The Christmas Shoes (2002 TV Movie) User Reviews (51)

It's one of those rare movies.

[kandit1 · 7/10 · 27 December 2015]

Before watching this movie, I was aware of the great song but not aware that the movie was based on a book.

I thought the movie was OK for a TV movie and the acting only average (although Hugh Thompson and Max Morrow stood out for me) so why the 7 star rating? Gosh darn it, sometimes there's a movie out there that comes along that just gets to me emotionally and reaching for the tissue box. It's very rare for a guy like me that doesn't shed a lot of tears but this is one of those movies. It offers up to us just what is important in life and we should all be aware of that message. Parental guidance recommended for those with small children.

a boys emotional find gives his mother her last dance

[lark40 · 7/10 · 16 December 2015]

this a emotional film with rob Lowe character Robert Layton who plays a lawyer is a high flying workaholic whose life is virtual non existent realizing they are drifting apart his wife Kate throws herself into her school play a Xmas approaches the music teacher Maggie has a life threatening illness Kate takes control of her class and the two families intertwine as Robert Layton's mother says make memories not hide on Xmas eve Robert crosses paths with Maggie son Nathan is desperate trying to achieve his mothers dream so hes looking for a job or collect recyclable items s to get her dream Robert discovers that money and status are not what life is about as he changes someone else life as he needs help the smallest miracle changes a mans life only realize who this person was as a child as but great Xmas movie at 1hr 30mins

If you haven't had a good cry in awhile, watch this movie and you'll get it

[Kmilota66 · 8/10 · 14 December 2008]

I couldn't believe how sensational this movie really was. I am a DVD seller on eBay and this has been my best seller on Christmas for the past few years, and since I had an extra copy I decided to pop it open and see what all the fuss was about. It was the most heart-warming Christmas movie I had ever seen in my life.

The little boy Nathan (Max Morrow) was so adorable and cute, and seeing him do whatever it takes to get his mother the shoes will just steal your heart.

Just one warning. Make sure you have your tissues ready before you sit down to watch this movie. I'm not much in the tears department, and I might cry a couple times a year if that, and this past evening was one of those times.

Nice movie about miracles, if somewhat sad

[vchimpanzee · 9 December 2002]

Rob Lowe plays a lawyer who is so obsessed with work that he misses a school concert where his daughter has a solo. He is also having problems with his marriage. Kimberly Williams is the volunteer choral director who finds out she has a fatal condition requiring a heart transplant for a cure to take place. Two families cross paths in a number of instances. Lowe's wife takes over for Williams, canceling an important job interview her husband worked hard to arrange. Williams' husband is the mechanic who ends up working on Lowe's car. Later in the movie, Williams' son, fearing his mother will be having her last Christmas, seeks to buy Williams a pair of special shoes which Lowe earlier found lying in the street, mysteriously intended to be delivered to a department store which did not order them. Lowe gets the shoes to the store (eventually) and later plays a role in helping the boy buy the shoes. The boy's teacher rents a room from Lowe's mother, who we know will probably die during the movie, since Lowe is visiting her grave at the movie's start, 15 years after her death. The boy faces numerous obstacles in his quest for the shoes, and while miracles do happen in the movie, not everything comes out the way you would hope.

Lovely But Sad Christmas Movie

[slightlymad22 · 7/10 · 20 November 2014]

A magical story about a pair of shoes that bring two strangers together. It's a tear jerker so it may not everyone's idea of a family Christmas movie, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Plot In A Paragraph: Two separate stories come together, in the first, a young music teacher, Maggie Andrews, is dying due to a heart problem and her son Nathan is trying to buy her a pair of Christmas shoes for her before she dies. In the second story, workaholic lawyer Robert Layton (Rob Lowe) and his wife Kate are drifting apart and things come to a head during Christmas when Kate takes over for Maggie for the school choir and turns down a job with Roberts company. Robert and Nathan's paths cross as Nathan tries to raise money for the shoes and Robert tries to get a present for his daughter.

Rob Lowe is excellent as both the jerk and the guy who has seen the error of his ways. Dorian Harewood (who I must has seen in over 50 movies and TV shows, but none immediately come to mind) deserves special praise, as does Kimberley Williams Paisley and Max Morrow.

