''Christmas with a Capital C'' is a 2010 American

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

direct-to-DVD film directed by Helmut Schleppi. The film's plot was based on a song of the same name by

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Go Fish, whose name was inspired by one of actor

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routines. It centers on what, in recent years, has been dubbed the "

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" in the United States.

Plot

Christmas has always been an exceptional time of love and tradition in the small town of Trapper Falls, Alaska. Hometown of Mayor Dan Reed ( Ted McGinley) looks forward to each year with enthusiasm to all the events, friends and family that fill this special season. Together with his brother Greg (

), they dedicate time away from their adventure tour company to drape the town is Christmas cheer. When Dan's old high school rival Mitch Bright ( Daniel Baldwin), a mean-spirited and embittered militant atheist returns home after 20 years, Dan is immediately suspicious. Mitch is a highly successful big city lawyer who has never wanted anything to do with Trapper Falls. The rivalry re-ignites when the frustrated Mitch takes offense to what he sees as the town's violation of his rights. Mitch wants the Nativity scene removed from the front of City hall and the word Christmas switched to Happy Holidays on all signs. Fifty years of tradition are now challenged not by an outsider, but a former member of the community. As the conflict escalates, it goes beyond one person's opinion but magnifies into an entire town problem when Mitch enters into the mayoral race to have Dan replaced. In the heat of the legal battle and facing certain defeat, Dan's wife Kristen (

Nancy Stafford Nancy Elizabeth Stafford (born June 5, 1954) is an American actress, speaker and author, known for her roles on television. She came to prominence in the 1980s as Michelle Thomas, law partner, on five seasons of '' Matlock''. She later hosted a ...

) and their daughter Makayla ( Francesca Derosa), wanting to show what she believes to be the true meaning of Christmas, are inspired to launch a "Christmas with a Capital C" campaign as an effort to keep the town together. In doing so they discover the secret behind Mitch's return: he is looking for love and acceptance, but can't find it in the world of high-flown success.

Cast

* Ted McGinley as Dan Reed * Daniel Baldwin as Mitch Bright *

as Kristen Reed *

as Greg Reed * Cooper Peltz as Cody Reed * Ron Holmstrom as Rev. Tiller

Release

Originally, the Pureflix Entertainment website accepted pre-sale orders for the film in late 2010, with an original DVD release date of November 2, 2010. Without explanation, the pre-order link was removed sometime in the fall. On November 22, 2010, the Gospel Music Channel announced that it would air the film during the 2010 Christmas season. The film broadcast several times from December 5, 2010 until December 25, 2010. The film was also shown in select theaters and churches. Pureflix later updated their website to set the DVD release for November 8, 2011, eventually revising that date to November 1, 2011.

Reception

Prior to the film's release, the film's trailer sparked ridicule and criticism on several blogs, news sites, and discussion forums including the British comedy panel show '' 8 out of 10 Cats''. The '' Portland Mercury'' and others characterized the trailer as "anti-atheist". Some reviewers have pointed to similarities with the Grinch tale. The film itself was mostly reviewed by Christian organizations such as the Dove Foundation, which reviewed it favorably. The film won th
Faith & Freedom Award for Television
at th
2011 Movieguide Awards.

Log lines

In Pureflix's promotional materials, the film's title is often accompanied by the log line, "Putting Christ Back in Christmas". GMCTV, in their promotional materials, opted for the log line, "The Reason for the Season".Different log line on GMCTV advertising

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Christmas With A Capital C 2010 films Films about evangelicalism American Christmas films 2010s English-language films