Raise your hands. How many of you grew up reading Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Encyclopedia Brown, or Happy Hollister mysteries? Personally, I can remember spending many an engrossing summer afternoon with such simple-minded but entertaining kid lit… though, even at the time, I felt slightly embarrassed reading them. That feeling of adventurous innocence—coupled with a B-grade, TV-movie Mummy aesthetic—is captured perfectly in Walmart’s second foray into feature filmmaking. Yes, the legacy of the cliff-hanger tradition has us aping Raiders more than Tarzan these day—and Secrets is no Raiders. But if you’re okay with it not trying to be, you will probably enjoy it just fine.

Can holiday tearjerkers be formulaic? Yes. Can formulaic tearjerkers also be effective, both as entertainment and as much-needed cathartic therapy? Yes, absolutely. And thanks in large part to a surprisingly subtle and moving performance from Madeleine Stowe, this Lifetime TV movie delivers just the kind of emotional package a lot of people probably need this time of year. Yet this particular fantasy is not interested in depicting a sentimental world that doesn’t exist; it’s about allowing us to re-enter the very real, imperfect world in which we actually live. If Christmas is a painful time of year for you, take Mark Addison’s advice. Sometimes it’s just best to let the tears flow. Let The Christmas Hope help you do that.

As a rule, I do not like romance novels, Christian or otherwise—they foster unrealistic expectations and, in my experience with couples counseling, can be as dangerous to intimacy as pornography. But Janette Oke’s novel-turned-movie left me feeling more positive about the world, about the power of God to turn hard situations into amazing blessings. What struck me most was the innumerable times that people asked for—and were offered—forgiveness. Whether addressing word, deed, or personal prejudice, the ministry of reconciliation was beautifully portrayed throughout the entire film, and my heart was lighter for having watched it.

I had a hard time figuring out if there was any over-arching story tying the episodes together. I never learned why Hood was working with the FBI or why Agent Young was assigned to work with him. I couldn’t even figure out why they called it Eleventh Hour. This coupled with Sewell’s lack of charisma in the character of Hood and the absence of any sort of chemistry between Hood and Agent Young lead to a rather shallow and two-dimensional story. It’s hard to get interested, much less care. Still, if you liked the series when it briefly aired before being canceled you might like the DVD set.