain, he does not want sex. The agency owner agrees to set up a Christmas weekend with a woman – the only one available, he claims.That is how, on Christmas Eve, after meeting her at a city transit turnaround, he takes Iris (Julie Harris) to his cabin. She sets the condition on the weekend that he must ask her no personal questions of her.What follows is a series of scenes that documents John Tanner's loneliness, his charm, and his real need to fill some hollowness left by the death of his wife. It makes Iris very uncomfortable. She is likely uncomfortable with the opulence, with his charm, with his total dedication to his memories of what he had. She senses the deep love she and his wife shared, and it makes her feel like a stranger in a house haunted by his memories.She is also made very uncomfortable by the fact that until the end he has made no play for anything more than the weekend, he desperately wants what he had. Many people who lose a mate and had successful marriages seek what they had in someone else.Her reasons for that latter discomfort and the explanation of why she will permit no personal questions constitute a spoiler, and so will not be pursued here.This movie addresses a largely unaddressed problem at Christmas time. It addresses how lonely people can be. It addresses common decency. It looks at those who were so much in love over a long period of time that they were not afraid to share their qualities with someone else. It is not about redemption as in Scrooge. It is not about unique human value as in It's a Wonderful Life. It is just about the best that ordinary humans have to offer one another. It is easily worth marks above 8.

Dale Steenhoven This short drama was satisfying to watch even though there wasn't much action. It was almost like a two-person play. Get yourself a cup of hot chocolate, relax and enjoy.It is a surprisingly good drama for a lazy, frosty, Christmas-season evening. It's well-acted, well-written, and well-crafted -- definitely sentimental, but without being fluffy or soppy. The cast is led by veteran acting greats Jason Robards and Julie Harris, which in itself should make the movie worth a consideration. Robards portrays John Tanner, a recent widower (10 months) who doesn't quite know what to do with the changes imposed upon his life. He spends Thanksgiving in a diner, reading a book, and when the annual family trip to the cabin for Christmas is jeopardized (his son and family want them to visit their house), he attempts to rescue his traditions in a radical way: he finds an escort service, makes it very clear that there will be separate bedrooms, and "hires" a woman to be his companion and spend the Christmas weekend with him. Julie Harris is the sad, perceptive, and mysterious woman, Iris, who agrees to be his "Christmas wife" - but does not want any questions asked about herself.Tanner turns out to be quite hospitable. He cooks (a candlelight dinner, nevertheless), trims a tree, and even brings a gift for his new friend, and himself, to exchange on Christmas day. It's sad that he doesn't believe in an afterlife, as the Lord Jesus Christ, the God of all comfort, died for our sins, was buried, and rose again so we could have forgiveness of sins, an eternal home in heaven, a taste of Heaven on this earth, and help for all of our problems.This is a quality "G" movie. I enjoyed watching it with my wife (you never know how long you'll have them), and she thought it was good. Adults who have some experience with age or loneliness may discover a tale striking quite a responsive chord.

ac6457 A muted film for the mature. Not a "pretty" film, nor is it sugar-coated with a "Hollywood" ending. Instead, to get the most out of this film, one must have lived, suffered, and know deep loss. Somehow, out of this accumulated life experience, the mature viewer comes away nodding at the film's many truths. My wife and I nodded in agreement and understanding with the characters' well-crafted lines, awkward silences, and moments of discovery. We loved "The Christmas Wife." And yet we can understand those who did not enjoy this film. Perhaps they were looking to be entertained rather than to be challenged or reminded that life can be full of surprises, no matter how old one becomes. There was an air of genuine pathos as the film began, yet, at the end, one came away amused, stimulated, and wondering what the protagonist would encounter as he moved on in life after loss.