A Christmas Star (2017) User Reviews (14)

For adults, the review would be 2 stars; for kids a 5 because the film is blessedly CLEAN!

[famtherapy · 5/10 · 1 January 2024]

Liam Neeson and Pierce Brosnan must have lent their fame to this film because they love children and families. Beyond their notoriety, this movie's script has no real hook.

The pottery town of Pottersglen is about to be purchased to make way for a casino and golf course. Coincidence with the name Potter being used (as in "Its a Wonderful Life" with Mr. Potter as the antagonist?) Maybe so, but even top stars couldn't save this oft repeated "save the town from a greedy, villainous corporate executive" theme. Liam Neeson's narration and his easily recognizable gravely voice add any magic. Cute kids. Good acting. Bad script.

Just a pleasant small Christmas themed Irish movie.

[TxMike · 25 December 2015]

I found this movie on Netflix streaming. I watched it with my wife on Christmas Eve, as we both were suffering with very bad head and chest colds. Bah, humbug!

The story focuses on young Erin Galway-Kendrick as Noelle O'Hanlon, so named because she was born on Christmas day and, because her dad had vehicle issues, she was born in a manger of sorts and delivered by an older woman who had only delivered calves before.

Noelle grows up much like all her friends in their small sea-side town, but she finds she has a talent, the ability to perform "small miracles". Usually manifest this way, when two people were quarreling she could look at them, squint a bit, and all would become happy and cooperative.

The drama comes when Rob James-Collier (the nasty guy on Downton Abbey) as Pat McKerrod comes back to town. He grew up there but obviously with great disdain for the place and its struggling snow globe factory. He has returned to represent himself as their savior, he will buy the company and assure jobs for all, but he is lying to them. He is working for Pierce Brosnan back in the States, who literally phones in his role as Mr. Shepherd, a tough businessman who only cares about himself.

So the resolution of the various stories requires Noelle and her young friends to discover the truth and to point it out so that her small town and its snow globe business can be preserved.

It is all fairly trite and over-simplified but I don't believe the filmmakers ever thought they were making an award-winning movie. It is just a small movie with a Christmas theme and entertaining for those in the right frame of mind for it.

Save yourself, don't watch it!

[adamjohns-42575 · 1/10 · 8 December 2022]

A Christmas Star (2015) -

Noelle played by Erin Galway-Kendrick was the real star of this film. She was the only one, in a cast of supposedly good actors, that could actually deliver.

Robert James Collier was not the leading man the credits would have had me believe. He was also awful and his accent was all over the place. He was so false and the "Junior" thing with his son got really gross, really quickly.

And Pierce Brosnan was worse than he was in 'Mamma Mia!' (2008), but at least he didn't sing in this one.

I suppose that the only saving grace, apart from Erin, was Liam Neeson as the Narrator/Radio DJ, but I did have to wonder why he and Pierce would ever lend their names to a production like this. I was also very disappointed with Kylie Minogue and Dermot O'Leary for agreeing to be in it. Neither of their cameos were impressive or even that necessary.

The story itself, was very old fashioned, making the people of Ireland look backwards and out of touch and most of it was contrived, far fetched and forced. Not to mention that the whole factory take over thing had been done many times before and much better. It didn't even feel like a budget TV production, it just felt cheap.

It was really unclear what the random numbers that kept appearing in baubles were too, but it turned out it was the date.

They tried to end with a feel good moment, like that of 'Nativity!' (2009), but failed terribly, because it was just a bit confused and out of nowhere, all of a sudden. It didn't help that it was so bad that I wished that I hadn't bothered, so by the time it did get to the end, I was just desperately waiting for the credits to roll.

I've definitely turned off better than this.

Never to be watched again, I will never see that time again and I might actually sue the producers for compensation.

It was so bad!

1/10.

Please show your children a better movie than this

[jakehohnke-94259 · 1/10 · 23 December 2018]

I believe that some of the people who worked on this film may have actually been trying, and good on them, but this is just lazy film making. It feels so fake and I watched it with my 4 year old cousin and she was bored the entire time. It gets it's points across in the most on the nose way possible, and it is honestly just awful. I don't want to slander anyone who makes movies and is trying to create art, but this movie should not have been made. Whoever had the most creative control should be ashamed.

When you wish upon an Irish star...

[P3n-E-W1s3 · 7/10 · 27 December 2016]

This is better than most of your Christmas films, which seem to bog themselves down in sentimentality and Christmas Spirit. This isn't a bad thing since that's what Christmas is about. However, when you get a film like this which is set in more realistic situations it's a nice break from the over cheeriness of the usual Chrimbo fodder.

