1/5 Definitely NOT a family Christmas movie!
  by Julie (The Woodlands, TX United States)
I purchased "Thomas Kincade's Christmas Cottage" DVD recently because, after looking at the cover and reading the back, it seemed like it would be a heart-warming family Christmas movie. I was very wrong. "Thomas Kincade's Christmas Cottage" is definitely NOT a family film. It's chock full of foul language and sexual innuendos. To top it off, there's barely a mention of the real meaning of Christmas.

Just out of curiosity, I kept a running tally of curse words:

Da*n: 9 times
Go to H*ll, Da*n it to H*ll, H*ll-of-a-Lot, Sure as H*ll, H*ll: 7 times
A*s: 1 time
Bi*ch: 1 time
Bi*ching: 1 time

Other offensive things:

The main character's father says to him, at one point, "What's the matter, aren't you getting any?" (and gestured to his son's crotch)

The main character's father brings his two sons their Christmas present......2 stacks of PORN magazines, which he proceeds to open and lustfully look through one of the magazines.

A scantily clad, busty woman with her cleavage hanging out was very suggestive to the preacher in the movie as well as other men...saying things in a seductive voice like, "I know how to turn things on" when asking to be the one chosen to turn on the town's Christmas Tree during the lighting ceremony. And, the preacher lustfully looking at her and smiling......By the way, she was chosen to portray Jesus' mother Mary.

LOTS of scenes in bars, people drinking hard liquor, smoking, being crass, etc.

The day I first bought the movie, I sat down with my husband and our 5 year old daughter, hoping to watch a warm and fuzzy Christmas family film. THANK GOD our daughter was too tired to watch it. We turned it off after 5 minutes. So, I ended up watching it by myself and am SO thankful that she didn't see it! I shudder to think of all the young children that will see this movie with their parent's because their parent's have NO idea that what they're about to watch is inappropriate.

Look, I'm no prude. I enjoyed watching "The Matrix" and other films that happen to have some bad language, but here's the difference....those films were Rated R and I KNEW they were for adults...not children. The "Christmas Cottage" is rated PG, but should have been PG-13.

I found this movie in a "Family Film" section so I expected it to be something at least SAFE and CLEAN for me and my family to watch, not the filthy piece of trash that I saw in "The Christmas Cottage". Thomas Kincade should be ashamed to have his name on this film....I can't believe he produced it. If I could have given it "0" stars I would have....it doesn't even deserve 1 star.

1/5 Blogspot Z: The Christmas Cottage
  by Zanne (USA)
I bought this out of duty, as I love Jared Padalecki in Supernatural, and I watched it with a group of similiarly inclined friends. We were amused by the sheer Lifetime movie-esque feeling to this film, but it's definitely nowhere in the league of It's a Wonderful Life as a Christmas staple. It was more of a Mystery Science Theatre experience than a touching Christmas classic.

[...]

4/5 Christmas Cottage
  by Susan D. Sanders (Illinois)
I thought the story line was exceptionally good. The movie did have a few bad words in it....I was hoping to share this with some teenagers from church, but then I felt like it may not be a good idea since it used some foul language.
Overall, the movie was good!

2/5 A Bland Christmas Story in Pastel Hues...
  by Benjamin J Burgraff (Las Vegas)
"Thomas Kinkade's Christmas Cottage" reminded me of what is best and worst of Kinkade's prodigious output of 'family-friendly' art; it is warm, optimistic, and glowing...but it is also unrealistic, contrived, and calculated to 'sell'. The film appears to have ambitions of becoming a modern "It's a Wonderful Life", but sorely lacks Frank Capra's gift for truly understanding people. In a world where everyone is basically 'nice', selfless acts are not miraculous, but expected, and this robs "Christmas Cottage" of any real emotional energy. What you wind up with is a marshmallow confection; sweet, but not particularly filling.

Set in Placerville, California in the late 1970s, and based on Kinkade's experiences as an art student returning home for the holidays, the film introduces the young artist (well-played by Jared Padalecki), then attempts to ingratiate us with the sweet-natured 'characters' of the town, but most come across as caricatures, including Kinkade's overly supportive mother (Marcia Gay Harden), a saint who tries to solve everyone's problems as the family house crumbles into disrepair around her. Fortunately, Kinkade's neighbor and artist/mentor Glen Wesman (in real life, Glen Wessels...why his name was changed for the film is not explained), as portrayed by Peter O'Toole, is a welcome exception, blunt, introspective, and refreshingly candid.

To earn money to keep his mother from losing their home, Kinkade accepts a commission to paint an outdoor Christmas mural celebrating the town, and the story unfolds as the mural emerges, as the local church rehearses an unintentionally funny Christmas pageant, two neighbors compete for the most outdoor decorations for the holidays, Kinkade's ne'er-do-well father (Richard Burgi) admits his own shortcomings, and Wesman drifts in and out of lucidity. The various subplots, while diverting, have little more depth than a TV-movie, and lack dramatic power.

When nearly everything ends disasterously, a contrived "Wonderful Life" moment appears, meant to bring tears of joy, but which left me unmoved. The loose ends are tied up neatly, and Kinkade goes on to earn over $50 million selling 'feel-good' landscapes.

The Special Features are a mixed bag, offering an in-film Commentary by Thomas Kinkade and director Michael Campus, Deleted Scenes (which are actually better than some left in!), a somewhat self-congratulatory feature on how the film came about, cast reflections on their own favorite Christmas, and a bizarre vignette of a biker 'extra' (portrayed by Kinkade, himself) getting himself fired from the film.

Production-wise, the film isn't bad, but the script lacks a willingness to take risks, and the end result is no classic. If you love Kinkade's art (as millions do), you will probably enjoy the film; if, however, you are looking for true emotional satisfaction, stick with "It's a Wonderful Life".


5/5 Magnificent!
  by Randy W. Kay (San Diego)
This film ranks up there with some of the best Christmas classics! It is superb, and the acting by Peter O'Toole is extraordinarily moving - one of his his all-time best performances. We watched this movie several times and never got bored. We also bought this DVD as a gift for some of our closest loved ones. What a wonderful, heartwarming story!