All I Want for Christmas (2013 TV Movie) User Reviews (11)

Self-Discovery Through a Mind-Reading Broach

[story_by_corey · 5/10 · 22 December 2014]

Typical Christmas-romance where self-infatuated girl meets the guy of her dreams during a coffee spill incident. Through the help of an elf, she obtains a mind-reading jewelry device that allows her to become more self-aware in order to find personal and professional fulfillment. The relationship between Elizabeth (Melissa Sagemiller) and Robert (Brad Lowe) feels forced. The remaining cast seem like bit players. I don't know why Tom Arnold was in the movie as his character adds nothing to the story. However, Martin Klebba as Calvin the Elf makes the movie enjoyable and his segments serve as the storyline anchor to keep things moving along.

This movie is a lot like holiday candy. It's satisfying while you watch it, but you will be craving something more substantial soon after it's over. It's worth watching once if nothing better is on TV.

Did she ever really learn her lesson?

[tlizakowski · 5/10 · 29 December 2019]

I love fantasy Christmas rom-coms! And this one had all the right elements. But...

Here we have a self-absorbed biz exec who is forced to learn the true meaning of relationships at Christmas time. And in pops Calvin, Santa's magical elf, to help!

But did she ever really learn anything? Seems like all she got in the end still seemed, well...self-absorbed?

What we need here is a sequel. Force her to take her lessons learned to a deeper level.

Nah, that would make this too much like real life. Where's the fun in that? 😏

Nice film except for...

[wkozak221 · 5/10 · 29 November 2018]

I like this film. It is fun. I like everyone. The only problem I have is the CEO of Sarah's Dance. The guy is rich. PLEASE SHAVE!!!!!

Bad

[Jackbv123 · 2/10 · 27 October 2020]

I wanted a Christmas movie I hadn't seen and I thought the hearing-thoughts-ability had possibilities.

There's a word for Elizabeth, but I can't use it here. Half the villains in this kind of movie are nicer than this alleged heroine. Even the elf says he doesn't like her. She doesn't improve through the whole movie with the exception of her last second conversion which isn't believable.

The movie uses exaggeration and sarcasm for humor, which I don't find funny. For example, she doesn't just get coffee spilled on her, she gets knocked 5 feet to the ground and drenched. The potential blind date always has a ventriloquist dummy with him. And sexism isn't funny at all. The sexism isn't just once or twice but it pervades most of the movie. Even the elf is sexist.

The acting ranges from mediocre to horrible. The dialogue is stiff. There are a couple of speeches that are just boring. Meaningful conversations don't make sense or just fall flat. And the climatic speech should have been too little too late. It certainly wasn't believable as honest.

The story premise is one of my least favorite: get-the-business-or-else. Even that theme is exaggerated.

This is a rom/com. Even well past the half way point the romantic leads are still butting heads, not just reluctant. And Elizabeth is still thinking mostly about herself. There's no reason why Robert should be attracted to her. It should be needless to say that there is no chemistry between the leads.

There is a little twist just before the climax which comes from an unexpected place, but it only facilitates the obvious outcome which is still hypocritical.

Interesting thing about this Christmas movie which I saw on Lifetime: One of the last things Mr. Korzo said was that he didn't forgive. Even if that is just semantics, it is in contrast to a lot of Christmas movies. Many of those movies emphasize that forgiveness is a big part of the Christmas spirit.

I watched this movie through to the end because many movies start off bad, especially with an unlikeable character, but then get better. I didn't want a review to miss that possibility. Unfortunately, it didn't get better.

Couldn't wait for this movie -- to be over

[redleader55 · 16 December 2013]

These kinds of "uplifting" family-oriented movies sometimes tend to be a bit on the cheesy side, but this one was extremely moldy. Wow.

Bad, woody dialog. Plot holes big enough to drive a semi-truck through. Undeveloped characters. Actors who can't act. Characters who act without motivation. Even for a fantasy movie, the relationships between characters isn't believable.

Tom Arnold, the only recognizable actor in the movie, must have been really hard up for some pocket change. Even his three brief appearances come across as stiff, lacking sincerity, and awkward.

My wife had control of the remote, so I could only hold my nose through the last third of this stinker.

A script generated by software would have been better

[dlxmarks · 2/10 · 5 December 2016]

I really shouldn't bother commenting because I recognize that this movie is simply holiday schedule filler featuring actors that don't get cast very often. And I admit I watched only the first 10 minutes. But those 10 minutes were enough to get me to turn off the TV and head to IMDb to comment. I'm going to blame the writers and director rather than the cast for how awful it was. Melissa Sagemiller's Elizabeth is so abrasive and unprofessional that not only would she not be an ad agency vice-president, she wouldn't even be employed. And the repeated drink spilling gag: I guess it's lucky for the characters that the only beverage in their universe is room temperature water served in coffee cups because no one screamed in pain from being scalded or got their clothes stained. There was a profound amount of lazy film making just in the opening 3 scenes and I assumed things would go downhill from there.

