Although it was released by LionsGate, which made its reputation in Hollywood by releasing hard R/borderline NC-17 material, the studio’s latest DVD release, Midnight Clear, based on the book by Christian author Jerry B. