Okay, so this isn't "It's a Wonderful Life." The writing doesn't flow as smoothly as it should, and the connections with Dickens's story seem awkward and forced.
That said, this is still a worthwhile version of A Christmas Carol. The transformation of the beautiful Susan Lucci from a driven, cold, Scrooge-like character to a warm, compassionate, generous woman is very well done. You can almost see her heart of ice melt as the movie progresses.
Watching this movie eighteen years removed from its original airing only brings out the quaint technology. DeMunn's Jake Marley uses a CORDED CELL PHONE! Lucci's Ebbie Scrooge's laptop is as large as a one-volume encyclopedia! No flat-screen TVs, not even a PDA!
I recently found this on DVD at Amazon. Video quality = 8, Audio = 8. It almost appears to be a rip from a VHS, and could use some work to clear up both audio and video. That being said, the flaws are not terribly distracting.
While not an award-winning film, Ebbie seems to have garnered a very faithful audience, and I'm sure our family will continue to watch it each Christmas season for years to come.
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