The Good Witch of Christmas Review: Tom Arnold, William Baldwin, and a Forgetful Witch
My Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ☆ ☆ ☆ 2.1/5
Two goofy babysitters.
Two kids home alone with them on Christmas.
A fender bender with Santa Claus himself.
And a magical witch who cannot remember who she is.
Welcome to our The Good Witch of Christmas Review. This 2022 family film stars Tom Arnold and William Baldwin as a pair of bumbling babysitters. It mixes live action with animation and throws in Santa Claus, missing reindeer, and a witch with amnesia.
On paper, that sounds like it could be a fun holiday romp. On screen, it mostly falls flat.
There are a few fun moments here. Arnold and Baldwin have a goofy, likable energy together. Young kids may enjoy the animated bits. And the movie is short.
But the story is thin, the effects are cheap, and the whole thing feels rushed. Even the title is a bit of a puzzle.
This The Good Witch of Christmas Review stays spoiler free. Whether Christmas gets saved is yours to discover, if you dare.
The Good Witch of Christmas Review: Santa Needs Backup
The story is a sequel to the 2021 film Christmas Thieves.
Frank and his housemate Tony are back. This time, they are babysitting two kids, Liam and Olivia, on Christmas.
The children’s parents, Emma and Peter, head out to do some last minute Christmas shopping. That is when things go wrong.
On the way, the parents get into a traffic collision with Santa Claus himself. The crash scares off all of Santa’s reindeer.
Without his reindeer, Santa is in serious trouble. He needs backup, fast. So he calls in the Good Winter Witch.
There is just one problem. The witch crash lands right in front of Liam and Olivia’s house. And she has lost her memory.
Now Frank, Tony, Liam, and Olivia have to help her remember who she is and what she is supposed to do. Their only clue comes from a book called Puffins.
Can the gang help the witch recover her memory in time to save Christmas?
That is the setup. Whether it all comes together stays under the tree.
The Fun Points: What Works
Let’s start with the positives, because there are a few.
First, there is Tom Arnold and William Baldwin. These two are an odd couple in the best sense. Arnold brings his loud, rumpled comic energy. Baldwin plays it a little cooler.
Together, they have a bumbling, friendly chemistry. Watching two grown men struggle to babysit is a classic comedy setup, and they clearly have fun with it.
Second, the movie mixes live action with animation. The Puffins segments add a splash of color and cartoon silliness. Small children may get a kick out of them.
Third, the premise has a sweet, playful idea at its core. A Christmas witch who helps Santa is a fresh twist on the usual holiday story. Most Christmas movies stick with elves and reindeer.
Fourth, it is short. The whole movie runs well under 90 minutes. If you are going to watch it, at least it will not eat up your whole evening.
And finally, the cast seems to be trying. Nobody phones it in completely. There is a certain good natured spirit to the whole project.
Those are the fun points. Unfortunately, that is about where the good news ends.
Where It Falls Apart
Now for the hard part. This is not a good movie.
The story is paper thin. The witch’s memory loss is the main plot, but the movie never builds real tension around it. Scenes drift along without much purpose.
The pacing is uneven. Some moments drag, while others rush by with little explanation. It often feels like scenes are missing.
The effects are cheap. The magic, the crash, and the Christmas spectacle all look like they were done on a very small budget.
The animated Puffins segments feel tacked on. They do not blend smoothly with the live action story. At times, the movie seems more interested in promoting the Puffins than in telling its own tale.
The dialogue is clunky, and many jokes land with a thud.
The result is a movie that feels confused about what it wants to be. Is it a babysitter comedy? A Santa adventure? A cartoon tie in? It never quite decides.
The Cast: Familiar Faces in an Odd Christmas
The cast includes two well known Hollywood names and a group of newcomers.
Tom Arnold plays Frank, one of the bumbling babysitters. Arnold is known for Roseanne and for his scene stealing role as Gib in True Lies. He brings plenty of energy, even when the script gives him little to work with.
William Baldwin plays Tony, Frank’s housemate and partner in babysitting. Baldwin is one of the famous Baldwin brothers. Movie fans know him from Backdraft and Sliver.
Mia McGovern Zaini plays Olivia, and Lorenzo McGovern Zaini plays Liam. They are the two children at the center of the story.
Katie McGovern plays Emma, and Douglas Dean plays Peter, the kids’ parents.
Bruce McGuire plays Santa Claus.
Cristina Moglia plays the magical helper at the heart of the story. The official synopsis calls her character the Good Winter Witch. Some cast lists credit her as an Elf instead.
The adult leads are the main draw. The rest of the cast does what it can with a weak script.
Behind the Scenes of an Italian Christmas Movie
Here is a surprise. The Good Witch of Christmas is actually an Italian production filmed in English.
It was directed by Francesco Cinquemani, who also made the science fiction film Andron. The screenplay was written by Mario Bellina and Andrea Fazzini. The story came from producer Andrea Iervolino.
The film was produced by Minerva Pictures and Iervolino Entertainment. Vittorio Giannelli composed the music, and Patrizio Patrizi handled the cinematography.
The movie also goes by another title, The Christmas Witch.
Samuel Goldwyn Films released it in the United States on November 4, 2022. It opened in a limited number of theaters and on video on demand at the same time.
It is a sequel to Christmas Thieves, released in 2021 and known in Italy as Ladri di Natale. Frank and Tony return from that earlier film.
