This is not a knock-your-socks-off movie, but it's cute, clean, and fun. The dog, Bear, an escape artist yellow lab who falls in love with two families, plays a central role, so that's fun if you're a dog-lover. The rest of it is pretty usual for a Hallmarky-type movie (there may be a few spoilers, so if you want to watch it first, quit here): leading lady WAS in a relationship with the wrong guy who tries to sabotage her new romance with the dog's other significant other. The dog's "dad" apparently has another woman after his affections, so leading lady gets the idea he's involved with this woman. So, she goes back with the ex-boyfriend who dumped her. His fatal move is to drop Bear off at the pound; this brings dog's mom and dog's dad together, as fate would have it. Of course, the two kids of the single parents hit it off like they'd known each other forever, and they all have a picture-perfect Christmas together and give the distinct impression they will all live happily ever after--with Bear as the center of all their lives. James Welch Henderson Arkansas 9/10/21.
Review of A Christmas Tail
