As with many other independent films, this one is weak in the acting, directing and some of the technical production. "Christmas Mountain" is a good Western story about the real meaning of Christmas. Unfortunately, the weaknesses detract from the film and that sense of Christmas.
Mark Miller and Slim Pickens are fine as Gabe and Murf, respectively. But most of the rest of cast seem hesitant at times. They often seem as though they are waiting for a cue for their next line or movement. One character comes across as very self-conscious of his role, to the point that he seems like he was in rehearsal for a play. That's Mr. Findley, the store owner. It's strange that he isn't listed in the credits of the film, because he is one of the major supporting actors. I have no idea who the actor is playing that role.
Had the filmmakers done better jobs in a number of areas, this could have been a much better movie. Consider this one serious problem with the script. Christmas is just a couple of days away. The dialog of the few townspeople playing cards is a dead giveaway of a huge problem in the plot. The sheriff says, "I think someone should do something wondrous for that poor shepherd family up on Christmas Mountain. A woman being a widow and all and having a baby soon." Then, Rev. Thorndike says, "Both of those poor women, losing their husbands in that avalanche last year – my prayer is with them." If the avalanche was the previous year, and Christmas is about to be here this year, that means that the men probably died in the avalanche the previous December, or even earlier. So, here's one of the wives now expecting a baby – 12 months or more later. I don't think the plot meant to imply anything else, so this is an obvious major goof in the screenplay.
I can't believe nobody involved with the film caught that. It would have been simple to have had the avalanche at the end of last winter or early spring (the end of March) and not raised eyebrows or distracted viewers.
The fantasy aspect of this film has Gabe seeing his friend, Murf, who died the previous year. Murf appears to him and says he is an angel. Most Christian faiths don't hold that humans become angels after they die. But some faiths, and fiction stories over the ages refer to people who have died as being angels. This movie was filmed in Utah. The scenic outdoor shots mostly likely were in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest.
Mark Miller and Slim Pickens are fine as Gabe and Murf, respectively. But most of the rest of cast seem hesitant at times. They often seem as though they are waiting for a cue for their next line or movement. One character comes across as very self-conscious of his role, to the point that he seems like he was in rehearsal for a play. That's Mr. Findley, the store owner. It's strange that he isn't listed in the credits of the film, because he is one of the major supporting actors. I have no idea who the actor is playing that role.
Had the filmmakers done better jobs in a number of areas, this could have been a much better movie. Consider this one serious problem with the script. Christmas is just a couple of days away. The dialog of the few townspeople playing cards is a dead giveaway of a huge problem in the plot. The sheriff says, "I think someone should do something wondrous for that poor shepherd family up on Christmas Mountain. A woman being a widow and all and having a baby soon." Then, Rev. Thorndike says, "Both of those poor women, losing their husbands in that avalanche last year – my prayer is with them." If the avalanche was the previous year, and Christmas is about to be here this year, that means that the men probably died in the avalanche the previous December, or even earlier. So, here's one of the wives now expecting a baby – 12 months or more later. I don't think the plot meant to imply anything else, so this is an obvious major goof in the screenplay.
I can't believe nobody involved with the film caught that. It would have been simple to have had the avalanche at the end of last winter or early spring (the end of March) and not raised eyebrows or distracted viewers.
The fantasy aspect of this film has Gabe seeing his friend, Murf, who died the previous year. Murf appears to him and says he is an angel. Most Christian faiths don't hold that humans become angels after they die. But some faiths, and fiction stories over the ages refer to people who have died as being angels. This movie was filmed in Utah. The scenic outdoor shots mostly likely were in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest.