Customer Reviews

The 12 Days of Christmas Eve

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The 12 Days of Christmas is one of those rather innane made-for-tv Christmas movies that crop up every holiday season. I believe this was a USA network picture as I recall. The movie basically borrows elements from Groundhog Day, It's A Wonderful Life, and Scrooge to arrive at its story. Steven Weber, a fairly likable actor plays Calvin a business owner who has taken the family store and built it into a national chain. But this has of course hurt him in his personal life leading to his marriage disolving and alienating his son and brother.

Calvin has an accident and wakes up to find that he's essentially dead...He's meets Nurse Angie who is his guardian Angel and he is told, ala Scrooge that he has 12 days to set things right with the rest of his family and his life...or else. Shannon provides most of the laughs in her own usual manic way, basically hammering Calvin over the head on what he has to do. And of course in the end we have Calvin discovering the true meaning of Christmas and he sets things right with his family. The performances were very good it's just too bad there wasn't more of an original story for them to work with.

This was a wonderful movie. Not only was it heartwarming but it illustrated a gospel point better than any other movie I have ever seen. Jesus said "You must lose your life to save it." and this is the lesson Calvin learns. When he stops trying to manipulate the situation and just does what is right (another gospel point), he abandons himself to just enjoying the time he has with his family. Noboby ever lies on their death bed and says "gee I wish I had taken my family business public!" or "nice family, but I'm really bummed about that business failing 30 years back." Watch this movie and get your priorities straight.

A cute modernized "remake" (or rip-off) of ITS A WONDERFUL LIFE.
Weber makes the film.
Of course he really wasn't such a bad guy to start with which throws the story a little out of whack... heck, he saved the family business from Chapter 11 and made it a success so the whole family is now financially secure.... cut the guy some slack!!

We watched this the same day as the Pitt/Jolie movie MR AND MRS SMITH and actually enjoyed this one a bit more.

I watched this movie expecting to be bored as I have been by other movies where the same day played over and over. I was surprised that this movie didn't bore me, but instead left me anxious to see what would happen next. The guy, played by Steven Weber, thinks he has just experienced this best Christmas Eve of his life because of a great business deal. He has 12 chances to realize what a "best Christmas" really is, and he must figure it out for himself with no hints from his nurse/angel, or it will actually be his last Christmas Eve.

Coming up with new ideas for Christmas movies must be a hard task for movie producers. This charming little holiday nugget combines the reliving the same day elements from GROUNDHOG DAY with the perennial tale of Ebenezer Scrooge as a man given a chance to make his life correct.
In this version, Steven Weber is quite good as Clarence Klein, a corporate exec who opts to spend Christmas Eve courting the head of a South American company interested in his stores, The Buck Stops Here. Patricia Valesquez is charming in this role and adds some love interest (?) as well. After a succesful day with Velasquez, while missing his son's Christmas concert and using a reservation for a fancy restaurant from his current squeeze, Klein is killed when the huge pointing finger logo sign crushes him. He ends up in the hands of angel/Angie Molly Shannon who informs him he has 12 chances to make things right.
Weber tries everything from working in a soup kitchen to giving away 1.2 million dollars to try and earn a new chance but of course it takes him the full twelve days and eleven more deaths to see the light.
Weber's charming performance and Shannon's acerbic turn spark the movie and make it a delightful holiday movie.

I returned this movie. Being a Christmas movie fan, I could see no need to retain this in my home. The main reason - the producers found it necessary to include in one of the Christmas Eve's a portion of the main character being extremely self-absorbed -- he buys everything he wants, treats people anyway he wants -- which OK is what self-absorbed people do, however, I didn't need the scene where he has self-fulfilling sex with his girlfriend. The whole bed scene could have been eliminated, even if the producers alluded to it.

At best, the acting was B-rated.

This movie is done with an excellent sense of humor but also has a good Christmas message included. I loved it and will watch it every year!

Really, the main character has to repeat this day of dying many, many times before he gets it right! It is way too much like Ground Hog day but less funny. The crudeness and unbelievableness makes this a two star movie. I don't recommend it as a family movie.

My husband and I enjoy this with our annual Christmas DVD viewings. This is such an unusual and fun seasonal gift.

This movie is probably one of the lesser known movies about Christmas, but it is very good and always amongst the first that I watch at Christmastime. I would recommend this movie primarily for adults. It has a good moral, in that in the end - the wrongs are righted and good triumphs over evil.