Christmas Do-Over (2006)

Dreadfully Boring

A Brilliant Conflict

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

This is a remake of Christmas Every Day (Which I have only saw for the first time this year), I have seen the Do over a few times now. Both are really different in their own way, the is the same, their a lot, as changed and I found this bit more of Comedy then Christmas Every Day, which more of a Drama.However this , as some really good funny moments , that make you laugh out loud, there were moment's were the jokes don't work and falls flat, before they are even over.This is a decent Christmas movie, not the best, Kids might enjoy more then adults, who can not wait for it to end. 5 out of 10

Kevin (Jay Mohr) is visiting his ex-wife, Jill (Daphne Zuniga) and their young son at her parents' house on Christmas Day. He arrives late and he shopped at the last minute for his son, too. To add insult to injury, he is rude and catty with his ex-in-laws and the new cardiologist boyfriend of Jill. Nevertheless, his young son, Ben, is so happy to see him that he proudly announces at dinnertime that he, Ben, wishes every day was Christmas. A soft breeze seems to blow through the dining room, but, it doesn't change Kevin's attitude. He continues to be rude through the caroling and the street fair. Nevertheless, when Kevin wakes up the next day, he is there at the doorstep of his in-laws, present in hand and having to live the day over again. Will Kevin learn something the second, third, or fourth (and more) time around? This is a fun family movie, with plenty of laughs and good performances. Mohr and Zuniga are experts as the quarreling ex-mates who still might harbor feelings for each other. How nice to see Adrienne Barbeau again, too, as she gives a nice turn as Jill's mother. The production values, the costumes, and the scenery are all top notch, too. One little caution: there is an unusual scene involving a live nativity scene, where Kevin has a run-in with Joseph. BUT, the most important part of this film is its theme. Most of us do not get a chance to relive Christmas Day or any other day and learn from our mistakes. The best thing we can do is to try and live every day as if it were our last chance to do good for those around us and for ourselves. With that in mind, Christmas Do-Over should be a new classic for the season that deserves a re-run at holiday time and a DVD release. Families everywhere will laugh at the antics but will also recognize the important realities of decision making that is the heart of the film.

Wow, I really liked that movie a lot. It's really funny and you can really enjoy it with the whole family. I showed it to my mom and she was laughing the whole time. Jay Mohr does such a great job acting in this movie. He is so funny! I like him a lot. So if you are into comedy and all that stuff, then you should watch this movie because I assure you, you will be laughing and you probably won't stop, well for quite a while that is. The reason that I watch this movie was because my friend told me that it was really good. And she was right! It was. I'd most likely be watching it over and over again. I'd never get tried of watching it!

An obvious "do-over" of Groundhog's Day, where a foolish man is shown the error of his ways by being doomed to repeat a day again and again (this time Christmas), until he gets the message and changes. This movie can be difficult to watch, unless you enjoy an anti-hero with no apparent redeeming qualities.There's a vague parallel to Scrooge, too, except in Scrooge's case you rapidly learn that there's a great deal of suffering in his heart, and there is a good man locked inside somewhere. When confronted with the truth about himself, he repents, and changes. No such case in "Do-Over."Why his ex and her folks put up with this vile self-absorbed slimeball on Christmas is anyone's guess. All he does is create trouble and make a jerk of himself, hurling sarcastic mockeries at anyone in sight. He shows no human feeling or positive qualities, at all. Why does his kid want him around? From action that occurs early on, you learn even his kid means nothing to him. Even when magic steps in and locks him in this endless cycle, he still doesn't learn. Instead, he exploits the process to hurt everyone even more. Naturally, he gets in fist fights with Christmas icons such as Santa Claus and a Nativity scene Joseph. His self confrontation process is painfully slow, if it occurs at all. It appears he manipulates events only for the selfish intent of escaping the do-over cycle.The only value to the movie are the performances of the victims of this guy--they are really an endearing bunch of people, endowed with patience and kindness that gives the movie what level of Christmas cheer it does have. A nice cast overall; I liked all the family members. Even the actor playing the jerk is good; too bad the script didn't give him something better to work with.If you find mean-spirited thugs funny, you'll find this guy hilarious. He makes Scrooge and the Grinch seem like Santa's elves by comparison. However, if you want a movie with a cheerful, positive Christmas spirit, see "Miracle on 34th St.," "Wonderful Life," or "Scrooge." But not this.