Lucybespro It is a performances centric movie

Beystiman It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

Plustown A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

Payno I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Amy Adler Sarah (Ann Jillian) is the part-time mayor of a town that is big at holiday time, St. Nicholas is its name! With her other work time, she is the area's vet. Unfortunately, the village is rather remote and the town's doctor has just passed away. With simple cases, Sarah has been helping out in medical emergencies but she can't truly practice human medicine. Now, word comes that longtime, older resident Bob (Jack Palance) is going to have visitors. This would be his physician son, Michael (Robert Hays) and his tween daughter. Every resident is eager to greet Michael and persuade him to move back and be the doctor that they need. Unfortunately, there are complications. Michael has lived and practiced in a big metropolitan area, so he may not want to "go back home". But, more importantly, he is having anxiety attacks and loss of confidence in his skills, due mostly to the death of his wife a couple of years before. At the hospital where he has been treating patients, a supervisor is ready to grant him a professional leave, so that he can seek help. Maybe just going back to be among family and friends will do the trick. Here's hoping. Also complicating matters is the fact that Sarah was Michael's high school sweetheart and she has never married another. Will a rekindling of romance be possible? This is a nice family Christmas flick but it is not lighthearted in subject matter. Michael truly is going through an emotional crisis that has to be dealt with seriously. Also, Sarah is not certain she wants him back in town, for she is afraid her heart may be broken again. In addition, Bob is difficult to get to know well, making a hardship for the granddaughter who doesn't think her g-pa likes her very much. On the plus side, the cast members are quite fine, the setting is very lovely, while the script tackles issues with a caring story. Overall, if you want a holiday movie, this is a good one, yes, but just be in the mood for something more reflective and less light-hearted.

XcrossbonesX_black this movie is so good to see. i saw it last week with my dad and i wanted my mom to see it as well. i want to buy it for Christmas even! it made me cry because of the great acting cast and storyline as well as the script. this movie feels like home to me and i love the way it is filmed in Toronto, Canada but set in Iowa, USA. i love the snow scenes. everybody did a terrific job on this movie and i congratulate them all. i wish it was shown every year in December and made a big deal of like other Christmas movies are, like "The Santa Clause". somehow this movie made me to want to keep watching, even though i knew it would entail a happy ending. i like movies with happy endings. this movie is so cool and i recommend it to every family out there who believe in the spirit of Christmas.

WstPhxMom I adore Christmas movies and had hoped this one would be another to add to my long list of "must watch" movies during the Christmas season. Unfortunately, it wasn't.Spoiler follows----The story line, while plausible in some aspects (small towns without physicians) became so unbelievable that I spent the second hour shaking my head and muttering "no way" under my breath. I am an ER RN and there was not one iota of accuracy anywhere in the climax of this movie. The ER physician couldn't seem to decide whether his still speaking patient was in "cardiac arrest" or in "tachycardia" since he stated "cardiac arrest" first. All the while the actual rhythm shown on the monitor was atrial flutter. No physician would ever be allowed or presume to take over a surgery on his own family member. It is unethical at the least. A stranger wouldn't be told anything about a staff physician by the admin of the hospital, especially medical information about the physician's "panic attacks" unless she came armed with a subpoena. These were just a few of the completely unbelievable moments. There was so much potential to this movie but unfortunately because of the above, my recommendation is to pass this one by.

SanDiego Surprisingly entertaining feel good comedy-drama about big city surgeon Michael (Robert Hays) and his daughter who are courted to return home to the small town he grew up in to run the local hospital. His father Bob, played by Jack Palance, talks the surgeon's old girlfriend Sarah (Ann Jillian), now an animal vet and the only doctor in town, into warming up to her old boyfriend. The entire town, old friends of Michael, do their best, but Michael can't get past the recent death of his wife. Will Michael and Sarah rekindle their romance? Will Michael raise his daughter in the wholesome Mayberry town he grew up in? Will Michael run the small town hospital? We all know the answers, but the fun is watching it all unfold. Colorful supporting cast, small midwest Christmas town atmosphere, and sweet performances from the leads make this a holiday treat.