12 Days of Christmas Eve (2004)

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

12 Days of Christmas eve (2004)Yet another person who seem to wake up and the same day again!And I thought Christmas do over was poor, this one was the worst of the lot so far, I found Do over better then this, it least Do over was a bit more funny then this as the same said for Christmas every day.This times the man keeps waking up on Christmas eve, this movie did have There few laugh out moment in and there, the rest felt like they didn't move on to the next lever, it sound like Scrooge meet Groundhog down on Christmas eve.The only think l like about this movie, How he get killed off for 12 different ways in 12 days, which is the same day.The acting was decent from the whole cast. 4 out of 10

Like most peoples Christmas our Christmas revolves around traditions. One of our traditions is Boxing Day soup. We take all the leftovers from the previous day and with good stock make a thick, nourishing soup to eat. The result is a cheap satisfying meal that leaves you feeling full and happy for virtually no effort. I mention this because this film is like a soup of other films. Groundhog day, Switch, Family Man, Scrooge, Scrooged, Christmas Do-Over and a few others thrown into the straight to TV blender and zhushed together to make a hearty broth of Holiday movie with a little cream on top to make it sweet. Its not original, overly sickly, clever or particularly brilliantly executed but the whole is better because of the sum of its parts. Steven Weber is slickly cynical as Carter, getting frustrated as he can't figure out how to buy his way out of his predicament. Jesse Carter pitches just the right side of perfect without being smug as his brother looking after the Dad. Molly Shannon is totally likable as Angie. The kid is not utterly annoying. The whole cast pull together to make this chug along in an enjoyable way to reach the climax. There genuinely is a point where you think he isn't going to get there. But hey, its a Christmas movie it has to have a happy ending, thats the point. There's some nice little comic touches, and a couple of genuine laugh out loud moments. Not huge belly laughs, its not Christmas Vacation. Some of it is quite dark, but you need the dark to make it light and sure enough it all works out.Sure it drags a tiny bit in the middle, a lot of films do, and not every single thing works but in the main its a perfectly nice, perfectly good, perfectly watchable film to get you in the mood for Christmas that you can watch round about the beginning of December and it'll make you feel all warm and fuzzy and full of that familiarity of Christmas. Just like Boxing Day Soup.

Yes, this movie is similar to Groundhog Day, Family Man, and A Christmas Carol.... BUT it still carves out it's own place at the table.If you like Christmas movies, and if you go into this understanding it was made for TV - you'll be VERY pleasantly surprised and pleased with this comedy. It's not Oscar material, it's not deep, it won't make you cry (thank goodness), but it will give you some laughs and it's a fun holiday film.There are many many similar films..... most are dull or okay (Christmas Do-Over with Jay Mohr is markedly similar in plot to this tale, but not nearly as entertaining).Molly Shannon as the angel is absolutely fabulous! Steve Webber does a great job tying comedy and humanity together, creating a sympathetic and believable (for a holiday TV movie) character.While the plot is familiar in its similarities to other films, and consequently extremely predictable - the humor and contemporary setting make this a great "sitcom" style film.It wouldn't be a Christmas movie without a moral and the lesson here was deeper and more provocative than expected. He wasn't able to buy, give, volunteer, or simply donate his way out of the mess - it was more and I especially appreciated that.If you want a fun family Christmas movie with some light laughs, check this out!

It is inevitable that people would compare this movie to "Groundhog Day" because of the time-loops, but there are significant differences. The main character in "Groundhog Day" was looped for reasons and by forces unknown, with no set time limit or even requirement for getting out of it. The main character in "The 12 Days of Christmas Eve" dies but divine intercession gives him another chance (12 actually) to find real meaning in his life before his premature demise becomes a final judgment. Murray plays a shallow, self-absorbed, and self-important reporter lusting after a co-worker, whereas Weber (Calvin Carter) plays a successful entrepreneur driven by guilt to provide for his family. Both need a character adjustment, but for different reasons. Murray's character must learn to give, but Carter must learn the meaning for giving for it to mean anything.And, pleasantly enough, the movie is not as predictable as some would indicate. The gallows humor of Calvin Carter dying each day in some bizarre way, and his increasing fatalism when it happens, is in itself entertaining. His failure to escape the loop by giving money, presents, service, and time to others also avoids the trite and shallow message that simply giving to others is the answer. At the end he finds that even then he does not have the full answer, evidenced by Angie's (Molly Shannon) admonition that the perfect Christmas Eve is a journey, not a destination - not simply something you make, but something you live.