Missing Warning Label

[jennie0409 · 9/10 · 2 December 2002]

By the title and movie description, I thought I was in for two hours of a sweet heartwarming Christmas story. I was close. While this film is a heartwarming one, it's also quite tragic. The only thing missing was a warning about how sad and depressing some parts in the movie are. Kimberly Williams gives a stellar performance, and Max Morrow and Amber Marshall are perfect for the roles of the cute kids, much needed for the story. Although Rob Lowe was disappointing for the first time, in my opinion, I think this movie is a great one for families to see together. I think that there are many tough issues addressed in "The Christmas Shoes," giving parents an easy opening to talk to their kids about some of the harder things in life. This movie is realistic. Normally, it's easy to laugh at so-called "sad" movies, because in the end, everyone's happy, all ends well, and they do live happily ever after. Movie characters! But this film has a real-life feel to it. It's sweet, bitterly sad, heartwarming, and family-oriented. Definitely see this the next time it's on TV!

A Heart-warming story for all to enjoy!

[bharti175 · 7/10 · 7 December 2009]

I loved this Christmas movie, and it was very enjoyable to watch with my mother. I recommend watching The Christmas Shoes, especially with your family, as it is a very cute, yet sad, story about love and families. It is a great movie for the holiday season and displays the importance of it with an amazing plot. The characters are very lovable and are easy to relate to. The acting was incredible and flawless Max Mower and Amber Marshall are perfect for the roles of two cute little kids, and their acting is very enjoyable to watch. This story really teaches us all a lesson, and along with being great for our entertainment, this movie has a a meaningful plot and ending. All in all, watching the movie with not be disappointing and will warm your heart.

A blue Christmas indeed

[studioAT · 2/10 · 19 December 2017]

TV movies like this are everywhere this time of year, and this is a fairly downbeat offering starring Rob Lowe and Kimberly Williams.

It makes some good points about the importance of family and the true meaning of Christmas, but it just a bit too downbeat for me.

I thought everyone involved gave good performances though.

Wonderful Movie and Song

[chefofalltrades · 10/10 · 17 December 2005]

I loved this movie. The song put me to tears, but the movie was even better. I just wish that they would show it on TV again. Seems like after the first year, this was a forgotten movie. Almost like Mr. McGreggors Christmas. Once you saw it, you wanted to see it again, but it was never played again. If I could get anyone to play this movie, I would try my best to do so. There are not enough good Christmas movies out there these days. Some of the one's they are making are stupid. Why can't we put the meaning of Christmas back in movies. Like It's A wonderful life, or Miracle on 34th street, or White Christmas. We need more decent Christmas movies.

Love The Song, Enjoyed The Movie (**Spoilers**)

[LetsPoddy · 6/10 · 2 December 2002]

I heard the song "Christmas Shoes" for the first time last holiday season and every time I'd listen to the song, I could not keep from choking up and crying. So I was curious about the movie. This movie wasn't anything spectacular but was touching and of course gave one some food for thought as to what's really important in life.

***Possible Spoilers Below***

There were a couple of things at very end of the movie that didn't seem to quite add up.

First of all, the son is shown as an adult at cemetery visiting mother's grave and he leaves behind red pair of Christmas shoes he bought for her the Christmas Eve she died. If the shoes were so important and son wanted his mother to "have them when she went to heaven", why wasn't the mother laid to rest wearing the shoes? Did the son buy more pairs of the same shoes later? Secondly, the son was also wearing the baseball cap that was given to him by Rob Lowe's character's mother. I wouldn't think a baseball cap that fit a child's head would fit a grown adult's head after he grew up!

As for the song "Christmas Shoes", there is a short segment played near end of movie as son runs home with the shoes. I found myself getting a bit choked up, but not sure if I would have felt that way if the song hadn't been played during that scene.

Given the two things I mention above that had me thinking "humm" -- overall the movie was enjoyable and worth a watch.

OMG, you people are saps!!

[yamar-2 · 2/10 · 30 December 2007]

When we first heard this song, we thought it was a joke. Surely, no one would write such tripe seriously, would they? If mommy meets Jesus tonight? My wife tortured me by making me watch the last 40 minutes.

I swear to you it felt like the longest five hours of my life! She was laughing the whole time. I almost drew up a contract to make her sign that I could have that time back (kind of like I did when she made me watch "girls just want to have fun" or "riding in cars with boys")

The kid's acting was nails on a chalkboard. A 12 year-old buying shoes and acting like Zac Ephron is Stallone. I'm not a scrooge, I like my share of Christmas sediment, but this song, book, movie, cartoon whatever is awful!

