81 of 83 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful Holiday Movie, December 24, 2002
This review is from: Unlikely Angel (DVD)
Dolly Parton plays Ruby Diamond in this touching Christmas story. Ruby meets an untimely death, and before entering heaven wants to become an angel. She is sent back to earth on a mission, and if she succeeds she will get her wings. She has to complete a mission before midnight on Christmas Eve. Ruby is now a nanny for a dysfunctional family who is trying to cope after the death of the mother in the family. The family is disconnected, the father a workaholic and the two children feeling distanced. Ruby helps the family realize they need each other, and need to stick together. Overall it is a wonderful holiday movie that will warm your heart. Dolly sings some wonderful songs too. Overall a well written movie, and Dolly is excellent in it. Add this one to your collection, it will brighten any Christmas.
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25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A wonderful holiday movie that touches the heart and spirit!, December 1, 1999
This review is from: Unlikely Angel (DVD)
A wonderful holiday movie about a woman played by Dolly Parton who has an untimely death and must complete a good deed on earth to enter the gates of heaven. Unknowingly to her her good deed is to help a workaholic father realize that the most important thing is his family and that spending time with them on Christmas will bring the family closer together. Dolly is aided on her good deed journey by the late great Roddy McDowell who plays St. Peter who guides her and tells her what to do to complete her mission. I think the songs are great as well. A must see family fare!
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27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
not just for Dolly fans, September 13, 2005
It would be a shame if only Dolly Parton fans saw this movie. They will like it, of course, but anyone who likes wholesome family feel-good movies will like it too. Dolly has one week to bring a hurt and alienated family back together again, and this father, son and daughter are a challenge even to a good-hearted infectious spirit like Dolly. The set-backs are believable, and how she finally does it is believable.
I wish I could give the movie a perfect score, and the rest of the movie is so good, it almost deserves it. But if you're NOT a fan, the first scene is likely to dampen your response to most of the rest of the movie (until you realize that the rest of the movie is not at all like the first scene). I urge you to skip this scene on your first viewing. The story does not start until scene 2 anyway, so you're not missing any story. On the Image DVD, you can just start with track 2. If you don't, you'll feel that this is a three-star movie and you'll be sure that your friendly reviewer is totally besotted to think that merely cutting the first scene would make any difference.
The end too is regretable--not the end of the story, that ends beautifully and credibly. But the movie doesn't stop. It keeps going, and the audience is treated to a rock-country version of (I'm afraid to say it) the Hallelujah Chorus. Now, this may be some viewers' cup of beer, but others will throw up. So, depending on your taste, stop the movie when the story is wrapped up. Don't sour your experience by sitting through that musical atrocity.
If you make these two cuts, you'll be giving this movie 5-plus stars and wondering what is wrong with your friendly reviewer that he couldn't see it that way. And one final tip: if you like this type of story, check out Little House on the Prairie Christmas edition, Mary Christmas, and I'll Be Home for Christmas(1997). And if you read books, try A Thanksgiving Miracle. Other movies and books of this type, I'm sure you're already familiar with.
If you're a student of film or a screenwriter, watch the movie both ways (with the cuts and without) to discover the enormous effects that a bad scene can have on the REST OF the movie. It will astound you!
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