All I don't want for Christmas

[TheLittleSongbird · 2/10 · 17 December 2021]

Despite loving Christmas and loving many Christmas films and specials, 'All I Want for Christmas' didn't appeal to me on paper and looked cheesy from the advertising. It just sounded so predictable and unimaginative and Tom Arnold usually does little for me (with a couple of exceptions). Plus reading about the female lead being one of those characters with overblown character flaws filled me with further dread, as that is a peeve of mine when watching something.

'All I Want for Christmas' was not just more or less what was expected (very low expectations despite my love for the holiday, the only reason for watching as well as completest sake and curiosity) but was pretty much worse. Have seen worse films and Christmas films, but this was very bad in almost every area (and this is coming from someone who always tries to find the good in something that is overall bad) and is very close to being towards the bottom.

The soundtrack was quite pleasant.

Other than that, 'All I Want for Christmas' was a waste of time. The acting is mediocre at best and absolutely awful at worst. Faring worst is Melissa Sagemiller, who overacts and comes over as neurotic in a role that is as badly written as people say it is. She has no chemistry with not as bad but bland and too laid back Brad Rowe, really was not feeling the charm or the romance and that he saw any appeal in her suspends some disbelief. Arnold's character was completely pointless, one that the film does absolutely nothing with, and Arnold is a plank of wood in it.

Really disliked the characters, they are not interesting or well developed and almost all of them have deeply unpleasant and over-flawed personalities. 'All I Want for Christmas' has a cheap and rushed look to it, especially the choppy editing. The script is cheesier than the cheesiest of burgers, as sugary as the sourest sweet and there is a mean spirited quality. Plus it never really flows naturally.

Furthermore, the story has nothing imaginative in it. Lots of well worn tropes with very fatigued execution. There is no charm or heart to it either and the pace lacks energy.

In summation, very poor. 2/10.

Mean person gets to hear what people really think of her.

[jk-692-236394 · 7/10 · 27 December 2018]

What's not to love about that? This was a fun movie. I thought the acting was solid. Tom Arnold has a minor role. He is stiff and gives off a strange vibe as the boss, but doesn't he always? The lead character is a self centered, rude, and selfish person. Then an elf gives her a broach that allows her to hear what people are thinking. She quickly get's over the shock of negative thoughts/and men thinking she is hot, and moves right on to how to selfishly use it to her own good. Staying right in character. It all plays out as expected, but it is a fun ride. The actress elevates it a above a cheesy holiday movie. Enjoyable 90 minutes.

Painful to Watch

[seanpelusi · 1/10 · 29 December 2019]

As another reviewer mentioned, a script written by AI might be better than this one. I swear I just watched another equally terrible movie with the gender roles reversed.

As another reviewer mentioned, this movie reeks of stinky, cheesy, non-creative plot.

I wish these writers and directors would change careers.

The worst 10 minutes of my life

[Tiny T · 3/10 · 10 December 2020]

What a unbelievable start of supposed to be feel good movie. SPOILER ALERT. The first few scene are about how a female vice president show her lack of family involvement by forgetting a diner appointment with her sister and a subsequent appointment to show her nephew a good time the next day by taking him to town to see Santa. If that doesn't throw you off, the next scene should. An altercation with a street Santa raising money for the homeless, and the only thing she brings up is her annoyment with the loud bell. And on top of it all she cuts in line at the coffeecorner stating she is late and she is a very important executive so she cant wait like all the others. The others vote her out democratically to show her of but the attendant finished her order like there not a cloud in the sky. i mean, with employees like that your business goes belly up in a week. Aside from the impossibility that you cant be that thick to behave like that. And if the acting was up to average it could be sold as a comedy, but no luck there. The bext scene Tom Arnolds got involved and he couldn't hide his disgust if sinking this low in his career. That's were I ended my suffering and used the stop button. So there goes my challenge to see all the christmas movies on that channel. On the first day!! So said. Well, hope you have a better experience

It Worked!

[jennifer-00321 · 8/10 · 17 December 2021]

This movie accomplishes just what it set out to, I believe. I align the theme and lessons learned here with those of my favorites classics like A Christmas Carol and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. It was VERY Funny, entertaining and it ended on a high note like it should. Okay, there was some over acting and some cheesy things, but it was deliberate and genius (I think).