User Reviews

What's bound to be far more interesting than the dreadful Buttons is an article about the making of this movie: Why are Kate Winslet and Robert Redford BOTH narrating? Who snookered the venerable Angela Lansbury and Dick Van Dyke into appearing in such a ramshackle production? How are there no credited writers or producers for this film? How did a movie with such an impressive cast manage to play for one night in US theaters before disappearing to DVD and cable? Why is this film so consistently cheap-looking? Who decided to make this a musical when the songs are consistently rotten? And why does director Tim Janis give himself name-above-the-title placement on both the opening and closing credits? (Is the official title supposed to be TIM JANIS BUTTONS?)

Sheer catastrophe, and not of the so-bad-it's good variety. Don't subject yourself or your unwitting families to this disasterpiece. It's enough to ruin your Christmas.

There was so much promise for this film. Some really great actors, the story is heartwarming and the message is clear. I was in tears at the end. However, it felt like a chore to watch. 10 minutes in and I had the urge to fast forward. The musical numbers on their own weren't bad, but they felt forced into the story, with the exception of "work" which was by far the best number. The songs definitely had strong undertones of other musicals to the point I wonder if they were original or actually from other musicals. The acting- honestly the stars in this film are wonderful in other roles I've seen them in, so I don't know what fell so flat- direction maybe? It was a weird mix of super talent and super horrible acting that made many scenes feel disingenuous and awkward. The sound- this was the WORST. Sound is one of those things you don't normally notice, so when you do, you know it's BAD. Everything sounded like it was recorded in a studio and placed on top of the film or something. It was disconnected and echoing to the point of distraction. This is definitely a very low budget movie (or they blew their budget on a few actors and had none for editing/sound). If you like tear-jerker orphan movies with musical numbers spattered about and happy endings, it's worth a watch, but fair warning about the production value. If it weren't for DVD and Angela Lansbury, I wouldn't have made it through this movie.

I have to agree with the other review here stating that the other reviews must be made up. I only managed half an hour and that was a struggle. Well where to start... well there is no evident plot to follow, the characters flat and the songs which again serve no purpose are cringe worthy to say the least.

When I saw the trailer for this I could not work out what it was about other than it has several key well known actors mainly Dick Van Dyke and Angela Lansbury. I can only think they are too old now to realise what they were signing up for.

Ps Emily no wonder you did not look like you were enjoying the hot chocolate..the cup was empty.

Made in a very nice way musicaly, but the acting by the cast are extremely amateuristic, somewhat stiff and fumbling, the story jumps from death to death and sorrow to sorrow, and have a mix of fractions from other yulseason classics from the past.

because its a musical, and if it had been made in the 1970's it would have pressed to impress, but its not up to date wether productionwise or technically- what i enjoyed the most where to hear the voice of angela landsbury again, my gawd i envy those who have such great great great grandmother at hand. she is the narrator of the story, and makes it some kind of vivid and entangeling dreamlike.

so if you can accept some broken leg acting and a musical of the past then have a look, its not a strong mobie, but will touch the hearts to those who are mature enough, and are able to read between the lines. the grumpy old man thinks 5 is a maks.

Yeah, although I truly dislike what falls under christmas movie section, well... Katie McGrath it seems has a wonderful way of making you watch whatever she starred in... And if it was not for her appearance in the movie.... Otherwise, this is truly truly badly done and badly assembled movie, not even the fabulous cast could have saved it...

I'm not a fake account like these others reviewing this movie. Ima set the record straight. I made an account just to review this movie. That's how bitter I am.

To start it sucked. Please don't watch it. The title didn't even make sense either. There were no buttons. I thought from the list of stars that were in it, that it was going to be an enjoyable experience. It. Was. Not.

It is Tim Janis' first full length film. You could tell. My nephew could make a better movie. He's 10.

The writer couldn't decide to copy, Annie, The Princess Bride or Les Miserables. Please tell me what this was trying to be. The sound editing alone made me want to leave. Switching from live 'operatic' singing to forced recordings of audio. None of it synced up.

No consistent storyline whatsoever. Held scenes too long. Poor Dick Van Dyke had to hold smiles where it becomes creepy. And I love dick van dyke. I've seen many many performances of his, I respect this man. I feel only shame for him for agreeing to this.

Don't believe the other reviewers. Those promoting this movie are marketing bots. It is not an instant classic or holiday staple. Quite frankly, I regret seeing this movie. And this coming from someone who loves bad movies, but this- this was too bad.

PS Tim, maybe run this by someone who isn't biased like yourself.

