There was just nothing on television the other evening that particularly appealed to me, so I watched this lame excuse for The Gift of the Magi. If you want to see an excellent adaption, skip this, and get or rent O'Henry's Full House. Farley Granger plays Jim in this adaption. This film was so far removed in every aspect from the original classic short story, that I had absolutely no clue what I was watching. The names are changed, new locales are invented, the storyline is changed to the ridiculous, but, the acting..the acting is so horrendous, I almost muted the sound/volume. Yes, it was that bad. It was intolerable, unrealistic and pitiful. It was like they were reading not speaking their lines. Drone, drone, drone. Boring. Boring. Boring. I absolutely could not take it. Now, perhaps if the title of this film were changed, it could be a barely acceptable made for TV movie, but as it is now, it is total and complete garbage in every sense of the word--and that goes double for anyone who knows the short story or who has seen this made before.
Review of Gift of the Magi
