"Pete's Christmas" starring Zachary Gordon and Bailee Madison

MOVIE REVIEW

Pete's Christmas

Network: Hallmark Channel

Original Air Date: November 8, 2013

CAST:

Zachary Gordon ... Pete Kidder
Bailee Madison ... Katie
Bruce Dern ... Grandpa
Molly Parker
Rick Roberts
Wesley Morgan ... Jake
Peter DaCunha ... Kenny

you may recognize...
*Zachary Gordon from the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" Movies.
*Bailee Madison from "Smart Cookies", "Taste of Romance", "Parental Guiance", etc...
*Peter DaCunha from "Mistletoe over Manhattan", "Home Alone: the Holiday Heist", etc...
*Rick Roberts from "Eloise at Christmastime", "The Note", "The Town Christmas Forgot", "The Night before The Night Before Christmas", etc...


PLOT:

At fourteen, Pete Kidder (Gordon) is sick of being the middle child in his family, always overlooked by his parents (Parker and Roberts). Unlike his brothers, jock Jake (Wesley Morgan, “The Rocker”) and bookworm Kenny, (Peter DaCunha, “A Dark Truth), Pete hasn’t yet developed a distinct personality that sets him apart, and he often feels left out. With the kids’ grumpy grandfather (Dern) unexpectedly in town for Christmas, the pressure is on to make the day as great as Grandpa remembers with his late wife, but the holiday is filled with disastrous moments, including a toppling Christmas tree and a bout with food poisoning. Just when things can’t get any worse, Pete wakes up the next day and realizes he’s reliving December 25th all over again. Stuck repeating the day over and over, Pete panics, but slowly realizes, with the help of his new friend and next door neighbor, Katie (Madison), that he can use his unique gift for good and give this Christmas day the do-over it deserves.

“Pete’s Christmas” is an Eh-Okay Productions / Pete’s Christmas Productions Inc. in association with OutPost Media Inc. presented by Arc Entertainment, Walden Media, WalMart and Procter & Gamble.

Movie Review:

Pete’s Christmas was everything I expected it to be! There were definite similarities to the ABC Family Movie “Christmas Everyday” starring Erik Von Detten, yet since I already expected it- I didn’t mind it all. Instead of Basketball, Pete had some trouble with football and in “Christmas Everyday” the father and brother are having a disagreement, and in Pete’s Christmas it’s the father and the Grandpa.

I also saw things that reminded me of “Home Alone”, too…. The pizza delivery boy bringing the stack of pizzas and the younger brother drinking too much and wetting the bed. Also, in one scene Pete and his Grandfather decide to lick a pole, just like “A Christmas Story”.

I thought it was an interesting story about this family. Pete was such a real character, with relatable everyday problems and an usual problem, too… of re-living Christmas Day over & over!

I enjoyed the movie with my family and the great "unexpected" message behind it! I don’t want to give it away, but a small empty box, given to Pete, from his Grandfather will, in the end, give you the answer to true happiness!


See or Skip:

See, if you love Christmas Everyday and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. If so, you will sit back, laugh, and enjoy this movie, too!

Family Friendly!

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*Hallmark Images via : Crown Media Family Networks