SMT MOVIE REVIEW –Christmas Oranges/Christmas Movie

So it is Christmas time again and one of the biggest places to gather during Christmas has been the movie theater.  With many businesses closed, it would be a natural place to go when the presents are done opening and mom and dad just want to get the kids out of the house.

But this year, as I have made it a habit for SuperMom Tested to go see a new film every Thursday night and report on it Friday morning, and I am trying to maintain a decent selection of films for you and your family, I have noticed that this week, the week before Christmas… there is nothing worth showing that is family friendly… the Friday before Christmas…NOTHING!  Unless you take the family to see Anchorman 2, which has been heavily advertised for the past 6 months. 

But is Anchorman the Christmas film for you?  Honestly, the only Christmas film this year that the whole family could honestly see was “Frozen”.  Hunger Games Sequel and The Hobbit are great, but are for a slightly older crowd.  The pickins’ for the children are slim this year.  (But coming from Hollywood, why am I not surprised.)

So we turn to our good friend John Lyde and his film, Christmas Oranges.  The story surrounds an orphan named Rose (Bailee Johnson) who is left at Greenwoods Orphanage, run by Mrs. Hartley (Nancy Stafford).  They just have a good thing going till Mrs. Hartley becomes ill and the orphanage closes, and Rose is sent to Irongates, where things become much stricter and over-bearing for her.

Mr. Crampton (Edward Herrmann) is a stickler with making sure the children in this home are “punished for infractions”.  Rose is excited for Christmas, but is punished on that fateful day.  The oranges come Mr. Crampton’s Nice brother (Bruce Newbold) brings oranges every Christmas to the kids at Irongate.  Rose shows her magic of giving and helps break that stone cold attitude that exists in Irongate.

These Christmas films have a certain softness to them that can be a little campy, systematic and sort of a fill-in-the-blank nature, a lot like sports films, horror films, cop films, etc.  But Christmas Oranges breaks from the norm and adds a special delight that you don’t get in most Christmas films. 

There’s great interaction between children, which is not easy to do.  Bailee does a wonderful job in her role as Rose.  Nancy Stafford does wonderful in her role.  Edward Herrmann is always a delight, especially in these small budget films he has been doing lately, he always has a great presence. 

If you get a chance to see this film, at the train station scene you will see a lady in the background in a pumpkin dress walking by… that is SMT’s very own Stephanie Goodman. 

Overall, this is a wonderful film especially around Christmas time.   Christmas Oranges – Rated PG – Directed by John Lyde, Written by Sally Meyer