A World Record Christmas

I absolutely loved this movie! It has so much heart. The actor playing Charlie did such a wonderful job portraying a teenage boy with autism. Every time he spoke it just melted my heart and made me smile. Nikki Deloach is such a wonderful mother that her role as Marissa, Charlie's mom, seemed so natural. I love that this was based on a true story, and I love how this movie shines a light on autism in such a positive way. When Charlie was sitting in the library in the psychology section staring at all the books on autism and Eric told him it's not about autism it was about him (Charlie), this took the focus off autism and put it on Charlie and who he was, as if to say, it's not about the disability, it's about the ability in him. Yes! I love how this movie ends as Charlie learns he only needs to prove things to himself.

Hallmark Christmas movies are a yearly indulgence for me. For a few weeks each year I throw out all expectations of good storytelling/writing/directing and choose to drown myself in schmaltzy romantic drivel. This year, Hallmark managed to sneak in a few actual good movies in amongst the anticipated hyper-sappy drivel. This is one of the best! I've watched it twice now, and will watch it again if I catch it on this season. The story is simple and uplifting, but the characters (and the actors' portrayals) are gorgeously done! Aias Dalton is an incredibly talented young actor. Period. The fact that he is autistic makes him neither more nor less talented, but I am entirely impressed with him for managing to practice his craft in what I know for a fact is a hectic environment. Well done, dude! The family and friends were presented in such a way as to teach the ignorant that autistic people are just people who need some considerations. Best friend Amy was a gem. How great would it be if we all were so considerate and caring of each others' needs and differences? I am here for sappy, stupid romantic Christmas movies but I loved that this movie didn't fit that bill. Marissa and Eric had their moments (and honestly Marissa's deception was the one real sour note for me) but that wasn't the crux of the story. The real standout character for me was the stepdad, Eric. Talk about your perfect man! My heart bled for him every time he so sweetly accepted that the boy he loved and raised wasn't comfortable calling him dad. This movie is so worth watching. Bring your Kleenex.

This one had such an emotional and heartwarming plot. A definite stand out in the hallmark movie world. The leads were perfectly cast. Nikki Deloach and Lucas Bryant are some of my favorites and their chemistry is particularly good. I'd love to see them in more movies together! Aias Dolman did such a fantastic job! The original story line was a wonderful addition to this year's holiday lineup. Please make more of these unique stories, that are just waiting to be told! I don't always write reviews with my ratings, but I absolutely loved this one! I will definitely watch this one again and again!

I have said it before and I will say it again. Nikki Deloach may be the best of Hallmark's actors, at least for the more serious roles. And she has done so many of the more serious Christmas movies. This is another good performance, not only by her but by the entire cast. This movie is full of emotions. Happy. Sad. Heartbroken. Joyous. Jealous. Serious. Disappointed. And I'm sure I left some out. It is easy to say a movie has all these, but in this movie you feel them all along with the story. There are some other good reviews here. At least one talks about family dealing with various issues, so I won't expand on that except to agree that this is excellent in showing parents deal with a child's struggles even the difficult ones. I like the way the story skirts the obvious and gives an outcome that is at least a little bit surprising.