The biggest problem with How Sarah Got Her Wings, besides the thrown-together and half-realized premise, is that it tries to do way too many things within a short amount of time. Here we have a movie about a goody two shoes who is killed trying to rescue a homeless man's dog, but finds that she isn't on the list to get into heaven. So she is sent back to Earth, as a ghost, to make things right with Jordan, a man whose heart she broke one Christmas Eve. And, of course, she has a limited amount of time before she is forced to spend her eternity in the middle ground between Heaven and Hell—a waiting room.
This one at least perfectly captures the lighthearted mood of a good holiday romance, though calling it a “romance” film feels surprisingly wrong. It almost functions as an anti-thesis to the typical Hallmark-style love story; those that enjoy watching these movies to see the two leads finally get together after spending the whole movie oblivious to each others feelings may be disappointed—as it turns out (SPOILER ALERT) her job isn't to get back together with her ex, but rather to make sure he stays with the woman that he fell in love with after the break-up: Amanda, a charming black woman with an equally-charming English accent and a ten-year-old son.
One thing I have to give it, is that it's actually unpredictable, at least as far as these movies are concerned. While the ending is alluded to in the beginning, it never makes sense until the rushed, unearned finale, and the “terms” of her time on Earth keep changing (at first, only her ex can see her; the second time, only the woman can see her; the third time...let's just say it gets even more ridiculous). It loses some points by constantly giving Sarah loopholes and time extensions that, even for its already-extreme premise, feel like complete copouts (“Oh, you failed and time has passed...well, we don't normally do this, but here, have some extra time to figure this out”), while the bonding sequences between Jordan and Amanda's son are pitch-perfectly awful and awkward.
This could have been an anger-inducing, unwatchable mess, but credit must be given to the actors, who bring the material up to a grade higher than it deserves to be. The cast is all-around good looking, with Sarah nailing the “innocent and cute, but not too cute” requirement, while her ex also hits the requirement of being “too good-looking for the innocent girl” (seriously, why are the guys so much better looking in these?), though in this case, it's forgiven as technically they are not the ones getting together.
If you can take—or better yet, are desperately looking—for a movie that breaks with the tired and true holiday romance formula, How Sarah Got Her Wings at least provides enough charm to keep your mind off the convoluted plot and logical inconsistencies (when she's a ghost that no one can see, how come no one notices the things she's carrying floating around in mid-air?) to see you through to the finish line. And, let's be honest here, sometimes just making it to the end is the highest honor you can bestow this type of movie.
RATING: 6/10
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