meloda For a made-for-TV movie, this is very good. Don't expect a classic, but it's very heartwarming and touching for a family to watch around the holidays. A man (Robert Hayes) comes home to his hometown with his preteen daughter (the talented and beautiful Ashley Gorrell, always one of my favorites as a kid and my first childhood celebrity crush!) who is very adorable in this movie and plays her part very well. Hayes is always very talented and a good dad in every movie he's been in, and this is no exception. He plays a very good man who returns to his hometown and gets reacquainted with many people. He has created himself a new life in his new town, and faces a lot of transitions when returning home. This leads to a lot of confusion for the man, being a widower and single dad. He faces a lot of choices and challenges in the process to make possible life changes. All everyone wants is for a Merry Christmas in this dying small town, which creates a lot of confusion and difficulty for many. A lot of surprises happen along the way to throw many expected things off course. Every character is very likable, however, and it leads to a very positive ending.Being from a small and dying town myself, I can relate a lot to it; and only wish such things could end so well in my area. This movie is well worth watching around the holidays if you are in the mood for a good spirit and good family time. No classic, but enjoyable if one keeps expectations low and realizes it's just a TV movie.

Christmas-Reviewer What the community of St. Nicholas, Iowa lacks in size, it makes up for in enthusiasm. So when the mayor and local veterinarian, Sarah (Ann Jillian), reveals that a doctor is needed to keep the area hospital open, the town jumps at the chance to fill the position. The top candidate is hometown hero Mike (Robert Hays), the widower son of a local man (Jack Palance), who is a practicing surgeon in the city. St. Nicholas welcomes Mike and his daughter with open arms when they visit for Christmas, but moving back to town permanently is more complicated than it seems. Since losing his wife, Mike has struggled in his profession and his love life...both of which he must confront if he returns to St. Nicholas for good.This film is really good. For adults but it is family safe. People with short attention spans will be bored. However movie fans will enjoy this because Jack Palance isn't playing the heavy. In this he plays a NICE GUY/GRANDFATHER. HE is wonderful and I just wish the film had more of him in it.This film is really cheap to buy. It's on Amazon but be careful. There is several films that have this title however this is usually in DVD Multi Title Packs where you get more than one movie in a single purchase.

rzjacobs-1 This is a great movie.(I would rate this as one of my all time favorite movies) I usually cannot watch movies a second time but this is one movie I can watch over and over. Ashley Gorrell is awesome in this movie and the cast all seem to click together. This is a movie everyone can enjoy. You will need a box of Kleenex when watching this movie. Ann Jillian, Jack Palance, Robert Hays, Ashley Gorrell are great together. I would love to see a sequel to this movie You won't regret purchasing or renting this movie. I'll Be Home For Christmas is a must see every year at the holidays and gets one ready for the holidays. It puts Christmas in perspective and makes you realize how important family, friends and community are. A+

trpdean I adore this movie. It very much reminds me of excellent Hollywood movies from the 1940s - and should probably have been released in theaters.There are a number of very interesting conflicts in this movie - the appeal of small towns vs. big cities, the psychological conflict within the male protagonist regarding his competence and career, the efforts by small Midwestern towns to remain viable, the awakening of the female middle aged protagonist to her own loneliness - and her subsequent defeated effort to resolve it, the granddaughter's past minimal relationship to her rural grandfather.So many of the issues in this movie ring true - especially for those in the Midwest but not exclusively.So many small towns have faded as the young and ambitious left the town far behind them when they went away to college - schools, hospitals, department stores, are shut down as the dwindling population no longer requires - or can support - them.Similarly, the burn-out of an upper middle class professional after two decades of practice - and without a spouse to sustain him -- is true in countless cases.Finally, the unlikelihood that a single woman doctor (in this case a veterinarian) will fall for someone of similar interests and education -when she returns to the small town after many years away at college and veterinary school, is very true.The acting by all the principals is wonderful - Ann Jillian is graciously lovely, vulnerable and far more understated than in most roles I've seen her in, Robert Hays is his very credible gentlemanly self, Jack Palance is extraordinary - again far more understated than I've seen him in other roles, and the actress playing the girl plays her part so well - her trepidation, enthusiasm, directness, warmth.One thing that I particularly liked about this movie was the pairing of Ann Jillian and Robert Hays. They're two actors I'd never have thought of together - the former has played such brassy and showy roles in so many productions and the latter is so self-effacing, almost shy. Yet this fits their parts perfectly - you can see in their looks and intelligence why they'd have been drawn together in high school - and yet not wanted to continue the relationship when both went off to college.In the very different personalities of the actor and actress, you feel they're perfect as a FORMER high school couple. And yet as the decades have passed, one can readily accept the growing vulnerability of Ann Jillian's character - one can readily see how the vet's once spectacular attention-getting looks have (gently) faded as she's lived her life of activity and entrepreneurship, taken charge of necessary things - and taken little note of her own self. In this sense, the (still beautiful) Ann Jillian's current round figure and her character's dowdy camouflaging clothes perfectly fit the self-heedlessness of her character.Similarly, the lines (on which the camera focuses) upon the face of the still boyish looking Hays character are testament to the loss of confidence suffered in the years since the death of the once brilliant funny wife who had fortified his own sense of being successful. His wife no longer shields his lack of confidence. Hays looks careworn and doubtful - and few of his body movements, even the way he looks at others, are committed.In their current situations, these characters' emotions, hesitations, decisions - even their lies - are very well-written and very credible because they're wonderfully portrayed.The small town is well-portrayed (especially the speed with which news told to one is passed around), and not overly sentimentalized. Moreover, the big city (Minneapolis? St. Paul? Rochester Minn.?) is - surprisingly and wonderfully - NOT made to look bad to make the small town look appealing. The availability of fun ice rinks, great shopping, a well-run major hospital - ARE advantages of the big city - and they're not downplayed in the interest of the story.These are real adults - and this is a wonderfully adult movie. If you liked movies with say, Barbara Stanwyck or Bette Davis, Katherine Hepburn or Irene Dunne - this movie's for you. It evokes truly strong emotions in the viewer because it all feels so very true.I hope this becomes one of those movies that steadily gains enormous favor over time - and becomes ritual viewing across the country.It's that good.