Christmas Do-Over (2006) (TV)

User Rating:

5.3/10   

Director:

Catherine Cyran

Writers (WGA):

Trevor Reed Cristow (written by) &
Jacqueline David (written by)

Release Date:

16 December 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Family | Fantasy

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

Holiday | Christmas | Divorce

Cast

Jay Mohr	...	Kevin
Daphne Zuniga	...	Jill
David Millbern	...	Todd
Adrienne Barbeau	...	Trudi
Tim Thomerson	...	Arthur
Logan Grove	...	Ben
Ruta Lee	...	Granny Conlon
Nathan Webnar	...	Short Man
Christopher Brown	...	Little Boy
Blaine Ross	...	Little Boy's Father
Zach Cumer	...	Kid on the Street
Michael J. Gaeta	...	Santa
Jack Axelrod	...	Elderly Neighbor
Jacob Chambers	...	Jesus Henderson
Sonia Izzolena	...	Mary Henderson (as Sonia McDancer)

Also Known As:

Christmas Every Day (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for rude and suggestive humor, and language.

Runtime:

USA:90 min (DVD)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | English

Color:

Color | Color (HDCAM)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Certification:

USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Company:

ABC Family

To the makers of Groundhog Day: Call your lawyers!

I was not about to say "Groundhog Day for Christmas," as one poster has noted that the "do-over" concept has been done before. I recall a short dramatic piece called 12:01 PM that was later turned into a film that was quite good. However, when you take a concept from another comedy film and almost plagiarize the thing, we need to talk.

This brings us to the abysmal "Christmas Do-Over." I don't normally review TV movies, but the whole thing was appalling. Jay Mohr plays a divorced father spending Christmas with his former in laws. Jay Mohr has a cynical view towards Christmas, contempt for his ex-wife's new boyfriend, and is not the most successful father. He starts to repeat Christmas over and over and comedy supposedly ensues.

This is where the film gets very uncreative, delivering events that are like Groundhog Day hand me downs. Like Groundhog Day, Mohr starts by making a sham of the holiday, tries to kill himself, starts to do things right, then has a day where he helps people, impresses, and puts on a break dance show at a fair following repeated days of practice. It's kinda like playing the piano, if you get my drift. Characters even spout out lines that sound like they were lifted from Groundhog Day. Trust me, it's bad.

Then there's the casting. This is an impressive set here. Given, the actors aren't A-list, but are talented. All do a fine job. Jay Mohr seems as though he was either horribly miscast or badly directed. Given this script, he may have just not cared. The problem is that he is not able to ever be likable, even when he's doing things right. Groundhog Day was successful because even though Bill Murray's character was slime at the beginning, we still had a desire to follow him and watch him grow. The writing on that film had a lot of heart. This film does not. Jay Mohr never achieves a believable likability to make the premise of the film connect with its viewers.

The only good point I'll say about this film is that there are occasional bits of humor that are good. Most notably, a comment made by Jay Mohr's team of dancers as they win a competition against some people acting out the Nativity. There's a great one liner. But a one liner does not make a good movie. Originality does. Not recommended.