A Mom for Christmas

Diehard fans of Olivia Newton-John breathed a sigh of relief this year when, after an 18 year wait, the beloved Christmas movie, entitled "A Mom For Chirstmas," would be released on DVD. It was never even released on video in the United States since it first aired despite its cult classic status among fans of the singer...and kids who fell in love with the movie as it played as a rerun most holidays since its making.

This DVD is well-packaged. The cover art is new, and it features a photograph of Olivia Newton-John with Juliet Sorcey, who plays the young Jessie in the film. While it does not contain "special features," the DVD does show a photograph of the three central cast members as the instrumental version of "What If" plays.

"What If" is a beautiful song Olivia performed exclusively for the movie (that has never been released elsewhere). In the gorgeous song, Olivia laments such observations as, "What if there's a moment when angry hearts forgive, a time for giving harmony and peace a chance to live. Before you remind me this is the real world, ask yourself, "What if?" She also performs another song in the film called "So Strange" that is played during a very emotional scene, heightening the experience for the viewers through the power of her vocals and the power of her acting talents.

The movie opens with a motherless Jessie aimlessly shopping for the holidays. She observed daughters with mothers with a resigned wistfulness, wishing that she had a mother of her own. She meets up with a classmate who is annoyed with her own mother, and we see--through the eyes of Jessie--how the young girl should appreciate what she has. When the two girls are each granted a freebie grab at a mall wishing well, Jessie wins a "free wish." She wishes for a mother for the holidays, looking at the mall mannequins of mother and daughter. What she doesn't realize is that her wish just may come true!

A "fairy godmother" sort of character sees the aching Jessie and wants to help. Doris Roberts, who has appeared in many things from "Alf" to "Everybody Loves Raymond," plays the character of Philomena, a woman who seems to work at the mall, yet who has a magical duty. She comforts Jessie and speaks to her about the wish.

However, Jessie lets go of her wish, realizing with resolve that it's unlikely to come true. After all, this is the real world. She has a fairly happy home life with her devoted dad (played by the great Doug Sheehan). However, some things are missing. He stopped taking pictues of his little girl when her mother died years ago. He is working most of the time. He doesn't stop to notice that she is a misfit in school and in aching need of a mother. Yet, his love for the little girl is apparent, and their fun relationship is one of the first things viewers get lost in within the movie.

It is then that movie takes a bit of a turn, think "Mannequin" meets "It's A Wonderful Life." A woman shows up late one night on their doorstep, and Juliet is in shock as she starts to realize that her dream just may have come true. Amy Miller (the character played by Olivia Newton-John) is the name that the mysterious and beautiful woman who appears. Although he did not place an ad for a housekeeper or nanny, Amy is so charming that she talks him into believing that he may have done just that. He accepts this stranger into their home, and Jessie suddenly does have her mom for Christmas. If things were only so simple!

Amy is used to being a mannequin! Her growing pains and adjustments are humorous and numerous. Jessie also begins to see that the grass isn't always greener, and she has to get used to a whole new world. Yes, it's fun and games at first, but Amy has to learn how to be a mother while Jessie has to get used to having one! A heartwarming, well-told story emerges from this fun premise.

Performances in this movie are stellar. Olivia Newton-John gives one of the best performances of her career as Amy, infusing her with empathy and a powerful transformation as she becomes a real mother to Jessie. Juliet's sensitive, charming portrayal of Jessie steals many of the scenes that she is in. One becomes instantly engrossed in her own emotional world and reality, and the actress has a way of making you feel as though she is freeing you of those sad emotions you share with her character. Doug Sheehan also gives a bold performance as dad to Jessie and sudden possible love interest for Amy. Doug and Olivia have undeniable onscreen chemistry that leaves you rooting for the romance to develop.

As is often the case with a movie that seems to be full of love and happiness, the cast and crew of the film became close, with Doug Sheehan beaming about working with Olivia during all interviews for the film. Olivia described Juliet as being like her own young daughter, Chloe, and exclaimed how the two would play together on the set. On the unreleased making of the film (not included on the DVD), Juliet Sorcey expresses that she hopes the film will become a classic, played yearly like "Miracle on 34th Street." Those words were uttered by the child almost two decades ago, and the film is still a hit, played every Christmas by many, and met with much excitement over its DVD release. I think she got her wish!

The only catch to this DVD release is that you must join the Disney Movie Club in order to get your copy. Once you sign up, you can only order a total of 3 copies of the film for your entire membership with the club. They keep track of it. I suppose that's probably to keep fans from snatching them all up, re-selling them to fellow fans, eliminating the "exclusive" status that the title release carries. This trick has actually worked for Disney marketing as numerous Olivia fans, myself included, joined up specifically to get this title. Most people who have seen the film can tell you that it is, most definitely, worth it.