The Christmas season seeme to be a time when people want to watch, and enjoy, movies with heart. I know people who watch "It's a Wonderful Life" every year. I have watched that movies, and enjoyed it as well. However, with so many uplifting movies out there, I feel that some atention needs to be spread around.

The Movie that I have in mind is "Curtain Call" (1999) which seems to be focused at least as much on New Years, with its invocation of a new start, as on Christmas. The protagonist Stevenson Lowe, played by James Sprader, is a man from a publishing family who has recently had the publishing house bought out by a larger company. The primary story focusses on his girlfriend and his reluctance to make a committment as permanent as marriage, but his willingness to live with her. She seems to want a more "permanent" kind of committement..

He buys a home which is, btw, beautiful. Imagine his surprise in finding that the place ghosts in the form of Max Gale played by Michael Caine and his wife Lilly Marlowe played by Maggie Smith. Their bickering adds to the pathos and drama of the movie. They also serve as a reminder to Stevenson of how important love and relationships are despite their lamenting that even death had not seperated the two of them.

Of course the movie, like real life, is not one dimensional and Stevenson also has to deal with creative differences with his new "owners". I hope I am not giving away to much when I say that the ending of the moves brings a new, richer life for Stevenson and all others involved.

This is a very upliftimg that left me in tears of joy and appreciation at the end. It is good to see love and caring win out. I hightly recommend this movie, so do try to squeeze it in, either before or after your yearly viewing of "It's a wonderful life" if not instead of. :)