A Belle for Christmas

Nothing about this family story is patently offensive unless you happen to bristle when your intelligence is insulted. Numerous far superior films are mimicked here -- Home Alone immediately comes to mind -- but it’s no use. A bad script, bad acting, and a concept that wasn’t fully thought through result in a boring mess. Although Cain convincingly portrays the widowed father of two elementary school-age children, his earnest and warm performance can’t save this from its own ineptitude. You’d think the presence of an adorable puppy could save the picture, but the dog is given relatively little screen time, and no amount of furry cuteness could redeem this. The plot overflows with implausibilities, including a plot turn requiring that the family leave a young un-housebroken puppy alone for an entire day, unrestrained, free to relieve herself anywhere she likes and to eat Christmas presents and other holiday trimmings left all over the floor. It's a shock that the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals did not boycott this movie.