Silver Bells on UP TV

Category: Television and Streaming

 

The tagline for UP network is Uplifting Entertainment, and that is exactly what this holiday movie is. Silver Bells stars Bruce Boxleitner as Bruce Dalt, a TV sportscaster, husband, father, and extremely competitive man. Bruce’s wife (Bridgett Newton) is a little competitive as well and all she wants for Christmas is to win the holiday lighting contest. Even though she is an interior decorator, she desperately wants to win the external house-decorating contest with the hope that it will help her business. Their daughter Kasey (Laura Spencer) is a law student, and son Jason (Kenton Duty) is a high school student and star of the basketball team.

 

One night Bruce accidentally breaks the nose of a referee, who made a wrong call involving Jason. After all, what parent wouldn’t fight for their child? But in doing so, the accident is what sets up the story. He is sentenced to community service under the supervision of Salvation Army Major Lowell (Antonio Fargas). Bruce is given the job of ringing the bell outside of the local K-Mart.

 

When he learns that the service organizations have a running contest for who can raise the most money, Bruce turns his bell ringing/bucket collecting task into a competition. For Bruce, everything is a competition.

 

It takes awhile, but Bruce finally learns that what is important is not coercing people into giving, but rather it is spreading the love and joy of the season, and in doing so opening the hearts and wallets of people – not badgering them into donating a dollar here and there. Bruce goes from a hard-nosed man to a man whose heart is opened up and learns the joy of giving of himself.

 

While Boxleitner is attractive to the older viewers, Duty is the draw for younger viewers. Kenton Duty starred in the Disney Channel series Shake It Up and reminds me of a young Matt Damon. His character is sweet and sensitive, and definitely part of what changes his father from a tough guy who sees life as a competition to a man who sees life as a way to give love to others.

 

Silver Bells premiers Sunday, December 1, 2013 on UP. It’s appropriate for all ages.