This is a movie about too hot Miles who is 20 years old, a professor, an astronomy buff, owns a California house with a guest house, is a widower, has an 11 year old daughter, and some enormous, empty black glasses. Miles doodles in pencil and the close up is colored pencil. Miles' house is quintessential California dreamin' until an exterior shot shows a mismatched what like split foyer? Miles jots down all his pensive thoughts in a tiny notebook just like the too hot (really, she's always got her off the shoulder sweater thing going) surprise houseguest. She's a frustrated artist from NYC who is tired of New York Christmas and her career-obsessed boyfriend, Dean. Dean is a corporate-ladder climbing Neanderthal. For some reason the daughter is student of the month and gives a school presentation to a nutcracker shop lightly populated by "parents and special guests" which already includes her dad and the houseguest. These are no other children in her school scene. She uses a smattering of magazine cuttings which eventually include wisemen and a manger (constantly found in magazines everybody has all the time)to give her presentation. The topic is "The meaning of Christmas" which is totally on the school curriculum at Nutcracker Elementary in Tinsel, CA, and somehow it boils down to Christmas is all about looking for what's missing (cue sexy eyes between Miles' glasses and the houseguest).
Also, there is a puppy. But, the puppy is not nearly as central to the plot (no matter how hard they tried) as Miles' big, black, empty glasses. Thank goodness for those glasses, without them I would have noticed the acting and I don't think that would have gone well for any of us.
Also, there is a puppy. But, the puppy is not nearly as central to the plot (no matter how hard they tried) as Miles' big, black, empty glasses. Thank goodness for those glasses, without them I would have noticed the acting and I don't think that would have gone well for any of us.