This is a nice enough family movie for home viewing over the Holidays. I liked the fact that many locals had small roles in the film and I think they added some charm and believability. I found the ending to be a nice change and a good concept for a Christmas movie.
As for the main characters, I thought the male lead was up to the job, but the female lead had nothing to work with! Granted, this is not intended as a deep character study but at least the male got to show a little range. The female role was one-dimensional and came straight from some old misogynistic playbook. It wouldn't have taken much to turn her into a genuine human, and someone you could imagine as the partner of the male lead. I liked the twist ending as it redeemed the older child from being a copy of her self-involved mother into a child with some heart.
Then I watched "special features". First of all, I hope that poor dog was rescued immediately and found a caring home. The way the director instructed those kids to manhandle that poor dog was abusive. No owner should have allowed it. I'm amazed no child was bitten. You could see the stress in the dog. Then there was the crabby, ill-tempered way the director barked orders at two clearly distracted or tired kids. Note to the director: If you're going to show out-takes, include some where you're showing skill or humor, not just the places where you appear completely incompetent.
In summary, it's ok but could have been less offensive in places Also, do yourself a favor and skip the special features.