What also make this a movie worth watching is the acting, which, by and far, is superb. They actors did a great job and must have taken more than a few notes from the cameo "Stars" in the film, as this was the intended purpose of the Television Festival for Young People.

That said, the film could've done with a bit better script and direction, there were times when my attention would stray, and the acting wasn't enough to keep me glued to the gogglebox.

I recommend this film to all and we need more Christmas films like this - and more films helping young actors to come forward.

Disappointing

[tsvqcmq · 1/10 · 11 October 2022]

Astronomer as main character? Sounds great! But no. Enter the ridiculous idea that an ambitious woman should feel guilty focusing on her work during what may be the most important week of her career. Spare me! Also, who watches for meteors amid all that light pollution - not just in town but on the mountain! Now to the positives: all the actors are pleasant, and there is some lovely scenery. There's promotion of girls in STEM and a nod to starting young. And the movie highlights the problem of poor support of national parks. Also alluded to: the knowledge, skill and importance of park rangers.

Watch this

[Christmas-Reviewer · 7/10 · 23 August 2016]

Nice change of pace from the typical American Christmas Movie If you are familiar with the Bible then you will understand the phrase "And A Child Shall Lead Them" Born under the Christmas Star, Noelle believes she has the gift to perform miracles, so when conniving developer McKerrod threatens her peaceful life she and her friends determine to use this gift to thwart his plans and save their village. with the Bible you will understand when I say "And a Child Shall lead them" . This film is short and sweet. If you h ave a chance to view it to advantage of the opportunity. This is not a by the number "Hallmark" film. It has a nice "Disney Vibe" to it. There is even a few cameos in this film for the adults.

This film is very good. It is safe for the family to watch. Not a well known movie but it should be.

An Anti-American, Political Hit Piece

[WilliamMortensenVaughan · 1/10 · 2 January 2024]

One of the villains in this film has "fake," "orange hair," and is wealthy. Although I watched this film from beginning to end, it was never clear to me which fictitious character had the fake, orange hair; it might have been Pierce Brosnan's character, or it might have been another character, named Pat McKerrod; in reality, I have no doubt who the fictitious villain represented. An insensitive, wealthy man with fake, orange hair, in 2017... Who could that be?

Although this film is obviously a Christmas movie, it was released in May of 2017. I don't know for sure, but I suspect that its production began in November of 2016. They couldn't finish it in time to release it before Christmas that year, but they could not wait until the following Christmas to release it.

Besides all of the cheap shots at a man who is arguably the best U. S. President since Abraham Lincoln, this film also included several cheap shots at Americans, which, as a native American who retired from the U. S. Army, I resent.

To his credit, Pierce Brosnan did a political "U-turn" by Christmas, 2019.

A little gem

[nina_glyndwr · 8/10 · 23 December 2016]

For a low-budget film that uses a lot of non-professionals, this is a really good film.

A pleasing plot. Very neat.

And the children are great actors.

I'm glad I watched it. I almost didn't - because of the low rating.

I had watched a big-budget children's film before it and that had the same rating. I gave it a 4. It was dire.

This film, however, is so much better.

No special effects, no professional child actors, but just so much better.

Interesting story line

[dawnp-38550 · 7/10 · 22 December 2018]

Creative story line twist amidst many Christmas shows that are all the same. Love wins!

Nice!

[zdarov · 9/10 · 5 December 2016]

Based on some of other reviews, I first watched this in 2017 or so, and I'm glad I did. I've watched it every year since. I have no idea why the overall rating is poor. I just changed mine from 8 to 9 to help!

The acting was good - children and adults - the scenery's lovely, and the story is real. There is some ugliness spoken, but it all gets resolved. I heartily recommend this movie to anyone - please give it a try, and rate it! It may be best for ages 8-9 and up, since there's not much action or shiny things for small tots. If you like this, also see Journey to the Christmas Star (Norway).

Deserves better reviews

[henbradshaw · 9/10 · 28 November 2018]

I am reviewing it as an Irish Film but as a Christmas film. I don't understand some of the negativity here. Ok, so with stars it should have been better but the story was excellent. When I was young it would have been a Children's Film Foundation Film because it was a children's film. It had a baddie in the shape of a developer who hates his childhood home. It had a young girl who knew what was really going on. Friends who let her down but rallied at the last minute, and then had courage to go to Stormont and tell the world.

Cameo surprises

[Gordon-11 · 7 January 2021]

The story is alright, but the real gem is the surprise celebrity cameos. They are really big names and I wonder how the filmmakers managed to get the big names to appear in the film!