Reynolds and Harris Make ‘Wish’ Watchable

Ah, it’s that “warm, fuzzy” time of year, when shows attempt to kindle a sense of peace on Earth, goodwill to all.

“The Christmas Wish,” a “CBS Sunday Movie” starring Debbie Reynolds and Neil Patrick Harris, is a prime example of the genre. Its impact is muted, however, because while its heart’s in the right place, there’s no blood pumping through.

Over Thanksgiving dinner, Will Martin (Harris) asks his grandmother (Reynolds) what she would like for Christmas. Her answer floors him. Since Grandpa’s recent death, she has been reading through his personal journals, and she has come upon a mystery she wants Will to investigate.

Will’s grandparents raised him after his parents were killed in a car accident, and as the investigation yields details about Grandpa’s life, Will realizes how much of Grandpa lives on in him.

There’s potential for this to build to an “It’s a Wonderful Life”-like payoff, but that never happens. Except for a couple of moments of blatant tear-jerking, the action remains stubbornly uncompelling. The characters are as bland a bunch of upper-crusts as you’re liable to come upon, and there’s little suspense in the story (too many cooks here; it’s a Greg Taylor script based on a Beth Polson television story based on a Richard Siddoway novella) or in Ian Barry’s direction.

If there’s anything to truly weep about, it’s that Reynolds, who’s always watchable, and Harris, who has grown from “Doogie Howser, M.D.” into an arresting leading man, are wasted. Thank goodness, though, that we have them to watch.

Reynolds strikes an effective balance between twinkling grandmother and recent widow who fears that all her happy memories are about to be proved a sham; and Harris offers a sensitive portrayal of a career-driven young man who gradually opens himself to life’s broader possibilities.

* “The Christmas Wish” airs Sunday at 9 p.m. on CBS. The network has rated it TV-G (suitable for all ages).