I think I'm beginning to realize that its very easy to have exactly the right expectations when going into a Christmas film. You can read a synopsis or even a title in some cases and you should know exactly what it will be. All I Want For Christmas is one of those films. Its not amazing, its not terrible, its a cute, fun, family friendly movie about two kids trying to get their parents back together. Its similar to Parent Trap (though not as good) and set at Christmas to give it some ambiance. The cast is good, the story is good, the direction is good...everything is good. Someone looking for something unique or extremely emotional won't find it here. This is mildly predictable and obvious and you know how it will turn out and it doesn't try to extend itself outside of the box.

Ethan Embry and Thora Birch are insatiably adorable as the O'Fallon siblings who want nothing more than their beloved parents to be back together again. Both have decent charisma on screen and they are really good together. They are definitely believable as mildly trouble makers with a plan. Harley Jane Kozak and Jamey Sheridan are their parents and they are also good in their roles. They suit the roles, they're believable and entertaining without being anywhere near mind blowing. The film even features a couple of legends in small supporting roles, Lauren Bacall and Andrea Martin.

The best way to describe this film is a cute made for TV type film. I actually think it probably had a theatrical release but it has more of that feel to it. It definitely has a certain nostalgic feel to it for a lot of 80's kids and they love it for that reason and there is nothing wrong with that but if you're going into it now as an adult for the first time, you'll find it mildly entertaining but mostly forgettable. If you look at director Robert Lieberman you'll see a long history of Television specials which definitely plays into the feel of the film. He is all over the board for genre but if he plays everything simple enough he could spread himself over various genres. I feel like I've trashed this movie throughout this review but that isn't my intention. Its just very simple and very cute but not much more. It was still fun to watch. 7/10

All I want For Christmas is about two kids that are very upset by their parents divorce and the only thing they want for christmas is for them to get back again and be a happy family. It's a cute nice little story, but this stuff never happens in real life. Divorced Parents hardly ever get back together, it's an ugly reality, but that's why we have movies such as these to make us feel happy. Thora Birch gives a great performance, cute little thora. I would give All I Want For Christmas 8/10

Ethan (Ethan Randall) and Hallie O'Fallon (Thora Birch) live with their divorced mother Catherine (Harley Jane Kozak) and grandmother Lillian (Lauren Bacall) in their upper class New York townhouse. Their father Michael (Jamey Sheridan) opens a diner based on a place important to his relationship with Catherine. Ethan is infatuated with Stephanie from Boston. Hallie asks the store Santa (Leslie Nielsen) to have her parents get married again. Then she overhears her mother agreeing to marry her boyfriend Tony Boer (Kevin Nealon). She realizes that she failed to ask to have her parents marry each other.

The kids are adorable. They're laying a parent trap. The divorced parents' chemistry is obvious and unflinching. Nealon is not necessarily a jerk but kind of a jerk-lite. This is cute but not actually funny. The movie has its heart in the right place but this is not really classic.