A Hobo's Christmas

source: A Hobo's Christmas

I read the other reviews. I used to be a professional reviewer, mostly music for regional newspapers in upstate NY. That was 20 years ago. I read the professional review and the reviewer said a lot of nice things but his final conclusion for three stars was that he wanted more -- more of what he never said. I also read some user reviews. Some of them were ridiculous 2's and 3's saying it was dated and the characters reprehensible. Give a break ... OMG. I gave it a 10 because the acting was good, the storyline not totally predictable because you didn't know what you hoped would happen until the end, which the professional reviewer agreed with. Also, because it was not a typical story about Christmas. It humanized homeless people -- did you ever see a movie that humanized the homeless who have since astronomically multiplied. Sure, it was dated. We don't call them hobos now and I don't think they ride in freight trains any longer. But there was a very close relationship between the main character, Chance, and one of the hobos, Cincinnati Harold, that today might suggest a same sex relationship. At the end when Chance was trying to decide whether or not to go back to his hobo life or stay with his family, Cincinnati Harold kept calling his name. It reminded me of Shane, the drifter played by Alan Ladd, whose name was called at the end of that movie, considered one of the greatest westerns. The difference was that Shane rode off into the sunset, but Chance decided to stay with his family. One final gesture that I thought was a nice touch was when Chance gave Cincinnati Harold the scarf he had received from his family for Christmas when they parted. As the train slowly started to leave, you could faintly see Cincinnati Harold looking back at Chance. It is a sentimental film, much like "It's a Wonderful Life," but it does say a lot about the importance of human relations to our lives.

Not a bad little Christmas movie! I watched it as a kid and looked for it . I found it on Tubi for free.. The acting is decent and has a couple well known actors from the time. It's about separation and reconcilation..

This is a great flick from the 80s. Not sure why people are saying its "dated" as if movies didn't exist until now 🙄. It has some funny parts, but more of a drama. Although this is a great family Christmas movie it would be better for older kids due to it being more of a serious film. I would highly recommend it.

This interesting teleplay touches on some serious reconciliation issues. Production values are above average for its genre, writing, direction, performances, editing, cinematography and music. The participation of the always reliable Barnard Hughes was my reason for watching this, and a good decision it was. Other performances also come across as well cast and quite well realized. It might not be a movie for all tastes but anyone who enjoys looking back at how families can drift apart and their efforts at reconciliation should find something to appreciate. While some aspects maybe a little romanticized for the seasoned cynics, thankfully, unlike a Spielberg production, the adult characters' situations ring true and the children are likable (for a change). The late William Hickey (The Name of the Rose '86) as Cincinnati Harold is always a curious watch. Hearst Entertainment has given us a different kind of Christmas story to admire, for those who care. Dare I say...Merry Christmas!

A hobo left home (and his son) 25 years ago. His son is hoping for another 25 years. This is the story of a family that gets along pretty well, father, son and daughter. Also, dad is trying to zero in on his one-year girlfriend, but she knows that he is not ready to emote enough to be marriage material. Dad's father shows up to have a reunion. Dad blows him off. Dad's girlfriend pounds him for it. Dad decides to allow his father to spend a day meeting and getting to know his grandchildren. This turns into a visit for several days, until Christmas. Then grandpa will go off with his hobo friends until the next visit. Finally the son and daughter get to have another relative; grandpa tells stories of the road. Then they meet his hobo friends. A good Christmas story.

Chance (Barnard Hughes) has been a terrible father. Twenty-five years ago, he abandoned his family and traveled the country doing odd jobs and riding the rails. Now, all these years later, Chance has arrived in Salt Lake City in order to see his widower son, Charlie (Gerald McRaney), and his grandchildren. Not surprisingly, Charlie is shocked and angry when Chance arrives...and tells him to stay out of his life. But Charlie's girlfriend is a bit of a meddler and she helps convince Charlie to look for his father and invite him home for Christmas. The biggest reason I decided to watch this is because of Barnard Hughes. While many folks today haven't heard of him, he was a terrific actor on stage and on television. His talents made me want to see the movie. And fortunately, I was not disappointed as the film turned out to be terribly well acted, directed and enjoyable. It's a very nice holiday treat. "A Hobo's Christmas" is a very nice made for TV film, though I have a few comments about the plot before I conclude my review. As a trained therapist and someone who has had a couple extremely toxic family members in my life, the story's message of forgiveness and reconciliation is one I like but also one that has some caveats. If you've had some horrible people in your life who have deliberately harmed you and have done nothing to make amends, this film does NOT apply to you. Keeping dangerous and evil people out of your life is a good thing...not something to feel guilty about...particularly if you have children. So while some families can reconcile like they did in the movie, and that's a nice thing, don't let the story push you into opening up yourself to being hurt. If a person hurt you and showed no serious signs of dramatic change, or if they abused you in ways that simply defy forgiveness, don't watch the film or at least beware that its message does not apply to you Ugly, hurtful people should not be allowed back in your life just to hurt you again.

This isn't a bad film at all, but it really is quite dated 33 years later. The acting isn't of the best standard or perhaps it's the direction, but it's a nice little story. It's a bit gritty and typically eighties in its style. I wouldn't turn it off, but I wouldn't rush to see it again.

You know, I've had this as part of a box set of Christmas flicks for quite a few years, and when I found out the plot, I was pretty pumped for it. This film really let my fiancé and I down. It's not really special, even though I'll agree that it has one REALLY touching moment that brought us both to tears. Every person in this film is awful. Every single one. Not the actors-just the characters themselves. Selfishness abounds, and mercilessness is everyone's motivation. Everyone constantly wants to argue and then avoid more argumentation by just up and leaving everything behind. This does not make for a good Christmastime movie experience, whatsoever. I surely wouldn't let my kids (if I were ever blessed with any) watch this pitiful movie. There's nothing honestly happy about it, even though I think both the grandpa hobo and the father/main character have some pretty solid moments for their respective performances. They both try hard with what they're given, but there's just not much to work with, when it comes to the script with this flick. I wouldn't even say this is sweet, at all. It all feels so exhaustive, by the end, to the point that I kind of don't want to watch this ever again. It's certainly not memorable.

I love this story! It is so simple but strikingly true at the same time. With all the classic holiday movie elements such as estrangement of family, pride, humility, sadness, joy and love in every form. I believe the actors are real and the life of a hobo, the "traveling homeless", is something that my children were unaware of. The scenery of Salt Lake City in winter is beautiful and feels as cold on the screen as I'm sure it is. This was a TV movie and thus the levels of excellence that some people expect from every film is unrealistic. My test of good Holiday fare is does it make you feel good or inspired after you've watched it? This cute little movie does both for me!