Wonderful

[thumpergirl03 · 10/10 · 27 November 2007]

I rented this movie from my church and just got finished watching it. I never read the book but I've heard the song on the radio, and cried the first time i heard it. The acting was superb especially Rob Lowe as Robert Layton (he's one of my favorite actors). The boy who played Nathan was excellent his acting was so good and realistic that I cried with him. It's especially sad that his mom died at Christmastime. The choir who sang outside the home were beautiful they sounded like a professional choir. I'm not gonna ruin it for people who haven't seen it but I will say that I definitely recommend it to people who believe in miracles and how the smallest ones can change your life.

This movie makes me cry

[PudgyPandaMan · 7/10 · 20 December 2008]

This is a very heartwarming and tragic tale about a boy who wants to buy his mom some beautiful shoes for Christmas before she dies. The young boy does a fabulous job acting and is quite believable.

Rob Lowe does a good job portraying a workaholic attorney who has his priorities all mixed up but learns some important lessons along the while. There are some sweet tender moments, but there are some real tough, real life issues presented here too. I would be careful letting very young children watch this as they may find the death of the mom too upsetting. But I think it would be good for older children to watch. My daughter has a best friend whose mom dies of breast cancer, and I think this would have been good for her to watch with me as a type of life lesson on the things her friend has had to face at such a young age.

I highly recommend this movie. And the song that this movie derives from is quite moving as well.

Rob Lowe, what are you doing here?

[buiger · 4/10 · 7 October 2007]

I cannot believe Rob Lowe left 'The West Wing' for this... In 'The West Wing' his character was a living, breathing thing, here it is nothing more than a cardboard cut-out! What a mistake!

This film was basically well made, decently acted, and very, very sad and depressing. However, the main problem of the movie is the idea behind it, it's way too simplistic, and far too moralist. In its wanting to be a moral beacon, preaching what it believes and spelling it out at such great length that even the mentally handicapped would have understood, it goes way over the top and becomes soapy. In the end this is a film that only overly sentimental grandmothers with advanced sclerosis will really be able to enjoy. Everybody else should better stay away!

A story about a boy who wanted to do something special for his mother before Christmas.

[samdbuk · 29 November 2003]

This was a tear jerker, unexpected for a Christmas movie. I was impressed by the boy's (actor Max Morrow) acting. I've seen a few TV movies in the past, but they were mostly mediocre. It was surprisingly good for a TV movie. This is definitely worth watching if it shows again on TV.

Great Movie

[tonybnelson · 10/10 · 1 January 2006]

Me and my family thoroughly enjoyed the movie on TV. The plot was excellent and the characters were great. The movie changed a lot of ways people thought about Christmas and the importance of sacrifice for something you really want to do. We enjoyed the movie enough that we wish it would broadcast again. The boy wanting the shoes for his mother showed that he loved his mother dearly and wanted to please her on her last days before going to see Jesus. The man that gave him the extra money so that the boy could afford the shoes realized that he needed to spend more time with his kids and less time with work. It was really a tear jerker and I cried halfway through the movie.

The sort of thing only for people who like this sort of thing...

[mantis594 · 4/10 · 20 December 2009]

I watched this a friend who randomly bought it. She's more into sentimental films whereas I'm admittedly not, though I enjoy a good one. This one misses the mark by quite a bit.

Some of the acting was decent (a lot wasn't), but unless you get completely into the sentimental moralistic theme of the film, the rest is laughably bad. The story is simply ludicrous and feels completely contrived. Even my friend couldn't take it seriously. Once I realized she wasn't into at all; I stopped biting my tongue and we did enjoy poking fun at it.

After all that, I understand why a lot of people would enjoy the movie. I would liken it to my enjoying some poorly made action movies or comedies. The movie was not well made in most respects, but if you enjoy this sort of thing give it a try; if you don't, run, don't walk, run to the nearest exit.

Miracles Really Can Happen

[theatre81 · 10/10 · 3 December 2002]

When I heard this movie was coming out, I knew that I would love it. I

read the book, The Christmas Shoes and loved it. When I saw the movie,

I truly knew that it was just as good as the book.

