Product Details

• Actors: Mary Steenburgen, Gary Basaraba, Harry Dean Stanton, Arthur Hill, Elisabeth Harnois
• Directors: Phillip Borsos
• Writers: Phillip Borsos, Barry Healey, Thomas Meehan
• Producers: Phillip Borsos, Fred Roos, Michael MacDonald, Peter O'Brian
• Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: G (General Audience)
• Studio: Walt Disney Video
• DVD Release Date: September 7, 2004
• Run Time: 88 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (96 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0001I55YM
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,956 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #14 in	Movies & TV > Art House & International > By Country > Canada
  #72 in	Movies & TV > Kids & Family > Drama

• For more information about "One Magic Christmas" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Grab an econo-pack of tissues, gather your loved ones around a cozy television, and bring on the hot cocoa--it's time for a dose of Christmas spirit. The tender and charming Mary Steenburgen (Parenthood) dons a sour disposition in her role as Ginny Grainger, a woman who finds little joy in life lately--let alone in the impending holiday season. Money is tight, her husband (beautifully downplayed by nice-guy Gary Basaraba) lost his job, and the family must move out of their house. Ginny cannot even bring herself to say, "Merry Christmas," despite her family's enthusiasm about the big day. With help from Ginny's brave and loving daughter (sweetly performed by Elisabeth Harnois) and a Christmas angel named Gideon (Harry Dean Stanton), Ginny undergoes a life-altering experience à la It's a Wonderful Life. The result? Happy endings, hugs and kisses, pass the tissues.

Not a light holiday entertainer by any means, the plot verges on depressing at times, as the family struggles through money issues and the tedium of daily suburban survival. While handled fairly subtly, some of the bridging story--including a shooting, a kidnapping, and a drowning--might prove disturbing to children under 6 years old. And really: if the somber Harry Dean Stanton (Paris, Texas) repeatedly appeared in your neighborhood, cloaked in a cowboy hat and overcoat, would you allow your kids outside? Still, a well-made favorite to cherish. --Liane Thomas

Product Description

Award-winning actress Mary Steenburgen (TV's JOAN OF ARCADIA, HOPE SPRINGS) gives a solid performance as Ginny Grainger, a young mother who rediscovers the joy and beauty of Christmas, thanks to the unshakable faith of her six-year-old daughter Abbie (Elizabeth Harnois) and Gideon (Harry Dean Stanton), Ginny's very own guardian angel. Ginny's wondrous experience will touch your heart and warm your soul in the timeless tradition of past Disney favorites. ONE MAGIC CHRISTMAS fulfills all your most treasured Christmas fantasies. Share it with those you love.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars OVERLOOKED Christmas Classic now on DVD !!!!, October 23, 2001

By	forrie (Nashua, NH United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: One Magic Christmas (DVD)

This is a great OVERLOOKED CLASSIC movie to watch all year round especially during the holiday season. Now available on DVD in a WideScreen format!!
One Magic Christmas is a classic story about a struggling family who lost the Holiday Spirit and the mother the belief of "Merry Christmas". Through some hair raising events they regain their faith and belief in themselves and others.
In Summary: A Christmas Angel (Harry Dean Stanton) is sent to help a family re-discover the "Spirit of Christmas". The Angel uses the daughter (you'll love this 7 year old, Elisabeth Harnois - the cutest girl with the most adorable blue eyes) to help restore her mother's (Mary Steenbergen) lost Christmas Spirit and belief in "MERRY CHRISTMAS".
Through some tough choices & lessons the mother has her faith in her fellow man, family and the Christmas Spirit restored.
The Angel and the daughter's beliefs guide us through the events and we even get a trip to the "North Pole and see Mr & Mrs Santa Claus!!!! With the comfort and protection of the Christmas Angel our journey is both eye opening and satisfying.
A Christmas Classic to add to your DVD holiday collection.
This is "ONE MAGIC CHRISTMAS" you won't forget!!!!!!!

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Message on One Front, December 7, 2001

By	KittyKins "KittyKins" - See all my reviews

This review is from: One Magic Christmas [VHS] (VHS Tape)

One of those depressing Christmas flicks with a happy ending, this truly family movie has a good message about remembering what is really important in life. The main character, Ginny, is caught up in her her own problems and worries. She has lost her Christmas spirit and has forgotten how important her loved ones are to her. On a cautionary note, this film is different from other movies such as "It's a Wonderful Life" and "The Preacher's Wife" in that the angel seems to be a representative of Santa Claus, setting up good 'ol St. Nick to be a God-like figure. When tragedy strikes the family (not too much detail here so as not to spoil the movie if you haven't seen it yet) the angel takes Ginny's young daughter to Santa Claus. He tells her he can't solve her problem, but that her mother has the power to do it herself. The turning point in the movie left me wondering how it exactly happened, but it is a movie with a supernatural theme so this is part of the charm. Good acting by all the cast. A movie that the whole family can enjoy.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite Christmas movie of all time., December 21, 2005

By	Marc Dalesandro (Dartmouth, Nova Scotia Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

"One Magic Christmas" is a true classic, an underappreciated gem of a movie whose reputation will only grow as time passes and those of us who grew up watching it gain influence over popular culture.

Forget "It's a Wonderful Life" and the rest. This is the best Christmas movie ever made.

Mary Steenburgen turns in the performance of her career as Ginny Granger, a woman who's lost not only the Christmas spirit but also her very soul amid financial problems, family issues, and the pressures of modern life. Its up to Christmas angel Gideon (Harry Dean Stanton), Santa Claus, and Ginny's own children to help her recover what she has lost.

The movie's plot is certainly dark, and a box of kleenex may be necessary for some scenes. The writing is superb and the acting first-rate throughout.

The alternate-reality loop (from when the lights go out to until the lights go back on) is a fairly unique device in mainstream Hollywood films (especially Disney ones).

Despite the rather dour situation the Granger family finds themselves in during most of the film, their series of unfortunate events has a very heartwarming - even triumphant - ending. And just when you think it's going to wrap up, the film gives you one more treat - as Ginny gets a glimpse of a very special Christmas visitor.

This movie is well worth the price. Order it today and experience what I believe is the best holdiay picture out there. Five stars!