A Belle for Christmas

This Christmas-themed feature film begins on a mawkish note, with widower Glenn (Dean Cain) staring at home movies of his late wife (tears brimming over wistfully). Enter his kids: Elliot (Jet Jurgensmeyer), who is still troubled and missing his mom, and precocious older Phoebe (Meyrick Murphy), who wants to attend a local holiday festival. The family stops for a snack in order to introduce pushy baker Dani (Kristy Swanson in a caricature of a villainous stepmother-wannabe), who has designs on Dad (“What a hunky slab of pumpkin bread that is!”). Haylie Duff is also on hand as some sort of animal shelter director; she offers Elliott a puppy, and even though Glenn says no, she soon shows up at the family's house with the dog in tow anyway, who they name Belle. Pet antics, kids breaking and entering and stealing a car, Dani's jealous history with Glenn's wife, and other weird side plots ensue. A supposedly-festive farce that is mostly humbug (and you barely even see the dog!), this is not recommended. Aud: P. (J. Williams-Wood)