Simply A Masterpiece

Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

This is a made for TV movie about a teenager who has a terrible Christmas day but gets to re-live it again and again. He gets the opportunity to change the way Christmas pans out. It's a good natured tale and is very entertaining and while not laugh out loud funny, there are plenty of good light hearted moments. In addition there are also a few poignant moments. The setting is great but what makes this a well above average TV movie is the talented and likable cast. Whilst many TV movies suffer on this score, this one has a cast that features no weak links at all. Zachary Gordon is great as the teenager coming to terms with groundhog day and Bruce Dern adds class as the grumpy grandad. Bailee Madison also shines as the girl next door, putting in a very natural performance. The usual Christmas messages abound but are dealt with here without the usual schmaltz. This has the feel of a much higher budgeted movie and is one of the best Christmas TV movies I've seen. This is one of those films that is much better than you think it will be. As an easy to watch Christmas film this really hits the mark.

This movie was well put together and I enjoyed the scheme of the movie. There was a few things I saw. I could see that in the end playing football they were wearing red matching jerseys, but they replayed the same scenes over from the beginning where the football was on the ground and they were about to start and it showed the beginning scene in the different unmatched jerseys and then all of a sudden they were wearing the red jerseys again. You could see they just replayed scenes over and over and they didn't coordinate it. It was a great movie and I did enjoy it. I just can't get over at how bad it was watching the fact that they couldn't make new scenes and make them match accordingly.

Pete's Christmas is a charming little film. It is not hugely ambitious, but it fulfills what is expected of it; namely to provide a little light holiday style entertainment. It follows the story of Pete, a slightly neglected middle child. His older brother is a jock, and his younger brother is a nerd. Pete falls somewhere in-between, and thus often gets overlooked. The basic plot is that after the worst Christmas day imaginable, Pete finds himself waking up to the same Christmas day again and again.The main character is well played by Zachary Gordon, who also starred in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movies. The other actors are all well cast and deliver competent if slightly limited performances. The relationships between the characters fall into a predictable pattern, but not to the extent of being groan inducing. The themes, namely "it's not what you get out of it, it's what you put into it", are all properly explored. The reason for which Pete repeats the same day over and over is never explained, nor does it need to be. The interesting part of this film is not the fantasy element, but the lessons learnt and the choices made. All in all, if you're in the mood for a bit of fluffy Christmas cheer, wanting something simple but not vapid, something thought provoking but not mind jarring, this could be the film for you.

This is a uplifting, coming of age film. The story is about Pete (Zachary Gordon) a middle child who has the worst Christmas ever. He wakes up the next day and realizes...it's Christmas day again and again and again... Will Pete fix Christmas and have the best day of his life or will he be stuck in the same day forever?What I love about this film is the cinematography. The Christmas decorations and snow look amazing. The sets create a great atmosphere for the film. I also like the story. At first it seems cliché - boy has a bad day and has a chance to fix it - standard issue. However, the pacing is different. Instead of it being just a few days of Pete reliving the same day, it feels like months before he realizes that he can affect the outcome of his Christmas. At first I didn't like this, but once I thought out it as a coming of age film I accepted the change. One think that was distracting to me is the writing. Don't get me wrong, the dialog is fine. I just think the set-up for the story is rushed. The writers wanted the story to go a certain way and forced it by placing the pieces together instead of writing as if the characters were living through this situation.My favorite character is Grandpa (Bruce Dern). He's a grumpy man who doesn't want to get the cold shoulder this Christmas. I love how Bruce plays this role, how he wants to spend time with family. Sadly he wants Christmas to be like his dead wife's Christmases. In his mind, the family doesn't celebrate it right.My favorite scene is when Pete tells his dad why Grandpa judges their Christmas. I pick this scene for one reason - the reaction on the father's face. He takes his time to roll through all the emotions and it's just perfect.The moral here is, "It's not what you put in the box that matters. It's what you take out." No matter how much Pete recreates Christmas and gets what he wants, he stills feels that something is missing, something that is important in Christmas. Giving! I rate this 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it to 6 to 15-year-olds. Younger kids can enjoy the funny moments and the merriness. When you get a little bit older, you know the story is predictable but it is still a movie to get you into the Christmas spirit.Reviewed by Keefer B, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic. For more youth reviews, go to kidsfirst dot org.