25 Greatest Christmas Films: #12 — ‘One Magic Christmas’ (1985)
by John NoltePretty much ignored when released in 1985, One Magic Christmas has hung in there and found an audience thanks to a solid script and Mary Steenburgen’s compelling lead performance as Ginny Hanks Grainger, a morose wife and mother whose Christmas spirit has been buried beneath mountains of unpaid bills, a soul-crushing job, and a coming eviction.
Help arrives in the form of Gideon (Harry Dean Stanton), the unlikeliest of angels, who’s been tasked with the impossible: reminding this despairing mother of two of her blessings so that the Christmas spirit ripped from her by the hard realities of life can return. How far Gideon’s willing to go in order to accomplish this makes for some of the darkest moments you’ll ever come across in a holiday film, especially one from Disney.
This quiet, understated and sometimes grim spin on It’s A Wonderful Life and A Christmas Carol is not for the wee ones. But at 88-minutes there’s a ton of story and you have to be grateful that when the end credits roll no one On High has paid the bills or found Ginny and her family new housing. The film understands that God is not our own personal deus ex machina and that the angels can only help the willing to refocus their perspective on to that which really matters. Miracles are short-term solutions, it’s wisdom that helps you go the distance.
Obviously shot in not-America (Canada), the foggy, wet locations work to the film’s advantage in giving the story’s tone a feel of generic sameness and desperation. The two kids, one played by Sarah Polley, are terrific, and the always welcome Elias Koteas makes the best of a supporting role.
Catching this unprepared as to what you’re in for is best. Just be prepared enough to know this ain’t Miracle On 34th Street, and I doubt it could get produced in today’s era of hyper-high concept studio offerings and sterile, flourescent, 133 minute, indie Oscar bait. But don’t let that scare you away. When all is said and done, One Magic Christmas is a gritty life-affirming story set in a world where God exists and cares for us enough to practice some mighty tough-love.
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I remember when this first aired on TV there were all kinds of warnings given to little children about
not trusting strangers who said they were angels.
Love this movie and watch it every Christmas. It is very relevant in today's America. With 10% unemployment, foreclosures on the rise, and a nasty 'boss' in the WH, that doesn't care what happens to us, it could have been written about this year. I haven't been much in the Christmas spirit, but I'll get the movie out and watch it tonight and be thankful for what I do have.
Merry Christmas everyone!
Sorry, John, but this film is a dog. Excepting the all too brief sequences in Santa's workshop, the series of events that occur at the center of this film are so catastrophic and sad, it becomes MST3K fodder. Further, I thought the ending was a complete slap on the face on those families who have experienced tragic events around the holiday season. I liked the Star Wars Holiday Special better than this.
But all Angels are strangers until you get to know them. My Rabbi told me to Tattoo this wise saying on my knuckles so I would never forget it.
I have to agree. The last thing I want to do is sit for and hour and a half and be sad and depressed during Christmas. I have plenty of time during the rest of the year to be sad and depressed.
If I can't sit with my young son and be happy in front of a Christmas show, I'll pass. I'll stick with the Rankin\\Bass productions……
are you a Heat Miser or Snow Miser man?
I think I'm a Snow Miser guy.
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Definitely Snow Miser…..
"I guess we all have our own favorite Christmas memories, for this is the time of year when most of us try to be better than our everyday selves. For the past few years in this great house, I've thought of our first real Christmas as a nation. It was the dark and freezing Christmas of 1776, when General Washington and his troops crossed the Delaware. They and Providence gave our nation its first Christmas gift — a victory that brought us closer to liberty, the condition in which God meant man to flourish. It always seems to me that Christmas is a time of magic. Each December we celebrate a Prince, the Prince of Peace, born in utter poverty. And the fact of his birth makes hearts turn warmest at the coldest time of the year." –Ronald Reagan (Dec. 13, 1984)
Angels with 'cute' names – Clarence, Dudley, Gideon – even good old Athaniel.
Dudley film coming up. Athaniel will never make the list.
They crossed the Delaware about 15 minutes from where I live, we go to the re-enactment every year.
When I sit down to ponder all the many blessings I've enjoyed throughout my life, the fact that Ronald Reagan was my President for 8 years sits very high on that list. God bless his soul, he was a great one.
When Reagan was President, I was a full-blown, balls to the wall, 100%, certified modern liberal.
History has proven, beyond any doubt, just how wrong I was about Reagan.
When I'm wrong, I admit it. And I was wrong.
Geez… I totally forgot about this one. I remember it was kinda cheesy, but overall pretty good.
Does this still air on cable? For those that want to get a feel for it, check it out on YouTube – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfAGbLbtqxc
I like looking at Mary Steenburgen
She is good looking.
Married Ted Danson!
Why…
I've heard from people I trust that Ted Danson is a genuinely nice man…
I couldn't disagree more with the naysayers. This movie is the type of movie that is so real and honest it takes you off guard. I was a child when it was released and i can't help but relate to the scenes where the kids hear their parents panic over finances while eavesdropping at the stairwell. As a kid, I felt for this little girl and her brother and now watching this as a grown up, a mother no less, it is heart wrenching. It does put into perspective the true meaning of Christmas being Love. Sometimes parents can get so overwrought by expectations at this time of year and miss that the magic of Christmas comes from Hope and the security of home. __Hollywood would be smart to put out more relatable, honest movies like this one. Sometimes it is nice to see your own reflection up on the big screen.
Some say Bernie Madoff was very likeable.
Love your list John.
I'm with you, John..I was right where the Mary Steenbergen character was, dreading Christmas because of money issues (and in my extended family of 16, 14 birthdays are between October and December 27th.. it's madness!). Years ago, we had a few very rough holidays, and when I saw this movie, I could relate to it very well. I showed my kids the movie when they were younger, and though they weren't asking to make it a Christmas tradition, they all did understand it, and enjoyed it.. once.
But every year I watch it, as I did just the other day.
My mother forces me, at gunpoint, to watch this movie every year. It may or may not be a good flick, but my ability to objectively grade it has been tainted by the fact that I've been forced to ingest it like Lima beans all my life.
The only film I make a tradition of watching is the MST3K classic, "Santa Claus." I've seen it at least a dozen times, and it never stops being funny.
"Mommy, what is Christmas good for?"
"Well, it is to remind us that Craig was born many years ago."
Thank you, EdSki, for reminding us of our real blessings…Jesus Christ above all, of course, but also General George Washington and President Ronal Reagan….We are a nation truly blessed!
Oh, I'm sure Ted Danson is a nice man, just sorely misguided and politically WRONG!
UH, John, you know I was just joshing you, don't you?
If I get thrown out of this site I would have no place to go except huffpo.
I'd rather have dinner with Jeffry Dalmer than that.
Doesn't seem to be available on NetFlix.
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