Eve's Christmas from 2004 is a Good Story for the Holidays

I love watching Christmas movies in the months leading up to December to put me into the spirit of the holidays... and this Lifetime movie sounded like a good one. It turned out to be a good pick for the holidays although the plot doesn't focus on Christmas much at all!

Minor Plot Details
Eve is a busy advertising woman who takes her job very seriously. It's the holidays and Eve was supposed to be going on a trip with her boss, but he cancels on her! How rude. This sends her into a pre-Christmas depression and it's time for a little magic. She makes a wish on the Christmas star to see what her life would have been like had she went through with her plan to get married on Christmas Day 8 years ago. And of course.. it comes true. Eve wakes up back in time 8 years earlier, and now she has a second chance to make her life exactly what she wants. But, is this even real? How could this happen? And what does Eve really want? You'll have to watch and see!

Actors
Elisa Donovan .... Eve Simon ... You may remember her best from Sabrina the Teenage Witch. In this movie she played a much more down-to-earth character than in that tv show. They did an ok job of making her look younger when she went back in time, but I think they should have done a little more. They really only changed her hair and clothes up, but I would have liked it better had they really made her go from looking a little wrinkled, to a 25 year old. Not that 33 year olds should be wrinkled, but it would have added to the effect. As an actress, she was great. I liked how she wasn't very cheesy (something I hate in Lifetime movies) and instead was entertaining.

Erin Karpluk .... Mandy ... This is her fun loving friend who didn't have a lot to do with the plot, but did add some interest. She is Eve's friend in the future and in the past that keeps things together for us, the viewer.

Sebastian Spence .... Scott ... He is her fiance, we aren't quite sure at the start why she called off the wedding, and when you first see her go back in time you wonder why she would have possibly dumped this guy who is so sweet to her!

Cheryl Ladd .... Diane Simon ... This is her mom who's really kind, gentle, and just happy.

Peter Williams .... Brother James ... This man is the one who convinced her to make the wish, and turns out to be the man behind the whole thing that happened.

It's got that Christmas feeling, but just a little bit!
This movie has so much more going on than just Christmas, but the setting of Christmas definitely gets you in a holiday mood. The focus is mostly on the wedding, Eve's time travel, and Eve deciding what she really wants. Perhaps the best part is watching Eve try and remember things she used to do or how her life used to be. It's funny how much you can forget about your life in just 8 years! It also shows how her attitude and personality has changed since 8 years ago, so much so that everyone notices a change in her right away. Will 8 years of experience help her decide what she really wants out of life? I thought this plot was cool because Eve got to experience one path in life, and now has a chance to choose a different one.

One thing that makes this different from other time travel/second chance movies is that in other movies (such as Family Man) characters are given a glimpse of what their life would be like. In this movie, Eve does not know what her life would be like had she gotten married. She is instead placed 7 days before the day she canceled her wedding, and must decide whether or not to go through with it. So she has no indication of whether or not the marriage will work out, or if she'll be happier married. Instead it's a true second-chance where Eve really must decide what to do without any previews of what may happen afterwards.

Another thing I liked is how Eve would warn the characters of things because she knew what would happen, such as (paraphrased) "If you don't go talk to that guy now, you will be real mad at yourself when you are in your 30s and still pining over him". There are many little things in the movie that are Back to the Future-ish where Eve points out things or remembers things from the future, and sometimes forgets they didn't happen yet. She enjoys the flashback to the past, but at the same time she can't decide if she wants to get married or take that high-powered job she has at the start of the movie.

I'd classify this as a family/chick movie. It's not overly dramatic, nor is it overly funny. Instead, it's just cute, kind of sweet, and somewhat Christmasy. What makes it Christmasy, besides the whole thing surrounding Christmas, is that a lot of people think of love and family at Christmas time and when Eve is in the present she's surrounded by sadness and loneliness. However she gets poofed back into the past where love and family is all around her. If you are looking for a movie all about Christmas, this isn't the one. If you are looking for a movie that gives that family/holiday feel, then check this out on Lifetime as soon as you can. It's also for sale online, but I'd check my TV listings before making the purchase.