Each movie listed includes: 

(1) Title (2) Rating (3) Genres (4) Starring (5) Synopsis (6) My Personal Review (7) Scoring 1-5

 

 

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Why Him? (2016)

Rated: R

Genres: Comedy, Family

Starring: James Franco, Megan Mullally, and Bryan Cranston

Synopsis: A holiday gathering threatens to go off the rails when Ned Fleming realizes that his daughter's Silicon Valley millionaire boyfriend is about to pop the question.

Review: Franco plays a quirky and extreme personality well.  The movie is awkwardly funny.  It felt like it needed more on the emotional side to round it out.  Mostly, it was highly entertaining.  It is very raunchy, hence the R rating, so avoid it if you don’t care for that.

Scoring: 3 

Why The Nativity? (2022)

Rated: G

Genre: Documentary

Starring: Dr. David Jeremiah

Synopsis: Drawing from both the Old and New Testaments, noted pastor, author, and theologian Dr. David Jeremiah provides answers to the most thought-provoking questions surrounding the most pivotal moment in human history-the birth of Jesus Christ.

Review: This was a very well told version of the Nativity.  I believe children will even be able to follow the story.  I felt the solemnity of the telling matched the importance of the subject matter.

Scoring: 3.5

Who Is Christmas Eve? (2021)

Rated: TV-14

Genres: Drama, Family

Starring: Paige Hurd, Romeo Miller, and Juliana Harkavy

Synopsis: Eve Simmons was left with nothing but questions and a locket when she was abandoned as an infant on Christmas Eve.  Struggling to move forward in life, Eve embarks on a quest to find her birth parents with the help of a famed investigative genealogist.

Review: I really loved this movie. I was completely engrossed in the story and the characters. It started a little slowly but it’s so worth it. For all the pain and baggage the characters have, there’s so much love. You can’t help but want Eve to find her                                                                 answers.

                                                           Scoring: 4

Who Killed Santa?: A Murderville Murder Mystery (2022)

Rated: TV-MA

Genre: Comedy 

Starring: Will Arnett, Maya Rudolph, Jason Bateman, and Pete Davidson

Synopsis: Our Detective is back with a critical case. Along with two celebrity guests, he's on a mission to solve who killed Santa? But the catch: Jason Bateman and Maya Rudolph aren't given the script. They have no clue what's about to happen.

Review: If you enjoy improv, this will have you in stitches. We were laughing out loud. If you don’t like silliness and improv, this isn’t for you. 

Scoring: 3

Wild Kratts: A Creature Christmas (2015)

Rated: G

Genres: Animation, Fantasy

Starring: Martin Kratt and Chris Kratt

Synopsis: Wild Kratts are on a rescue mission when they find out their favorite creatures are disappearing.

Review: This is another one that’s geared just to children.  I found it incredibly boring.  I think children will like them taking on the abilities of different animals and learning about animals.

Scoring: 2

Will You Merry Me (2008)
Rated: PG
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Family, Romance
Starring: Wendy Malik, Cynthia Stevenson, and Reagan Pasternak
Synopsis: Young lawyer Henry Kringle fell in love at first sight with local Rebecca Fine when competing for a New York apartment they agree to share and recently proposed. Her wealthy, modern Jewish family hoped to take her to Aspen, but she agreed to meet his folks in Madison, Wisconsin, where his father still hopes he'll continue the family law practice and takes her folks along. Despite inevitable culture clashing, the men soon get along, but the mothers start rivaling and sneakily trying to undermine the engagement, which is tested as some questions need being taken seriously, and maybe challenged by Henry's old local lover Kristy, which his parents still believe ideal.
Review:  A fun and charming movie. Two families learning to understand and appreciate other cultures and traditions. Many funny moments. 
Scoring: 4
Window Wonderland (2013)
Rated: G
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Family, Romance
Starring: Chyler Leigh, Paul Campbell, Naomi Judd, Terence Kelly, and Cameron Mathison
Synopsis: A department-store window decorator learns there is a vacancy for her dream job in the run-up to Christmas, only to find a professional rival has his eye on it too.
Review:  Sloan is embarrassed that her mother works as a restroom attendant and hides it from her boyfriend. We get to experience her self-awakening as the fly by the seat of his pants Jake rubs off on her. A charming movie. 
Scoring: 4.5
 

Winnie The Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year (2002)

Rated: G

Genres: Animation, Fantasy

Starring: Jim Cummings

Synopsis: It’s the most wonderful time of the year, but Rabbit will only discover the true spirit of the season after his pals make misguided New Year’s resolutions to change who they are.

Review: If you’re familiar with Winnie the Pooh movies, it’ll be as delightful as you expect.  If you aren’t familiar with them, they are geared towards children with a sweet simplicity and a unique combination of characters.  I’m an adult and I enjoy this movie with the same feelings as the Charlie Brown Christmas.  Definitely great for families.