Love you.

Despite a name cast that any film producer, and audience, would kill for, this scant musical is a disaster from start to finish. A little orphaned girl named Emily (Noelle E Parker) is visited by kindly Rose (Angela Lansbury) while recovering in a hospital. Rose reads Emily a fairy tale featuring Annabelle (Alivia Clark) and her own adventures under the watchful eye of her guardian angel (Dick Van Dyke) during the American Industrial Revolution.

Read through this supporting cast list: Ioan Gruffudd, Roma Downey, Jane Seymour, Charles Shaughnessy, Robert Picardo, John de Lancie, with narration by Kate Winslet and Robert Redford. Wow, right? Wrong. Composer Tim Janis' direction is nothing short of abominable. His screenplay lifts from "Annie" and "Oliver!," and doesn't offer anything new. The film is cheap, with too many computer generated scenes. The framing of many scenes reminded me of Ed Wood's films, complete with jump cuts and blurred picture. This is a musical without one memorable song, as smiling extras look directly into the camera. Redford and Winslet's "narration" is literally a handful of words, with Winslet's coming over an odd opening credits sequence that had me thinking I was rewatching the trailer. Don't be fooled by the other reviews that point out that the film is a charitable effort to combat autism. That's no excuse, I doubt my own autistic family member would make it five minutes into this. Van Dyke and Lansbury try, but as they were getting on in years, Janis' camerawork lets both of them down. This mess has been released a few times, sports a couple of subtitles- "A New Musical Film," "A Christmas Tale," and I've seen three different running times for the film; I caught the 88 minute version. Watching this train wreck unfold, I wasn't fascinated but bored. There is no emotion and no heart. This is a shoddy, amateurish production that might appeal to your grandmother who finds "Green Acres" scandalous. A wasted opportunity, especially considering that cast.

I am honestly confused and disappointed. I LOVE Mrs. Potts, and Bert, and Touched by an Angel, and Henry the time traveling doctor - but, couldn't figure out what this movie was trying to do (?) We hear Robert Redford for a minute narrating... then Angela is the narrator reading a story...and we bounce back and forth and all around, could have used a lesson in "show, don't tell" writing.

And the sound and acting is strained - not at all natural like I KNOW all these actors can do!!! We've all seen them. What happened? I'm so confused.

Honestly, I know some student film makers who have made better products (sorry to these guys) but, it just proves it is who you know, I guess. Because this thing didn't get all these big names who I adore by sheer film making talent! I feel robbed. Keep my money - I want my 2 hours back.

I wanted to love this movie. The cast is stellar. Dick van Dyke and Angela Lansbury are outstanding (still vibrant in their 90s!). Alivia Clark's voice is lovely. The costumes and locations are first-rate. It's "Pollyanna" meets "Annie" and "Oliver," but unfortunately "Les Miserables" is thrown into the mix. The stories told are uneven, with missteps throughout. By the way, Annabelle gets the nickname "Buttons," but that has nothing to do with the story. A much better title would be "Emily's Wish." Furthermore, because the sound is out of sync, it feels oddly inauthentic. It's mostly very depressing, and barely about Christmas. I wouldn't show this to anyone under 10, as it's way too scary and depressing -- even with the fun songs and heartwarming, uplifting message. "Mary Poppins" is a 10. This movie is no 10!

The acting, screenplay, and story were all superb. This film was heartwarming and enjoyable on all levels. I think families young and old would enjoy it, and I agree, I think it will soon be regarded as a holiday staple and classic.

This is the most depressing Christmas movie I've ever seen. It had all the ingredients for a spectacular movie (that cast!). But its hard to watch. I almost turned it off about 20 times, but i hate not finishing movies.

I made account just to leave this review... I'm a huuuge movie buff and I've never felt the need to leave a review until I watched this.

I put this on for the family thinking it was going to be good. How embarrassed I was to have to sit through this film until the end.

The acting is terrible and amateurish. I love D.V.D but he just looked really uncomfortable in his scenes. I hated how Annabelle would go from being gloomy and depressed to spritely and happy within a matter of seconds of Dick singing... It's not realistic.

Annabelles mother needs some acting lessons just like the writer and director need some lessons in their craft too.

The sound was horrible and you can actually see in the scene where they are standing around the horse cart laughing and cheering and singing that the sound doesn't even match their lips moving.

The songs were horrible, the story line was all over the place and you are left wondering how all the pieces fit together until the very end of the movie.

I really didn't like anything about this film. The message that this movie is trying to send is really vague but it's there. After all the misfortune and bad events and tragedy it comes eventually.

