Are you looking for a feel-good, holiday film? Â Or having a bleak holiday season and in need for an uplifting Christmas film? Â If so, definitely give the Hallmark holiday film “Mrs. Miracle” a try.
© 2009 Dan Wigutow Productions, Inc. and KZ Productions, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
DVD TITLE: Mrs. Miracle
YEAR OF MOVIE: 2009
DURATION: 92 Minutes
DVD INFORMATION: Widescreen (1:78:1), English 5.0 Dolby Digital, Subtitles: English, French, Spanish, English SDH
COMPANY: Affirm Films/Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
RATED: Not Rated
RELEASE DATE: October 5, 2010
Directed by Michael Scott
Based on a book by Debbie Macomber
Teleplay by David Golden
Executive Producer: Michael Scott, Dan Wigutow
Produced by Harvey Kahn
Co-Produced by Caroline Moore
Cinematography by Adam Sliwinski
Production Design by Phil Schmidt
Set Decoration by Shirley Inget
Costume Design by Carmen Bonzelius
Starring:
Doris Roberts as Mrs. Merkle
James Van Der Beek as Seth Webster
Erin Karpluk as Reba Maxwell
Chelah Horsdal as Kate Preston
Valin Shinyei as Jason Webster
Michael Strusievici as Judd Webster
Rikki Gagne as Cathy
Peter Graham-Gaudreau as Doug
Almeera Jiwa as Cindy
Johannah Newmarch as Vicki
James Van Der Beek (TV’s “Dawson’s Creekâ€) and Doris Roberts (TV’s “Everybody Loves Raymondâ€) star in this heartwarming charmer about family, faith and forgiveness. Overwhelmed widower Seth Webster (Van Der Beek) is searching for a housekeeper to help him with his rambunctious six-year-old twin sons. Mrs. Merkle (Roberts)—whom the boys call “Mrs. Miracleâ€â€”mysteriously appears and quickly becomes an irreplaceable nanny, chef, friend… and matchmaker. From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber comes this whimsical holiday story filled with good tidings and great joy.
In December 2009, the novel to movie adaptation of Debbie Macomber’s “Mrs. Miracle” debuted on the Hallmark channel. The original novel has sold over 60 million copies and with the holiday season around the corner, the film “Mrs. Miracle” starring Doris Roberts (“Everybody Loves Raymond”), James Van Der Beek (“Dawson’s Creek”, “Varsity Blues”) and Erin Karpluk (“Being Erica”, “Life Unexpected”) is set for a release on DVD.
“Mrs. Miracle” revolves around Seth Webster (played by Van Der Beek) and Reba Maxwell (played by Erin Karpluk), two people who are going through their own personal pain in their lives.
Seth is widower with two six-year-old twin boys Jason and Judd and as a pianist, since the death of his wife, not only has he stopped playing the piano, he has kept the existence of his deceased wife away from them. Unwilling to talk about her until they grow older, despite the kids wanting to know more about their mother. So, while Seth focuses on his construction company, he tries to find a nanny to watch over the kids.
Unfortunately for Seth, every nanny that have been hired tend to quit on the Webster family because they can’t deal with Jason and Judd, as the two are kids that tend to get into mischief.
Meanwhile, Reba is is a young woman who owns her own travel agency. A once aspiring actress, her life has been turned upside down when her older sister Vicki (played by Johannah Newmarch) had stolen her fiance a day before their wedding day. So, part of her has remained a bit bitter and she tends to focus her life around her career.  Her good friend Kate (played by Chelah Horsdal) tries to get Reba away from her business and have some fun but unfortunately Reba is not budging.
As for the Webster’s, their life seems to change with the arrival of Mrs. Merkle (played by Doris Roberts), a new nanny assigned to the family and one who accepts the children and tries to bring some good into the family who is in need of some help. But Mrs. Merkle appears to be more than just a regular nanny.