Scoring: 3

Wish For Christmas (2016)

Rated: PG

Genres: Drama, Family, Religion

Starring: Joey Lawrence, Leigh-Allyn Baker, And Bill Engvall

Synopsis: A High School student makes a wish that her parents would lose their faith.

Review:  This rip-off of “It’s A Wonderful Life” attempts to teach the message be careful what you wish for and the importance of religion. It’s so-so. If you like movies with these messages you may enjoy it. 

Scoring: 2

A Wish for Christmas (2016)
Rated: G
Genres: Drama, Family, Fantasy, Romance
Starring: Lacey Chabert and Paul Greene
Synopsis: Sara prefers to be on the sidelines at work until someone steals her big idea for a Christmas initiative. She makes a wish to Santa to gain the courage to stand up for herself, and he gives her 48 hours to discover how to speak her mind. 
Review:  Sara thinks she needs the wish from Santa to stand up for herself, especially with her boss Peter. When Sara and Peter have to travel to Peter’s hometown for business, they both become better people. Sara learns she has the courage she long hid and Peter learns forgiveness. Charming movie. 
Scoring: 4
Wish Upon A Christmas (2015)
Rated: PG-13
Genres: Drama, Family, Fantasy, Romance
Starring: Larissa Olejnik, Aaron Ashmore, and Karen Holness
Synopsis: When business executive Amelia returns home to help a family-run ornament company, the employees see her as their savior who is coming in to rescue the company. They are heart-broken and shocked to learn that her plan to get the company on track involves massive layoffs. As Amelia prepares for the holiday 'trimmings', she finds herself rekindling an old romance with her high school boyfriend Jesse, who is also the company's owner. She also soon begins to see the charm of the local business - but will she be able to save it in time?
Review:  Of course I was rooting for Amelia to save the company and end up with Jesse from the beginning. It’s a darling and joyful movie. 
Scoring: 3
Wishin and Hopin (2014)
Rated: NR
Genres: Comedy, Drama
Starring: Molly Ringwald, Annabella Sciorra, Chevy Chase, Conchara Ferrell, Meatloaf, Danny Nucci, and Cheri Oteri
Synopsis: Based on the New York Times best-selling novel by award-winning author Wally Lamb. In the small town of Three Rivers, Connecticut, we go straight into the halls of St. Aloysius Gonzaga Parochial School with Felix Funicello, a Catholic school fifth-grader in 1964, whose claim to fame is his cousin Annette Funicello, the famous Mouseketeer and teen movie queen. But grammar and arithmetic move to the back burner this holiday season with the sudden arrivals of substitute teacher Madame Frechette and feisty Russian student Zhenya Kabakova. While Felix learns the meaning of French kissing, cultural misunderstanding, and tableaux vivants, Wishin' and Hopin' barrels toward one outrageous Christmas!
Review:  Despite all the stars of the movie, I was beyond bored with it. I had to force myself to finish it. 
Scoring: 1
The Wishing Tree (2012)
Rated: NR
Genres: Drama
Starring: Jason Gedrick, Teryl Rothery, and Richard Harmon
Synopsis: A special Christmas tree decorated with handwritten wishes helps Evan and his group of orphaned students develop a connection and a sense of family.
Review:  The pace is a little slow but the kids make the movie special. A wonderful look at how we should focus on others. I found it moving. 
Scoring: 3
With Love, Christmas (2017)
Rated: G
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Starring: Emilie Ullerup and Aaron O’Connell
Synopsis: Melanie is a hard-working ad executive who finds herself teamed up with uptight coworker Donovan to come up with the ultimate Christmas commercial for a new cell phone. To make things more complicated, Melanie is Donovan’s secret Santa in the annual office gift exchange. To keep her identity secret, she sends Donovan emails from Santa to determine the perfect gift for him. However, her plan comes to a halt when Donovan mistakenly assumes another co-worker is his secret Santa, prompting Melanie to work to show Donovan that she's his perfect Santa.
Review:  The tension and building relationship between Melanie and Donovan is a real treat. We get to watch as she shares her love of Christmas with him. I started to wonder if they’d make it. A sweet movie. 
Scoring: 4

The Wizard’s Christmas (2014)

Rated: NR

Genres: Animation, Fantasy

Starring: Jason Cermak

Synopsis: A wizard’s apprentice tries to restore the magic of Christmas to a shining city.

Review: This was interesting.  Kids will like it but a lot of adults will, too.  It has a town split in two with a brother ruling over each half.  It emphasizes the spirit of Christmas.  I was even surprised by the ending.  It may be a little dark for really young children.

