Leonard Maltin had it right-- good cast, syrupy script (SPOILERS!)

Cliche-ridden all around.

It was a late-night showing on TCM, so I stopped less than half way through (when she and her friend get ice cream but before she schooled the conman salesman on the street). I picked it up the next night on tape and it got worse and worse up to the tie-a-bow-around-it perfect crescendo ending.

That spiel from Susan to Steve about her being more ashamed if he DIDN'T go up on stage to give that speech for 4th of July block party, than if he did and got booed (called out for being a jail bird) was probably the most cliche-ridden line in the movie, though not the most cliche-ridden scene.

I actually burst out laughing -- I kid you not! -- when the cow kneeled during the Midnight Christmas bell tolling.

If you think about it, Flavia actually spent more than half a year (though mercifully spared the audience through editing; it took 2 years of post-production editing to get screenable to the audience in theatres) sulking before she had a 180 in feelings.

In the end she herself learned the lesson of sparing ones feelings when she thanked Mac for the 3rd pair skate. UGH!

Man, was Falvia cloying (Steve was a pretty close second runner up!) that it made her crestfallen sulkfest enjoyable!!!

That said, I can say with a sheepish grin that it's a fluffy, harmless sacrine-filled movie to kill 87 minutes with.

For the record: I'm 34 and a major classic film buff of the "silver screen classics" era of Hollywood (30's, 40's and early-50's).

http://www.silverscreenclassics.ca/