“A Christmas Wish,” directed by Christopher Nolen isn’t your typical holiday movie. Sure, you have some Christmas decorations, some presents and a Christmas tree — but this movie is about so much more. It’s about the role a mother and father play in the development of a child. There’s a formula for success.
Dalton McKenzie (Noree Victoria) and Roz McKenzie (Blue Kimble) are recently divorced and they are now trying to raise their child, Esta McKenzie (Nadia Simms) — separately. The holidays are just around the corner and Esta isn’t feeling the holiday spirit because her mom and dad aren’t together anymore. Under normal circumstances, a child would wish for a lot of presents for Christmas. However, Christopher Nolen does a great job of highlighting what Christmas should really be about — family. Esta is yearning for things to be normal again, saying, “I want my family for Christmas.”
Roz, who plays the mother, is learning to be single, and now she has to shoulder the burden of financially paying the bills and taking care of Esta — her daughter. It’s a tough situation to be in, especially during the holidays. Sometimes in life we find ourselves in a jam and we are afraid to ask for help. I think this movie does a great job of speaking to this idea that we can often times be our worst enemy. Dalton, who plays the father, isn’t your typical dad. He has a great profession; he is financially stable and he wants to be in his child’s life. Co-parenting can be very difficult for a child and you can clearly see that Esta is struggling with trying not to get caught in the middle of her parents and their drama.
Noel Preston (Javon Johnson), who plays the pastor, plays a very pivotal role in the movie. He and Roz make an interesting connection that seems to be very threatening to the mom, dad and daughter equation. Christopher Nolen is clever in utilizing the pastor to move the story forward. Roz relies heavily on the pastor and finds that being on her own is tough. There’s an explosive scene in the movie where Roz loses her mind, and I think a lot of people can relate to that. It’s that point where you just get so fed up. What adds more pressure to the situation is that everything is happening during the holiday season. We get so caught up in the hype of Christmas, that we forget about what really matters — family, spending time with one another. The McKenzie family will never be the same after this holiday, but that might not be such a bad thing.
Christopher Nolen’s movie, “A Christmas Wish” isn’t your typical, commercialized portrayal of Christmas. The storyline and the writing are grounded in reality. By the way, eating pop tarts right out of the package is so brilliant. The symbolism behind that is priceless. If you want to watch a cookie-cutter Christmas film, then you should pass on this movie — but if you want to watch a real-life family handle real-life issues, then this is the movie for you. Cheers.
To watch “A Christmas Wish,” please click here: https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Wish-Noree-Victoria/dp/B09HYVW8R7.
