Customer Reviews

An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving is one of Hallmark's better holiday movies. Not as "sweet" and predictable as most Hallmark movies; this one has some "bite" to it, and that makes it believable. All of the actors are excellent, giving their characters depth--even the youngest boy is very, very good. As always, Jacqueline Bisset is a pleasure to watch--she is always so compelling in any of her roles. To be believable as a grandmother is a feat in itself, for she doesn't seem old enough even now.
Having never read the Alcott story this is taken from, I have no idea how closely it stays to the short story, but it is a fine movie on its own. I definitely give it 5 stars!

This is a great Thanksgiving movie. It reinforces the messages of the holiday--being grateful for what we have, not forgetting those who have helped us along the way, helping those less fortunate even when we don't have much to share, forgiving those who have wronged us, and being sorry and trying to make reparations for the wrongs we have done.
The main characters are strong in their performances and even though the ending may not come as a great surprise, there are twists along the way.
The dominant theme is the seemingly life-long strain between a mother and her adult daughter. Throw in a little romance, a disapproving neighbor, sisterly jealousy, a scandalous past, poverty, scarlet fever, and a rambunctious little boy, all woven around the Thanksgiving season and you have a story that will hold your interest.
In one scene the young widow accuses her mother of having married her father (who was quite a bit older) for his money and only had a child (herself) so that his older children from a previous marriage could not contest the will. This is said in anger in front of other people and is the only thing I can think of that may bother anyone. There is no foul language, or suggestive material. Overall a good family movie.

This Holiday film is based upon Louisa Mae Alcott's book of the same title. It is set in New Hampshire shortly post Civil War and follows a young widowed mother's determination to carry on with the rearing of her three children in spite of the hardships that come about as a result of the loss of their father in the War. Things look pretty bleak nearing the Thanksgiving Holiday and the children, wishing to have a nice Thanksgiving Day dinner for their mom decide, without their mothers knowledge, to turn to their heretofore estranged but wealthy Grandmother for help in making their wish come true. Not to give away the pretty predictable plot or ending, suffice it to say that there are plenty of unexpected surprises for everyone along the way. Not one of Jacqueline Bissett's better known films but her acting is passable as the young widowed mom.

There are not many Thanksgiving movies around, so this is a good one to add to your holiday collection. The pace of the story is a bit slow, but it does not detract from the film. It has a good message to it - especially for the Thanksgiving holiday. Jacquline Bissett is very good in this movie. The young lady who plays the main character (I don't know her name) is a very likeable character as she tries to heal the rift in her family.

Thanksgiving seems to get lost between Halloween and Christmas, so it will be nice to have this on DVD to help keep the holiday important to my family.

If the price of this DVD stays at $23.00 upon release, it is a bit pricey (which is why I gave it four stars). If it is priced lower, consider this a five star review.

We sat down to watch this for a family movie night and I have to say we were a little let down. It has a good story line...but it drags along and is really slow. My 9 year old was lost at times and my 12 year old asked to leave about halfway through. The acting was well done, though.

This is one of my all-time favorite holiday movies. I originally watched it on the Hallmark channel and had to get it. My niece loves it too, so we're planning on making it a family tradition to watch together. Beautiful period costumes and very heart-felt story. And Jacqueline Bisset still looks great after all these years : )

From the stunning opening shots of snow in New Hampshire, I was hooked. I had not heard of this story by Louisa May Alcott, and if you are a fan of Little Women, I can only predict that you will be thrilled to find this movie. The acting is excellent, particularly the young lady who plays Tilly, and Jacqueline Bisset of course dominates the screen every time she appears. Like Little Women, there is sorrow mixed in with the joy. I imagine younger children will find it slow going, but I was mesmerized. Two caveats - the sound quality is not always the best, and some lines are hard to understand. Also there were a couple of times when I didn't quite understand what was going on, including the very beginning. I did figure it out eventually, and it did not detract from my enjoyment of the movie. It feels very authentic, and I look forward to watching it every year as a Thanksgiving tradition.

Movie okay. You can watch it on youtube or somewhere else online, so I would save some money and not bother buying it. But since I did buy it without knowing you can watch it for free, I can say that this movie is family friendly and interesting. Good for thanksgiving. We are Christians and there is just one part that bothered me personally. It is when the girl was talking to the statue and in the movie they portrayed it like she was praying to it. At least thats how it came across to me. Anyhow, its not such a big deal and the movie has some good values.

This is a wonderful family movie. I really love this movie. If you love period movies in the realm of little women, this is the movie for you. It is about a single mother struggling to provide for her family after her husband has died and her relationship with her estranged wealthy mother that never approved of her marriage. They are brought together again by a daughter/grandaughter in a desperate attempt to help her family that doesn't know or understand the history between her mother and grandmother. The story is a wonderful story of love and reconciliation and hope. This is a movie for all ages.

saw this movie on tv, hallmark in 2008. ordered the dvd for 2009 holiday season. the dvd transfer is of good quality and the movie itself not disappointing.