Don't listen to the negative reviews

Captivating movie !

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.

"Life with Louie: A Christmas Surprise for Mrs. Stillman" is a television short film from over 20 years ago written by and starring the voice talent of Louie Anderson. Of course, there are another director, more writer and other voice actors and I don't want to discredit them. just check out the cast and crew list for everybody who contributed here. I personally would not say it was great in terms of comedy, storytelling or emotion, but solid in all areas and this is already an achievement. The characters and their interactions are written in a way that grown-ups can enjoy them at least as much as very young audiences and the dad's grumpiness is fairly hilarious at times. Add a decent story in favor of the lonely to all that and what you get is a well-adjusted little movie, which was better than a lot other stuff from 1990s television. This short film was successful enough that a television series about the same characters would follow.For me, it was not good enough to check out the series anytime soon, but I still give this one here a thumbs up. Recommended.

I was fully prepared to pay little attention to this Xmas special, but it succeeds in doing what most animated specials fail to do - it actually creates a nice, Xmasy atmosphere.Based loosely on the childhood experiences of rotund comedian Louie Anderson it is sort of a cross between A Christmas Story and a scene from Christmas Vacation. Set in the late 50s/early 60s Louie's curmudgeon dad grudgingly goes along with annual traditions and is eventually encouraged to decorate the house of a lonely old lady with Xmas lights. As Clark Griswold once learned, it's not so easy.It's funny, and cosy, and better than most Xmas specials I've been watching recently.

This television special aired on Fox... in prime time as I recall. Comic Louie Anderson tells the story of one Christmas when he was a kid, trying to bring the Christmas to a neighbor. This was a great special. The humor was top notch and it was a great story. An equally awesome Saturday morning series followed the next year. Thumbs up.