Wishin' and Hopin' (film)

Wishin' and Hopin'
Directed by	Colin Theys
Written by	John Doolan
Starring	Wyatt Ralff Molly Ringwald Chevy Chase Annabella Sciorra
Cinematography	Catherine Goldschmidt
Music by	Matthew Llewellyn
Distributed by	Synthetic Cineyma International
Release date	November 23, 2014 (2014-11-23)
Country	United States
Language	English

Wishin' and Hopin' is a 2014 American coming of age comedy film starring Wyatt Ralff, Molly Ringwald, Chevy Chase and Annabella Sciorra based on the 2009 novel Wishin' and Hopin': A Christmas Story by Wally Lamb. Filmed in and around Norwich, Connecticut, and Willimantic, CT. film received a limited theatrical release at the Garde Arts Center on November 23, 2014 and premiered on Lifetime on December 6, 2014.[1][2][3][4] It was the final television film appearance of Meat Loaf before his death in January 2022.

Plot summary

Fifth-grader Felix Funicello (Ralff), the cousin of famous Mickey Mouse Club Mousekteer and teen idol/movie actress Annette Funicello, lives in the fictional small town of Three Rivers, Connecticut. In 1964, he and his classmates at St. Aloyius Gonzaga Parochial School have a momentous fall semester after lay substitute teacher Madame Frechette (Ringwald) and Zhenya (Cohen), a new student from Russia, arrive. Madame Frechette implements a new concept for the school's Christmas pageant and competition for key roles ensues. The story is narrated in the present day by Felix as an adult (Chase).

Cast

• Wyatt Ralff as Felix Funicello
• Chevy Chase as Adult Felix
• Molly Ringwald as Madame Frechette
• Annabella Sciorra as Ma
• Conchata Ferrell as Sister Agrippina
• Cheri Oteri as Sister Dymphna
• Danny Nucci as Pop
• Meat Loaf as Monsignor Muldoon
• Jesse James as Chino
• Sosie Bacon as Frances Funicello
• Siobhan Cohen as Zhenya
• Quinn McColgan as Rosalie Twerski
• Krysta Rodriguez as Annette Funicello
• Blanche Baker as Mother Filomena
• Camila Banus as Simone Funicello
• Shawn Ervin as Lonny
• Ken Lamothe as Schoolbus Driver
• Brianna Denski as Jackie Durham

See also

• List of Christmas films

References

1. "Wally Lamb's 'Wishin' and Hopin' is headed to the big screen". insidemovies.ew.com. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
2. "'Wishin' & Hopin'" - filmed in and around the Rose City - debuts at the Garde". www.theday.com. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
3. "'Wishin' and Hopin'' debuts to a sold-out house at the Garde". www.theday.com. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
4. "Wishin' and Hopin' to air on Lifetime". www.nfaschool.org. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

External links

• Wishin' and Hopin' at IMDb
• Wishin' and Hopin' at Rotten Tomatoes