Film Training Manitoba, Government of Manitoba, The, Manitoba Film & Sound,
George Lopez, Lisa Vidal, James Kirk, Bianca Collins, John Salley, Roger Lodge
“Bum” Henry Ramiro (George Lopez) is a nasty sports reporter in Chicago. He’s number one in the city, although a new guy from New York, “The Hitman” (Roger Lodge) is bringing his show to Chicago to try to knock Bum out of first place in the ratings. While mocking a young fan who thinks that Bum ought to be nice and give out positive vibes, Bum later finds out that he’s a young athlete with a very serious heart problem. So on a mission of “damage control” Bum goes to bring a gift and meet the boy. Bum agrees to be nice for one day, and attempts to keep his promise, but suddenly the boy seems to recover and it appears “everything is connected”. Not only that, but things all around him begin to get better when he’s nice, even with the Chicago teams he reports on. Things are not going so well at home either. Bum’s sarcastic bent has alienated his wife and daughter who are planning to take some time apart. It all comes to a head on Christmas Eve when everything comes together.
There is a brand new “Naughty or Nice” from 2012 that has been released this year. This is NOT it. This is the 2004 film starring George Lopez. It’s a touching film, with a lot of sports humor, and it’s a Christmas movie guys can get into as well. The story is straight forward. As Bum works his way through the film, he learns a lot about how giving people the benefit of the doubt and cutting out the negativity does make a difference. George Lopez actually does a pretty good job in this role. He’s funny in his own way, and can be touching when he needs to be. There is a twist or two, but I’m sure they will be telegraphed a mile away. That is not the point. It’s a cool little holiday film that is fun to watch.
** Naughty or Nice (2004) ,