Immediately, Mrs. Merkle uses her magical ways in trying to help the children and Seth but also finding a way for Reba to break out of her shell and become the director of the Christmas play (which the Webster twins are part of).
While trying to bring some magic and help Seth’s broken heart, she finds a way for both Seth and Reba to meet and from their, the two go on that first date.  But with these two people who have had major pain in their lives… will they be able to come together and find love with one another? With Mrs. Merkle/Mrs. Miracle around, most definitely.
VIDEO:
“Mrs. Miracle” is presented in Anamorphic widescreen (1:78:1). For those looking for a holiday-themed film, “Mrs. Miracle” definitely brings that Christmas atmosphere to your home viewing experience.  With that being said, picture quality is fine, as with most DVD releases, you are going to see compression artifacts and banding with this title. But if you are not that picky with overall PQ, the video is just fine.
AUDIO:
“Mrs. Miracle” is presented in English 5.0 Dolby Digital. The film is dialogue driven and is heard through the front and center channels quite clearly. I didn’t notice much usage of the surround channels but for the most part, dialogue and also the music are heard quite fine through the front channels.
Subtitles are in English, French, Spanish and English SDH.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
“Mrs. Miracle” comes with no special features but previews.
When it comes to the holidays, I tend to expect an emotional Hallmark holiday film. And since the release of “The Note” films, I have come to appreciate the Hallmark holiday films as we don’t see the original holiday new movies as much as before, but more of the usual holiday repeats on television.
In the case of “Mrs. Miracle”, it is your typical film in which someone comes into the life of a family in need of some help and this magical person… Mrs. Miracle is there to help. And personally, I have watched these kind of films many times but I keep coming back to them because I’m always open to films that showcase hope, overcoming pain and faith. It helps that the film is a holiday film as well because I do believe that there are people who have go through heartbreak or some pain around the holiday season that you just want to watch an uplifting film, despite its banality.
“Mrs. Miracle” is a feel-good film with a happy ending and it’s a Hallmark film which you don’t ask for much but just to be entertained and even shed a tear or two.
I did enjoy the film adaptation of “Mrs. Miracle”, I haven’t read the novel but it was a holiday film that is very easy to get into and enjoy. It’s important to note that while there are children in this film and a viewer will need to sit through children singing Christmas songs, the film is more for the adults than the entire family. The emotional situations that both the main characters are going through, it’s one of those things that children probably will not understand. From Seth’s difficulty of having to openly talk about his deceased wife which is too hard for him and for Reba, it’s the sheer hatred she has for her sister for taking her fiance away from her and now with the holiday season coming up, her mother wanting to bring her daughters together for the holidays. So, the emotional driven storylines of both main characters probably won’t go over too well with the young children.
I have to admit that having watched James Van Der Beek on “Dawson’s Creek” it was a bit of a trip to watch him as a father of two children but for the most part, he played the part of the hurting father quite well, as did Erin Karpluk with her role as the new girlfriend with a painful past. Doris Roberts is just an actress you just enjoy watching (especially if you are a “Everybody Loves Raymond” fan). Granted, a different kind of character as Mrs. Miracle is more about helping the family or people in need.
Overall, “Mrs. Miracle” was a touching holiday film. By no means is this film like a modern-day Mary Poppins but it is a film that is much more in common with the usual angel as a human trying to help out a person in need, or two humans in need. Sure, it’s a story that many of us are used to but in the context of the Holiday spirit, once in awhile, you need these upbeat, Christmas films with a happy ending. A heartfelt and enjoyable Christmas film that just makes you feel good around the holidays. A holiday film where you can just hope to be entertained, not expecting too much but expecting something positive and uplifting…especially if you are feeling all stressed, bummed out and worked during the holidays.
If you’re in this position, “Mrs. Miracle” can at least give you the benefit of being entertained, but also giving you that feeling of forgiveness and hope if you are open to these magical holiday films.
