This 1986 TV movie, "Christmas Eve," is a delight for two reasons. First, it has a somewhat different plot. As with most Christmas TV movies made in recent decades, it includes family reconciliation. But, a large part of the plot is about a very wealthy widow in her late years taking to the streets of New York City during the season to spread holiday cheer.
The second reason for my enjoyment of "Christmas Eve," was in its two senior stars. Loretta Young and Trevor Howard were both 73 years old when this film was made. Young came out of retirement of more than 20 years. She had retired at the end of her last TV series, "The New Loretta Young Show," in 1963. She would make one more TV movie in her career ("Lady in the Corner" in 1989) and live to 87 until she died Aug. 8, 2000. Trevor Howard had continued acting, playing senior roles in films, but a little over a year after this film came out, he died of flu complications at his home England (Jan. 7, 1988).
Young is impeccable as Amanda Kingsley, the matron of the family, who still has controlling interest in the Kingsley business empire. Howard plays her lifelong butler and companion on the daily rounds of the streets with a coffee and sandwich cart. Howard is wonderful as the steady and faithful, but dour Maitland.
Arthur Hill plays Amanda's son, Andrew. He is all business as the working head of the Kingsley empire. The estrangement in the film is between him and his three adult children. They all love their grandmother, but have not seen or talked to their father in a few years. But things are different this Christmas because Amanda finds out that she is dying. Her last wish is that her son and grandchildren will reconcile. So, she hires a detective to find the three siblings and ask them to come home for Christmas.
The film switches between scenes in New York with Amanda and Andrew, Amanda and Maitland on the street, and the search for and finding of the Kingsley siblings. Ron Leibman plays the detective, Morris Huffner, very well. One can guess how the film ends, but there are some nice twists yet in the plot, which I'll not describe.
I might have rated this film a notch higher but for a general weakness in the screenplay and the so-so acting of all three siblings. Amanda explained to Morris when she hired him that she didn't know where the siblings were. She just had some ideas. She said she didn't want to know their addresses for fear their father would find out and go after them. So, there has been absolutely no contact between Amanda and any of her grandkids – all of whom supposedly loved her immensely. That situation is quite hard to believe. Also, with very little to go on, Morris has remarkable success in finding the siblings. That's especially so, considering that none of them knew any of the others' addresses or whereabouts. That is also hard to believe – that a brother and two sisters weren't close enough to want to stay in touch with one another. Apparently, they didn't even exchange greetings at Christmas over the years?
These are things that a better screenplay could have resolved to make the story more believable. But, these weaknesses aside, "Christmas Eve" still is an enjoyable and heart-warming film to watch. It has a good message for the holidays about sharing. I watched a recording from a TV broadcast. I would think it would be a film more people would buy if it were out on DVD. Especially as the American, and world populations continue to advance in age with smaller families and fewer children since the end of the 20th century.
The second reason for my enjoyment of "Christmas Eve," was in its two senior stars. Loretta Young and Trevor Howard were both 73 years old when this film was made. Young came out of retirement of more than 20 years. She had retired at the end of her last TV series, "The New Loretta Young Show," in 1963. She would make one more TV movie in her career ("Lady in the Corner" in 1989) and live to 87 until she died Aug. 8, 2000. Trevor Howard had continued acting, playing senior roles in films, but a little over a year after this film came out, he died of flu complications at his home England (Jan. 7, 1988).
Young is impeccable as Amanda Kingsley, the matron of the family, who still has controlling interest in the Kingsley business empire. Howard plays her lifelong butler and companion on the daily rounds of the streets with a coffee and sandwich cart. Howard is wonderful as the steady and faithful, but dour Maitland.
Arthur Hill plays Amanda's son, Andrew. He is all business as the working head of the Kingsley empire. The estrangement in the film is between him and his three adult children. They all love their grandmother, but have not seen or talked to their father in a few years. But things are different this Christmas because Amanda finds out that she is dying. Her last wish is that her son and grandchildren will reconcile. So, she hires a detective to find the three siblings and ask them to come home for Christmas.
The film switches between scenes in New York with Amanda and Andrew, Amanda and Maitland on the street, and the search for and finding of the Kingsley siblings. Ron Leibman plays the detective, Morris Huffner, very well. One can guess how the film ends, but there are some nice twists yet in the plot, which I'll not describe.
I might have rated this film a notch higher but for a general weakness in the screenplay and the so-so acting of all three siblings. Amanda explained to Morris when she hired him that she didn't know where the siblings were. She just had some ideas. She said she didn't want to know their addresses for fear their father would find out and go after them. So, there has been absolutely no contact between Amanda and any of her grandkids – all of whom supposedly loved her immensely. That situation is quite hard to believe. Also, with very little to go on, Morris has remarkable success in finding the siblings. That's especially so, considering that none of them knew any of the others' addresses or whereabouts. That is also hard to believe – that a brother and two sisters weren't close enough to want to stay in touch with one another. Apparently, they didn't even exchange greetings at Christmas over the years?
These are things that a better screenplay could have resolved to make the story more believable. But, these weaknesses aside, "Christmas Eve" still is an enjoyable and heart-warming film to watch. It has a good message for the holidays about sharing. I watched a recording from a TV broadcast. I would think it would be a film more people would buy if it were out on DVD. Especially as the American, and world populations continue to advance in age with smaller families and fewer children since the end of the 20th century.