A GRAMPA FOR CHRISTMAS (2007) **1/2 Ernest Borgnine may the ugliest man in Hollywood history. He's the first guy that jumps out at me, but just because I think of him. I think of him because he's very talented. There will probably always be more ugly people than talented ones, even given evolution and all that. Course, we've all come to delight in Ernest's looks, they're endearing. Sure you cast him as a gangsta or gargoyle, and definitely not Snow White, but his looks are like a smelly old blanket. In a good way. Of course the years take their toll on us all, and he's turned out almost normal lookin' in his old age. Well, not "almost," but comparatively so. Not that he's been working out, or through any effort of his own. The veneer that the years have removed allows all that humanity-that you could always see and feel but were distracted from-to shine through even more clearly. Those big toothy smiles. Give him a very talented little girl (Juliette Goglia) to work with, and voila! wham! bingo skidoo!! >Nice heart-warming Christmas movie. I don't care what anyone can say, there's never gonna be enough of those. Funny how easily Katherine Helmond, Jamie Farr and Richard Libertini "create" the warm feel of aging showbiz folk with lots of great stories and memories. They must have learned it from vaudeville folk when they were kids. The song remains the same.
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