The acting was just incredible. Rob Lowe did a great job of playing a

workaholic lawyer who barely spent any time with his family. What

really made me love this movie and book was Nathan (Max Morrow). When

he saw those Christmas shoes in the store, the look on his face was

priceless. When he helped Robert Layton (Lowe) discover what he was

missing, I simply burst into tears. I normally do not cry during a

movie this much, but this movie was so wonderful. All of those things

that kept happening to Layton and how he slowly saw what he was missing

out on was just so wonderfully written and acted out.

This movie and the book go to prove that miracles really do happen. My

favorite moment in the movie was near the end when Robert, his wife,

and his daughter were standing in front of Nathan's house. The

expressions on their faces was so sad but so real.

I highly recommend this wonderful holiday movie to anyone who believes

in miracles, and even to those who don't--this movie may change what

you think about miracles happening.

Too Sad for a Christmas Movie

[nfhomosassa · 5/10 · 20 December 2007]

This movie about a little boy wanting to buy a pair of shoes so his mother could wear them when she went to see Jesus (she is dying while waiting for a heart transplant) was just too sad for a Christmas Movie. The ending, while showing what a difference was made in Rob Lowe and his family's life, was one sided. The boy's mom died leaving him and his father to cope while Rob Lowe learned a lesson about his family life by the tragedy. A pretty good story for any other time of year than the Christmas Season. It was a total tearjerker an I do not think that is what Christmas should be about. A true miracle ending would have been the Mom getting the heart transplant along with Rob Lowe's finding the true meaning of Christmas.

Great performances-highly recommended for family viewing!

[rdktwin · 10/10 · 25 December 2002]

This is now my all-time favorite Christmas movie.I am hoping to buy the video as soon as it is available. I have not read the book, but have the song. I am so glad they made a movie such as this one and I can't believe it wasn't a Hallmark movie-it should be.

Dumb movie

[jayoftheistar · 1/10 · 30 December 2018]

Why does everybody in this movie hate Rob Lowe for having a job? It's stupid.

Awesome, inspiring, heart warming film!

[blue_murder_canadian · 18 December 2002]

I absolutly loved this movie. All of the acting was great, every single character was well done! I have only heard the song on the film though, so I cannot compare it to that! But I loved this movie, and it will defeniatly be added to my Christmas movies list for the holiday season!!!

One of the best Christmas movies ever.

[kentclan · 10/10 · 7 January 2006]

The wife and I both watched the movie awhile back and thoroughly enjoyed it.This movie brought on the true meaning and spirit of Christmas that is within all of us if we would only nurture it. The sequel was also quite heartwarming. This is sure to be a Christmas classic to watch every year and will be one I'm sure along with the other great ones. The story was well written and flowed smoothly along with no twists and mundane added scenes or unnecessary ones.The acting by all cast members was superb and well delivered.Heartwarming it definitely was and a tearjerker to boot.This is the type movie that should be watched during the year and not just at Christmas as the story is so appealing to us all.I hope to see it very soon on DVD in the USA.

I want my 94 minutes back

[sebacol · 1/10 · 13 December 2020]

Bad. just bad. story good. production bad. i swear i herd the same song throughout the hole movie it was insane.

An emotionally uplifting Christmas story!

[OllieSuave-007 · 9/10 · 10 December 2014]

This is an uplifting made-for-TV Christmas movie, a story about young Nathan Andrews (Max Morrow) who tries to raise money get a pair of dancing shoes for his dying mother, Maggie (Kimberly Williams-Paisley). In the meantime, lawyer Robert Layton (Rob Lowe) is dealing with marital issues and the course of events lead him to cross paths with Nathan.

Many made-for-TV Christmas movies are sappy, happy-go-lucky and a little bit corny to say the least. This movie is a heartfelt and meaningful story that will bring tears to your eyes, especially seeing young Nathan's enduring mission to buy a pair of his mother's favorite dancing shoes for Christmas. It shows how strong of a love a child has for his mother, something we should feel inspired from.

The parallel plot regarding Robert's life is intriguing and I thought it assimilated well with the Christmas shoes plot; it was interesting to see how the course of events from both stories relate towards each other, resulting in some emotional and uplifting results.

The acting was good and the direction by Andy Wolk was solid. A highly recommended Christmas movie that is perfect for the entire family.

Grade A