Don't waste your time with this one.

Wasn't sure what to expect watching Buttons from the trailer. It blew away all of my expectations and even more. The singing and dancing - Dick Van Dyke is 93 years old and Sang and danced beautifully. Angela Lansbury is 94 and is terrific as always and tells the story. The sweet little girl Annabelle was so talented and adorable. Tim Janis composed this beautiful soundtrack and is very gifted in his own right. I bought the DVD for my mother, I know she is going to love Buttons just as much as our family. Do not turn this movie off after 5-10 minutes, you need to watch all of it to see the story unfold, you will fall in love with the heartwarming story. Beautiful cast all around, believing, Love and music is so amazing!

I'd been looking forward to Buttons: A Christmas Tale for such a long time! Dick Van Dyke and Angela Lansbury playing guardian angels, a heartwarming tale about orphan girls, and a festive musical - what else could I ask for? Well. . . I could ask for a decent screenplay, and acting that wasn't cringeworthy, and perhaps subject matter that wasn't so depressing. The two reasons that drew in every audience member didn't disappoint, and while it's insultingly obvious to say they shole the show, they did.

The bulk of the movie is told in a flashback format, as Angela Lansbury visits a sick orphan on Christmas Eve and reads her a story to cheer her up. She tells the story of a little girl, Alivia Clarke, who has one run of bad luck after another in what ends up amounting to a terrible life. But, since she has a guardian angel, Dick Van Dyke, she keeps her spirits up and knows someone's on her side. It's inspiring, heartwarming, and downright lovely to see Dick singing, dancing, and brightening up the screen during the musical numbers. And Angela is perfectly charming as a combination Mary Poppins and Mrs. Potts, caring for her sick charge. The cinematography in Buttons was beautiful, with lush landscapes, pretty costumes, and saturated colors and lighting that added quality to the production.

Now for the bad news. The dialogue sounded like it was the first draft of a church play. Most of the cast acted very contemporary, despite the period setting. Those whom you don't recognize probably had very little experience before trying out with the pros, or at least that's what it seemed like. And now the songs: Every single number blatantly ripped off a previously successful song from an established musical - from "Bring Him Home" to "It's a Hard Knock Life" to "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life", the songs from Buttons can almost be sung simultaneously with their originals. Isn't anyone going to shout "plagiarism"? The supposedly sweet story that Angela reads aloud is far from it. It's very depressing, hardly appropriate for children at all, and not at all festive for Christmas. Why did the movie have to so much of a downer? Also, I don't know why the title was settled on Buttons, when the segment that honors it is extremely brief.

Yes, everyone is going to want to see this movie. Dick Van Dyke and Angela Lansbury are adorable. And surprisingly, there's quite a supporting cast that agreed to attach their names to such a mediocre project: Jane Seymour, Robert Picardo, Abigail Spencer, Paul Greene, John de Lancie, and very, very brief narrations from Robert Redford and Kate Winslet.

DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. The very first minute of the movie features an intense spinning camera effect, and that will make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"

I couldn't wait to finally can see this film and I'm in no way disappointed. What a wonderful heartwarming touching film my family will often rewatch, not even on Christmas. And to see my 2 most beloved actors Mrs. Angela Lansbury and Mrs Dick Van Dyke together makes this film my most favorite film ever.

Been waiting for a long time to see this film and it did NOT disappoint! LOVED the Dickensian feel to it. The period costumes and sets were beautiful! The score was SUPERB- it was sweeping and epic. The cast did a wonderful job and in my audience, Dick Van Dyke drew a collective ahhhhh! He was wonderful! The actors who sang had glorious voices. I truly hope that this movie will be available for more to see because the children who were in my audience clapped at the end and I heard them say, "That was really good". Congrats, Tim Janis!

This movie may have been low in budget but it was big in heart. The music that director Tim Janis composed for this film is nothing short of amazing and captivating. It's an endearing tale about the power of believing even through the struggles and devastation of life. This movie is the perfect family film with the heart of the holidays. Dick Van Dyke and Angela Lansbury are truly remarkable as usual. All around great cast with a very talented young girl who plays the main character Annabelle. Loved seeing Paul Greene from the Hallmark Channel in here, he's great!! Wonderful film!

The depth of this movie is incredible. The acting, storyline and the parade of great actors is amazing. It is a treasure. Don't listen to the negative reviews, see it for yourself.

