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Hallmark's dog tale delivers
Hallmark Hall of Fame's "A Dog Named Christmas" a serious but sweet holiday tale
Date published: 11/27/2009 By Rob Hedelt IT'S NOT EASY to come up with films each holiday season that strike the right balance between emotion, reality and caring. The Hallmark Hall of Fame film "A Dog Named Christmas" airing Sunday night does an effective and affecting job of that and then some. It's the tale of two Kansas men who have needs their family farm life can't meet. One is 20-year-old Todd McCray, a developmentally challenged youth who enjoys working on the farm, but desperately wants something that's just his own, like helping the injured animals he often nurses back to health. The other is his father, George, who loves his family and their farm, but has pain both psychological and real from injuries in Vietnam. Entwined with those painful memories that wake him from sound sleep decades later is the loss of a dog he found while serving there and lost when he was injured. This is the psychological baggage George is carrying when his son hears about a program to adopt shelter dogs during Christmas. The whole tale unfolds with a sure style and a realistic re-creation of a heartland farm and town that the Hallmark film series does so well. Putting a developmentally challenged character into a story not centered on that subject is a touchy thing. Overdo either the performance or the character and it seems like an overly obvious ploy to create interest and emotion. Thankfully, young actor Noel Fisher does a solid job of making Todd a unique character, but one who feels right at home on this farm and in this family that's really dealing with the father's challenge, more than the son's. It helps that the father is played by longtime actor Bruce Greenwood, who manages to make us understand his character's mixed emotions. George deeply wants to let his son get a dog, and then keep it once the Lab Todd names "Christmas" comes to the farm during the holidays. And his wife, Mary Ann (Linda Emond), wants it as well. But just having the dog around brings back the tough memories--of the dog he lost track of in Vietnam and another who died at the farm while he was away. So when this father says he's worried about whether Todd can handle this dog, what he's really saying is that he's not sure he can handle the animal and the memories that come with it. All of this is nicely wrapped into a swirl of holiday activities and a cast that brings alive the McCray's extended family and neighbors. There's even a touch of danger as a wild animal threatens a litter of puppies who arrive at the farm in another adoption. But there's nothing to keep families from watching and enjoying this sweet film together. When all is said and done, we appreciate how this father and son have handled this unique challenge in a holiday setting that makes this "Dog Named Christmas" a gift in itself. Rob Hedelt: 540/374-5415
Date published: 11/27/2009
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