The Puffins segments connect to an animated Puffins franchise from the same production world. That helps explain why the cartoon birds keep popping up.
Today, the movie streams on several services, including free library apps like Kanopy and Hoopla.
The Christmas Witch Tradition
The idea of a Christmas witch may sound strange to American viewers. But it has deep roots in Italian folklore.
In Italy, there is a beloved figure called La Befana. She is a kindly old witch who flies on a broomstick.
According to tradition, La Befana visits children on the night before Epiphany, January 6. She fills their stockings with candy and gifts if they have been good. Naughty children may find a lump of coal instead.
Italian families have celebrated La Befana for centuries. She is as much a part of the Italian holiday season as Santa Claus.
Some Italian towns even hold Befana festivals each January, with costumed witches handing out treats to children.
It is a charming tradition, and it gives the Christmas season in Italy an extra few days of magic.
Given that this is an Italian production, the Good Winter Witch feels like a nod to that tradition. The film does not dig deeply into the folklore, but the connection is a fun bit of context.
Italy has made other Christmas witch movies, too. The 2018 Italian comedy The Legend of the Christmas Witch was built around La Befana.
For curious viewers, learning about La Befana may be more rewarding than the movie itself.
Tom Arnold and William Baldwin: Then and Now
For viewers of a certain age, seeing these two names on a Christmas movie poster is a little surprising.
Tom Arnold became famous in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He played Arnie Thomas on Roseanne, one of the biggest sitcoms of its era. In 1994, he stole scenes opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger in True Lies.
William Baldwin rose to fame around the same time. He starred in Flatliners in 1990 and Backdraft in 1991. In 1993, he headlined the thriller Sliver opposite Sharon Stone.
Baldwin is part of a famous acting family. His brothers Alec, Daniel, and Stephen are all actors too.
By the 2020s, both men had moved into smaller independent projects. Family films, direct to video releases, and international productions filled out their schedules.
There is something a little nostalgic about seeing them team up here. They are 1990s stars having fun in a lighthearted Christmas romp. Even when the movie falters, they keep it watchable for longer than it has any right to be.
A Flood of Low Budget Christmas Movies
The Good Witch of Christmas is part of a much bigger trend.
Over the past decade, the demand for holiday movies has exploded. Cable networks, streaming services, and on demand platforms all want fresh Christmas titles every year.
That demand has opened the door for small, inexpensive productions from around the world. Many feature one or two recognizable American actors to help sell them.
Some of these movies turn out to be hidden gems. Many others feel rushed, thin, and forgettable.
The Good Witch of Christmas leans toward the second group. It has a marketable title, familiar faces, and a cartoon tie in. But it lacks the care and polish that make a holiday movie worth revisiting.
For collectors, these titles are still a fascinating snapshot of the modern holiday movie business. Every December brings a new batch, and only a few stand the test of time.
Who Might Still Enjoy It?
Despite its flaws, The Good Witch of Christmas is not for nobody.
Very young children may enjoy it. The animated Puffins, the silly babysitters, and the idea of helping Santa could hold their attention for a while.
Tom Arnold fans may want to see him in full goofy mode. The same goes for viewers curious to see William Baldwin in a family comedy.
Collectors of strange holiday movies might also find it interesting. It is a genuinely odd Christmas oddity, an Italian production with American stars and a cartoon tie in.
And since it is free on several library streaming apps, it costs nothing to try.
Just set your expectations very low.
Is The Good Witch of Christmas Worth Watching?
For most viewers, the honest answer is no.
There are far better Christmas movies out there, including plenty made on small budgets. Even among quirky holiday oddities, this one struggles to stand out.
If you are looking for a babysitter comedy, Home Alone and its many imitators do it better. If you want a Christmas witch story, The Legend of the Christmas Witch is a more focused option.
Still, if you have little ones who will watch anything with Santa and cartoons, it might keep them busy for an hour or so.
And if you are a completist who has to see every Tom Arnold or William Baldwin movie, here you go.
The Kilroy Verdict on The Good Witch of Christmas
The Good Witch of Christmas is a bizarre and disappointing holiday film with a few small sparks of fun.
What works is limited. Tom Arnold and William Baldwin have a goofy chemistry. The animated bits may charm small children. The Christmas witch idea has potential, and the runtime is short.
What does not work is almost everything else. The story is thin, the pacing is uneven, the effects are cheap, and the Puffins segments feel like an advertisement.
What could have been better? A real script, a clearer focus on the witch, and better blending of animation and live action would have helped enormously.
The recommendation is simple. Skip it unless you have small kids to entertain or a soft spot for strange Christmas oddities.
Final Thoughts 2.1/5
This one earns a 2.1 out of 5 from Kilroy. Wrapping up this The Good Witch of Christmas Review, the extra points go to Tom Arnold, William Baldwin, and a few goofy moments. The rest of the movie never casts much of a spell.
“Tom Arnold and William Baldwin bring goofy holiday fun to a quirky Christmas oddity.”
ML Lamp, Kilroy Was Here Shop
It had a fun idea and a couple of familiar stars. Unfortunately, it never figured out how to turn them into a real Christmas story.
For a much better Christmas witch, look up the Italian legend of La Befana instead.
And if a witch with amnesia ever lands on your lawn, skip the Puffins book. Just call Santa directly.
