statetax Regardless of the critics, this movie has become one of my top five Christmas movies--we watch it every year.To start with, I dislike TV movies. The budget is low. The acting is somewhat cliché. So they ripped off parts of Ground Hogs Day. The storyline in Ground Hogs Day was so shallow and irrelevant that it needed to be done over.Christmas Do Over resonates with one basic truth--that each of us must get up everyday and try and improve on the previous one. Except in this one, he keeps waking up to a Christmas disaster of his own making. Its real. It moves. It teaches. It is squeaky clean. Its awkward. It feels good. The story has so much potential that I wish they could do it over with more money. I don't mind the actors, but it could have been done better. I would rewrite certain parts like the Christmas fair. Who goes to a Christmas fair on Christmas. But it worked into their characterizations and plot.Notwithstanding the flaws, the movie is a hidden gem and everyone should see this movie. At least once. A year.

mrtimlarabee I was not about to say "Groundhog Day for Christmas," as one poster has noted that the "do-over" concept has been done before. I recall a short dramatic piece called 12:01 PM that was later turned into a film that was quite good. However, when you take a concept from another comedy film and almost plagiarize the thing, we need to talk.This brings us to the abysmal "Christmas Do-Over." I don't normally review TV movies, but the whole thing was appalling. Jay Mohr plays a divorced father spending Christmas with his former in laws. Jay Mohr has a cynical view towards Christmas, contempt for his ex-wife's new boyfriend, and is not the most successful father. He starts to repeat Christmas over and over and comedy supposedly ensues.This is where the film gets very uncreative, delivering events that are like Groundhog Day hand me downs. Like Groundhog Day, Mohr starts by making a sham of the holiday, tries to kill himself, starts to do things right, then has a day where he helps people, impresses, and puts on a break dance show at a fair following repeated days of practice. It's kinda like playing the piano, if you get my drift. Characters even spout out lines that sound like they were lifted from Groundhog Day. Trust me, it's bad.Then there's the casting. This is an impressive set here. Given, the actors aren't A-list, but are talented. All do a fine job. Jay Mohr seems as though he was either horribly miscast or badly directed. Given this script, he may have just not cared. The problem is that he is not able to ever be likable, even when he's doing things right. Groundhog Day was successful because even though Bill Murray's character was slime at the beginning, we still had a desire to follow him and watch him grow. The writing on that film had a lot of heart. This film does not. Jay Mohr never achieves a believable likability to make the premise of the film connect with its viewers.The only good point I'll say about this film is that there are occasional bits of humor that are good. Most notably, a comment made by Jay Mohr's team of dancers as they win a competition against some people acting out the Nativity. There's a great one liner. But a one liner does not make a good movie. Originality does. Not recommended.

M F Excellent movie ! Great casting ! 'Christmas Do-Over' is a real pleasure to watch. With a solid cast as Jay Mohr (Jerry Maguire), Daphne Zuniga (Spaceballs, American Dreams, Beautiful People), Adrienne Barbeau (Carnivale), bravo to ABC Family for release this charming movie. Jay Mohr and Daphne Zuniga did a really great job, two excellent actors!!Directed by Catherine CyranSynopsis: Feeling obligated to spend Christmas visiting his ex-wife Jill, young son Ben, and former in- laws, a shallow jingle writer finds himself living Christmas day over and over again. Before he can get on with his life, he'll have to determine what in his life needs changing – and who he needs to reconcile with to make this Christmas the best he's ever had.Cast: Jay Mohr Daphne Zuniga David Millbern Logan Grove Ruta LeeWith also Tim Thomerson and Zach Cumer.***** / 5

boblipton Take the plot of GROUNDHOG DAY, in which Bill Murray has to do the same day over and over again until he finally gets it right, remaking himself, in the process, from a surly lout into a genuinely caring individual. Change the setting from a real Punxatawney, Pennsylvania to a stand-in-for-everywhere, ill-defined location. Replace brilliant comic lead Bill Murray will talented Jay Mohr and some good supporting actors like Daphne Zuniga and Ruta Lee. Sprinkle liberally with many of the identical incidents from the original movie, changed slightly to fit the different holiday and avoid lawsuits and replace top comedy director Harold Ramis with someone I've never heard of before and you get a dull TV movie. Don't bother with this one, folks.