The Christmas Spirit
The Christmas Spirit
G | 01 December 2013 (USA)
The Christmas Spirit Trailers

Charlotte Hart, a distinguished journalist, is spending time with her family over the holidays when a real estate developer approaches their small town with quite an offer. Skeptical and looking for the real scoop, Charlotte drives to see the real estate head honcho to question him. While she's en route, she gets into a terrible car accident and wakes up in the hospital only to realize that her body is in a coma, but her spirit is very much awake. She meets another spirit, who just happens to be the greedy developer. It turns out that he was on the other end of the accident and he too is in a coma. With only a few days left before the town votes on the development, Charlotte must try to change the minds of the developer and the town, but that is no easy task when no one can see or hear her. Will her voice be heard?

Reviews
Manthast Absolutely amazing
Beystiman It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.
Afouotos Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.
WillSushyMedia This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.
DLThune I don't care what kind of financial trouble a small town is having. There is no way on earth that they would leave a broken traffic light blinking green in both directions. NO WAY. This is the single point that ruins this movie for me every time I see it. If nothing else, the town could have purchased clear red tape from any auto supply store and make that light blink red instead of green. This just wouldn't happen "in real life". The author should have come up with a different idea to put both protagonists in the spirit world rather than an unbelievable, forever broken, blinking green traffic light.
caseybones The minute they showed the broken traffic light the anvils started raining down and the entire plot was revealed immediately. Charlotte, an award winning journalist, comes to visit her small town family at Christmas.There is a requisite Big Bad Businessman tied to the Evil Empire destined to destroy the quaint little village that can't afford to fix a traffic light. First thought – put up a stop sign but then there wouldn't be this insipid pseudo-plot. There is also the usual cast of relatives including bullied nephew and wayward niece, both saved by the almost-ghost aunt and the lonely, eccentric neighbor (anvil again) who can see things. Another anvil hits when the Big Bad Businessman says that Christmas isn't his thing and then proceeds to tell the totally expected sad story of his boyhood which includes no Christmas tree.Of course, both Spirits are able to touch and move things (and bake cookies) despite being almost-ghosts although their ability is mysteriously inconsistent. Nicollette Sheridan is pretty much the worst actor I know but she keeps being hired for this Hallmark schlock. The acting was blah by pretty much everybody except Olympia Dukakis and it's a mystery why she got mixed up in this mess. If you can't figure out the ending within the first 10 minutes, you've never watched a Hallmark low budget production.
littlemissbookwerm I live in Dayton, Ohio and grew up going to Lebanon with my grandma for lunch. She's got a slight obsession with the Golden Lamb, which has (to a lesser extent) been passed on to me. So, last December, when she requested that we record the movie on DVR to watch on Christmas Day, I readily agreed. It was terrible. You've got to understand, I'm a writer. I spend hours every day pouring over manuscripts, editing, hunting for problems with plot, character development, motive... I'm a writing geek. And movies like this make my brain explode. I spent the entire film biting back my thoughts about the illogical motives of the characters, the trite storyline... Sure, they got a decent cast. Not the BEST acting, but not the worst. The setting was beautiful. I know they shipped in a bunch of fake snow, so they could shoot the movie in September, and I can't deny that that was cool. But the plot. Oh dear, the plot... This movie is unique in that it contains one of the largest plot holes I've ever seen. All the action of the movie is based around the fact that this town is so poor, they can't afford to replace or repair a traffic light. But how much would it cost to put up stop signs? The entire incident could have been prevented if somebody somewhere just thought of that, instead. I have a feeling that this is one problem in the script that the writers just glazed over. You know, deal with it later? But they forgot. Also, without that mistake, there is no movie. All in all, it was... cute. And that's the absolute nicest thing I can say. Probably too nice. Go ahead. Watch it. But only if you don't suffer the affliction of having a writer's brain.
bergie1965 I am from Oregonia, which is right outside Lebanon, where the movie was filmed...This movie has a great message about The Christmas Spirit and was very well done. It was amazing to see a film shot where I live. The restaurant is actually named "The Country Kitchen" and has amazing food and service, it has hometown feel and really added to the movie knowing that it does in real life. I am not sure if it is going to be available on DVD, but I would love to buy this movie and I am sure others would as well. It shows the true meaning to Christmas and I feel is something that needs to be portrayed more in these days when so many want to remove the true meaning. Amazing message and job well done!!