Plot Summary
Lefty is a drunken no-account who has been fired from his job, is living in his car, and is going through a divorce. Desperate for money, he begins planning a robbery. Eva is a shut-in widow who feels like no one in the world cares about her or would miss her if she died. Kirk owns a convenience store but feels like he’s not making a difference in the world. Mary is left raising her son alone when her husband has a car accident that leaves his brain permanently damaged. Mitch is a youth pastor who is tired of going through the motions and wants to impact someone’s life for God. All of these stories intersect at Christmastime and learn valuable lessons.
Production Quality (0 points)
With just under a million dollars spent on this work, there is no reason why it is so poor, but it is. The video quality is grainy and the camera angles are awkward. The audio quality is poor and the soundtrack is stock Christmas stuff. The sets and locations are cheap with nothing special about them. With so many subplots to juggle, the editing is not very good as it chooses to waste time on blank and empty scenes. Essentially, there is really not much to say here because the production is so empty and disappointing. This should have been way better than this for the money spent on it.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
As previously mentioned, there are too many subplots in this storyline, therefore they are disjointed and do not flow together well. They are all just crammed into the film for the sake of making the film long enough. Due to the number of them, character development is left by the wayside; we barely get to know any of these people as the movie jumps from one subplot to another. This leaves the characters flat, supported by uninspiring and boring dialogue. Also, to connect some of the subplots together, odd coincidences are employed to give it that Christmas-miracle-feel. While there are some slightly interesting ideas here, there is no heart behind them. There are too many off-the-wall elements present that come off as abrasive. The ending is predictable and leaves much to be desired. In short, Midnight Clear was a half-idea forced to happen because Christmas, of course.
Acting Quality (0 points)
With a small cast of people that have at least an average amount of talent (not sure about Stephen Baldwin), Midnight Clear is supported entirely by its actors and actresses. However, with no acting coaching, this is not a good thing. While there are no glaring acting errors, everything about the acting is just like the rest of the film: flat and boring. There are little to no believable emotions and line delivery is pedestrian. I suppose that description pretty much sums up the movie.
Conclusion
Of all the Jerry B. Jenkins stories to bring to the big screen, one of the most obscure and boring was chosen. There are better choices that have nothing to do with holiday cheer. While the message behind Midnight Clear has some substance to it, this is not conveyed properly in the film. This one either needed a serious rework in pre-production or it needed to be abandoned altogether. Just having another cheap Christmas movie on the market is not what this world needs.
Final Rating: 0 out of 10 points
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