If You Believe (1999 Lifetime)
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Cast: Ally Walker, Tom Amandes, Hayden Panettiere
Director: Alan Metzger
Writer(s): Anthea Sylbert, Richard Romanus
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Synopsis (via Lifetime)
In this modern Christmas Carol twist, an overworked, cynical book editor named Susan (Ally Walker) bumps her head and is visited by her spunky 7-year-old inner child (Hayden Panettiere), who helps her rediscover her zest for life.
Recap/Wine Thoughts
Suzie is a precocious child, Hayden Panettiere. That doesn’t last long because, as the camera pans around the table, she tunes into grown up/serious Susan.
Susan lives in the city and is dedicated to her publishing house, hoping to make partner. Susan stays late on Thanksgiving, even to work on her laptop… in 1999! She has no plans for the holidays and is ALL ALONE and SINGLE, and ORDERING TAKEOUT. God, I love that this is hitting all the tropes before they even were tropes. Susan goes home to her sad apartment and plays her voicemails while making a dirty martini with about eight olives. Now drunk, my girls go into online chat rooms to cybersex, obviously.
At Thanksgiving with her widowed brother, Bob, and his 10 kids, Susan tells Alice (Hayden Panettiere) that Santa Claus isn’t real and he lives in Turkey. Bob fights with Susan in the kitchen, calls her a Miserable woman, and tells her he doesn’t like her anymore and to stay away from his kids.
Susan goes back to the office in the city and plays solitaire. As she is picking up her sad sad takeout, Susan sees a mother and daughter fighting. Susan falls and hits her head. Susan goes home and finds Hayden Panettiere in her apartment. It isn’t Alice; Hayden Panettiere is playing young Suz.
No one else can see Hayden Panettiere, so Susan goes to the hospital for a full doctor’s workup. That doesn’t stop Suz from haunting her like a ghost from Poltergeist. Susan is sure she has gone insane. Young Suz wants her older self to be more fun and spontaneous! The first thing they do is go to the opera. haha! Weird flex, kid! Sorry, inner child.
Susan needs to learn to listen to her FEELINGS. At work, Susan tries to make an impression, but all her hard work isn’t paying off. A handsome writer drops off a seven-hundred-page manuscript named Phooey. At first, Susan is annoyed, but since Suz helps her read, they realize it is the next great American novel. (About a psychic named Phooey.) Susan needs to sign the new writer.
Tom, the author, doesn’t want to make edits to his manuscript and storms off after Susan makes her big pitch. She isn’t going to keep playing by the rules and starts telling people how she really feels. She even tries to motivate her other writers to get over their writer’s block.
With mascara running down her face, she tells off her co-workers and just as she is about to quit her job, Tom calls and invites her to a Christmas in New Dover, Connecticut. Susan literally takes a train, and Tom picks her up from the station. He has a golden retriever and a cute little cottage.
They work on edits and are interrupted by the town’s Christmas Tree Lighting. Tom is in the band and plays the trombone. The small town saved Christmas and charms, Susan. They all sing Christmas Carols while Susan’s cold, dead heart melts. MORE BOOK EDITS. They almost kiss, but the porch light goes out.
Susan does eventually make out with Tom, but instantly regrets mixing work with pleasure and lies to Tom about her feelings for him. Then she rushed back to the city.
Susan makes an impassioned speech to her co-workers. When they agree to sign, Susan gives credit to her mousey brown-haired assistant. Susan is a hero.
Susan goes to the work holiday party, decorates a tree, and takes a bubble bath, then it is Christmas morning and Susan hug herself to wish herself a Merry Little Christmas. Tom stops by and he is no Santa, but Susan loves his package.
The movie ends with a holiday around the table. To friends who can be family and family who can be friends. Merry Christmas everyone!
Side Note/Stray Thoughts
I’ve 1000% seen this multiple times, but here is a review for Christmas in July.
Overall rating
Pour it up
Put a Cork in It
Christmas Feels
🎄🎄🎄🎄 (4 Christmas Trees)
Enjoyment Level: 🍷🍷🍷🍷 (4 glasses of wine.)
What did you think of the movie? Let me know in the comments or on social media @LifetimeUncorked
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