Production hell has made POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES a bit infamous, but divorced from that drama, the film is a charming Christmas fairytale. Not on par with IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE to be sure, but still a fun trifle.
Bette Davis is Apple Annie, a drunk fruit seller who tricks her convent-bred daughter into thinking she's a society matron. The daughter is in Spain, so this is a simple enough plan-- until the daughter gets engaged to a count who wants to meet his future mother-in-law. Things look bleak for Annie, but she has a fairy godmother in the form of bootlegger Dave the Dude (Glenn Ford), a criminal who attributes his success to his continued purchase of Annie's apples. With the help of his showgirl moll, Dave manages a My Fair Lady style transformation for the old woman, but will they all be able to keep up the charade?
The story is a sweet-tempered farce that never gets too sugary. It lacks the grit that keeps WONDERFUL LIFE so real for many generations of film fans, but it was never trying to be as poignant-- this is pure Mother Goose fare. All the actors are good, though Peter Falk steals the show as Dave's exasperated right-hand man. In terms of pacing, the movie is a bit long in the tooth for what it is, but it never becomes dull. If you're looking for a lesser-known Christmas film this season, you can hardly go wrong with POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES.