mraculeated
The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.
Humaira Grant
It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.
Derry Herrera
Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.
Kimball
Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.
Amy Adler
Wayne Saunders (Patrick Swayze) moved his family from Los Angeles to Edmonton, Alberta, to take a new job. Unhappily, the company chose that moment to downsize and Wayne loses the post before he has a chance to even begin! Also, its near Christmas and his wife is back in California, tying up lose ends with her own job. Therefore, Wayne and the three kids, teenage Brian, middle schooler Danny and young daughter Mary have to get a tree and shop for all of the gifts. Needless to say, Wayne is not used to balancing the whole affair on his shoulders AND, since his job melted away and there were moving expenses, finances are extremely tight. Therefore, when the family heads to the enormous underground mall, Dad puts Brian in charge of the other two kids, so that he, Wayne, can shop for the children in private. But, Brian, downcast since the big move, likes the looks of the teen girls he sees at the mall and gives Danny money to take care of Mary, letting him, Brian, hang out with kids his age. Whoa, wait until Dad hears this! On their own, Sam and Mary stumble upon a bag of cash, which they believe is a gift from the mall's Santa. However, its really counterfeit bills that a trio of dumb thieves (including Carmen Electra) were going to use for their own brand of Xmas cheer. Now, the thieves are after the kids and the kids are out to avoid being caught and to trip up the robbers at the same time. Who will win out and will it turn into a merry season after all? This is a cute holiday film, sort of a Home Alone at the mall. The kids and the crooks are very entertaining, generating many giggles with their antics. Swayze, naturally, is nice as the harried dad, although the focus of the film is more on the young folks. Supporting actors like Electra, Tim Curry, and all of the others do fine work, too. In addition, the setting is very nice, as the mall looks gorgeous, festive, and quite, quite enormous. Those Canadians sure are lucky! The movie likewise has attractive costumes, a humorous script, and a lively direction. Therefore, although the title is easily confused with a host of others, look hard for this one at holiday time or, indeed, whenever the mood strikes you or the children. Its another fine addition to the growing number of holiday cinematic treats.
chefsausage
When I saw this film, it was luckily for free and I watched it with my friends on a projector. Well, the DVD menu said it all. "Christmas in Wonderland" would be horrible. It had a typical order of events. The film was predictable at all parts. The acting was a shame to Hollywood. As for the script; that seemed like something a person on pot would write. "Christmas in Wonderland" had an absolutely horrid plot line. All of the twists and turns were the same as they are in other movies, with no originality; not to mention it was beyond far fetched. The suspense in the film, well there was none. Everything could be predicted from the start. And you never were on the edge of your seat. The script was a whole different issue. The dialogue was terrible and so were the actors. I felt like laughing the entire time at how horrible it was. If you plan on seeing this film, don't. It is NOT worth it.
rockwell220
I DVR'd the movie, and before watching it I read the review comments posted . . . and then I foolishly watched the movie anyway. Saying this movie is BAD is giving it too much credit. The terrible writing is only accentuated by the terrible acting.The one redeeming thing was seeing the Edmonton Mall. I've heard lots about it but we've never made it up there. It's a shame some of the stores probably lost customers when they were shooting the movie. Hope they were well compensated for any loss.Final word . . . If you have an open two hours and are thinking of watching this movie, don't do it. Instead, read a book.
ducati_999
I got to see an advanced screening of this movie in Edmonton. Sadly while its good for a movie to be made in Edmonton, this is the worst movie i have ever seen. Worse than Police Academy Mission in Moscow. Worse than a Sylvestor Stalone or Hulk Hogan comedy. And those are bad movies. Im sure most direct to DVD movies are better than this. And this is sad as i do enjoy GOOD Christmas movies.The script is terrible and doesn't give the actors much to work with, but only a few actors seemed as though they are not just reading lines. The movie is full of product placement. Initially at their house with apple products and a PSP in center screen, then at the mall with the kids going on a shopping spree. The West Edmonton Mall had a terrible CGI makeover from the outside to make it seem 'magical' as it was painted in blue gold and pink. The first 5 minutes of mall footage was like a promo video for the mall. (Although it is a great mall and you should all visit it, this is meant to be a movie not an infomercial.)The love story in the movie is unbelievable. The older boy misses his girlfriend from LA. But luckily he finds an attractive girl with the same obscure name as his old girlfriend, who also just moved from LA, and who has the exact same catch phrase as the boy does. He says one line to her, and they are instantly dating. It must have been love at first sight.There were a couple of bright spots though. Tim Curry Played a Scottish Canadian Mountie. He forgot peoples names and i did laugh when he called one of his helpers 'Rico' when that was neither of their names. But this gag was used several times and grew tiresome by the end of the movie. Santa also made many appearances, making the whole family believe in him again.One part i cant get over though is the image of the north pole. One of the boys opens a door supposedly to the north pole. The next scene is very poor cgi animation. I think the whole audience was shocked by its lack of quality. They must have hired a computer graphics student who hadn't finished the course yet. As it was beginners level stuff.To conclude, while I got a free pass to this movie i still felt somewhat short changed by it all. I would have hated to have paid money to see it. Terrible.