First off, I'm definitely not a bot or someone who was paid off to leave a good review like other reviewers on here have suggested. My whole family watched this & adored it. Seeing Angela Lansbury & Dick Van Dyke work together again was wonderful. I loved the singing & dancing and the storyline was great. I followed the storyline the whole time, absolutely no confusion. The best part? We get to see Dick dance again!!!!! :o) This is a fantastic family film for all, especially the adults who are still children at heart.

I, too, had high hopes for this film, but was also sadly disappointed.

The film's greatest assets are, not surprisingly, its wonderful cast: It was great to see Dick Van Dyke and (the late) Angela Lansbury continuing to give it their professional "all," along with so many other talented artists.

Other high points go to the set and props, costumes and hair styles, which are all period-appropriate, and its lovely score (more on that below)

Its liabilities, however, are too many to be ignored. The makeup work (notably Van Dyke's) is inconsistent to the point of being splotchy and, therefore, distracting. The film and sound editing, especially in the scenes with singing, are lacking; the actors (especially Ioan Gruffudd) tend to look and sound dubbed, and the sound is at times inconsistent with the scene's contexts.

While the film has all the trappings of a charming family movie, it could have been told in less than the nearly two hours it occupies. While the double story works acceptably, since it is only peripherally parallel, there is no real reason for it, and I think the film would likely have been more successful had it followed a more Disney- or Hallmark-ish story line telling only Annabelle's story.

I was unfamiliar with Tim Janis prior to this film; while I give him fine marks for the score (he is best known as a composer), I wouldn't recommend him as a director. Also, as other reviewers have observed, there are no writing credits listed in the film-or here-but they're provided on Mr. Janis' website; since no other attribution is given, one must assume that it is their original work. I find it interesting that Mr. Janis has the ego to put his name above the title but somehow fails to list himself and his wife, Elizabeth Demmer as the writers.

This is one of those occasions when the writer should not be the director of his own writing, as he apparently lacks the objectivity to see the flaws that could so easily have been corrected during the filming. This might have been minimized with the oversight of an established studio but, with Ms. Deming, an otherwise uncredited, sole producer, many of the film's flaws appears to be the result of a vanity production.

I would like to see this film re-edited under the guidance of a more experienced producer and/or director to keep all that works well-including, of course, Van Dyke's and Lansbury's appearances-but cut what doesn't ... or (though I'm generally not big on remakes) for it to be reworked entirety.

If you want a truly enjoyable movie this is it. From start to finish it kept you entertained. Acting and music superb. Don't miss it.

It has been increasingly hard to find Christmas movies that focus on children so I am glad I found this movie to watch on Christmas Eve. It took me awhile to find "Buttons" amidst all kinds of "Life-mark or "Hall-time" stupid adult Christmas romances/Santa Claus. The period set design and costuming was attractive and colorful, often reminiscent of a Dickens piece. I especially enjoyed the workhouse setting. The music was OK enough and not so much of it as to be distracting or annoying. The story was touching even if I knew how it was going to end. In spite of what some grinchy critics have written, the acting was good and the children adorable.

There is one song towards the beginning that reminds me of a forgotten Shirley Temple song and dance (or was it Annie??). Alivia Clark, the main child character playing Annabelle definitely isn't Shirley Temple. I kept waiting for her to do a duet tap dance with her guardian angel, but it never happened. The filmmakers could have done a bit better with her choreography. In her own way though she is more pleasant than Shirley.

As a Christmas movie to watch with the kids (or in my case as an elderly person by myself), I found it considerably quieter, much less commercial oriented (AKA Santa Claus, gifts, malls, adult romance) and more Christmas appropriate than most Christmas fare and would like to strongly encourage filmmakers to make more movies like this. So, there are some minor criticisms and I have deducted 2 points from a perfect 10.

Life isn't always going to be easy, we will have trials and unkind people in our lives but as the movie Buttons portrays, if you believe, miracles can happen. It's a beautiful movie about hope that brings a miracle at Christmastime. So fun to see Dick Van Dyke, Jayne Seymore, Angela Lansberry, and all the other great actors! Tim Janis did a great job directing. Loved it!

I am sorry to do this but I have to be honest. This movie majorly sucked. It was such a chore getting through it. Had it not been for Dame AL's I probably wouldn't have stuck with it.

I was so excited to see this, I mean AL and DVD as angels helping orphans. But boy am I glad I watched it first before watching it with Family.

There is only 3 things that made it somewhat pallitable. AL, DVD and the ending (somewhat heartwarming).

Apart from a few notable cast the acting was terrible. The songs were major rip offs from other works. Sync was off in places. These are just the tip.

Don't watch.