Scoring: 3

The Wizard’s Christmas: Return of the Snow King (2017)

Rated: NR

Genres: Animation, Fantasy

Starring: Jonathan Love

Synopsis: A great discovery is made deep in the forest that will rock the city to the core.

Review: It comes as no surprise that the great discover is the Snow King.  What happens with the Snow King is a surprise.  Perin’s (The Christmas Wizard) suffers from low self-esteem and has trouble believing in herself while looking for outside validation.  Her brother Markis is still as dastardly as ever.  Just as enjoyable as the first.

Scoring: 3

A Wonderful Christmas: Feliz Navidad (2006)

Rated: PG

Genres: Comedy, Family

Starring: Jatnna Toribio and Luis Jimenez

Synopsis: The true meaning of Christmas comes home to the Rivera household in a very unexpected way. With Mum expecting a new baby and Dad facing work challenges, young Josie takes it upon herself to make sure the family has a wonderful Christmas.

Review: A cute, sometimes silly, movie that would be enjoyed by children. I liked the family being so giving, especially to the three homeless gentlemen.  The movie shows what the average family is like at the holidays.

Scoring: 2

The Wonderful World of Disney: Magical Holiday Celebration (2022)

Rated: G

Genres: Musical

Starring: Derek and Julianne Hough

Synopsis: Musical performances and special interviews to mark the Christmas season. 

Review: It’s basically a 2-hour concert with occasional interviews. I wish there was more Disney and less performances.

Scoring: 2

A World Record Christmas (2023)

Rated: G

Genres: Drama, Family

Starring: Nikki Deloach and Lucas Bryant

Synopsis: An autistic boy attempts to break a world record on Christmas Eve, uniting his family and community in the process. Inspired by real events.

Review: I have to be honest.  The commercials for this movie made it look super boring and depressing.  Boy was I surprised.  Watching all the different characters as they interacted and evolved kept my interest.  The ending was even a surprise.  Very enjoyable and not heavy.

Scoring: 4

Wrapped Up In Christmas (2017)
Rated: NR
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Family, Romance
Starring: Tatyana Ali, Brendan Fehr, Kim Fields, Jackée Harry, Dan Lauria, Jasmine Guy
Synopsis: Heather's favorite time of year is Christmas but as the manager of a mall, she has to cancel the leases of under-performing stores. Ryan is helping his Aunt with her store and also fills in as the mall Santa. Ryan starts to fall for Heather and they have no idea of one another's true identity.
Review:  Lovely Christmas traditions, family, and love are at the center of this movie and I enjoyed it. 
Scoring: 3

Wrapped Up in Love aka Loving Christmas (2022)

Rated: G

Genres: Family, Romance

Starring: Brittany Bristow and Olivier Renaud

Synopsis: Ashley has always been the "Christmas Queen" in town. That is, until she meets her match, Ben, a handsome new guy in town, who loves Christmas just as much as she does. They join forces to make Christmas even more meaningful.

Review: While this is a typical romance plot, there so much Christmas and Christmas spirit it makes it fun to watch. Family and friends are an important part of the story.  Even the characters at odds are still likable.  I especially liked the idea of giving. 

Scoring: 3

A Wrestling Christmas Miracle (2020)

Rated: NR

Genres: Comedy, Family

Starring: Mario Del Vecchio

Synopsis: An 11-year-old wrestling champ makes the decision to leave the mat behind so he can make a Christmas movie to bring his best friend out of a coma.

Review: This is one of the worst low budget films I’ve ever seen.  There’s not a redeemable quality.  The script, the acting, everything is horrible. 

Scoring: 1

Write Before Christmas (2019)

Rated: G

Genre: Romance

Starring: Torrey DeVitto, Chad Michael Murray, Lolita Davidovich, Grant Show, and Drew Seeley

Synopsis: Jessica send Christmas cards to five people who have greatly impacted her life.

Review: I loved this movie. It has magic all its own.  Seeing how a small act of kindness, like a Christmas card, causes ripples of Christmas spirit and love was so amazing.  Jessica’s love of Christmas is contagious.  This is one I’ll watch over and over again.

Scoring: 5

Writing Around The Christmas Tree (2021)

Rated: PG

Genres: Drama, Romance

Starring: Krystal Joy Brown and Curtis Hamilton

Synopsis: When successful novelist Mikaela Leighton decides to revive her deceased mother’s annual holiday writer’s retreat at her father’s snowy chalet in an attempt to cure her writer’s block.  She soon meets handsome, yet opinionated, non-fiction writer Levi, and a romance ignites between them.

Review: This movie was very interesting. The variety of characters and their interactions kept me wondering how it would end for all of them. It was a little slow at first but once I got to know everyone I was totally absorbed. 

Scoring: 4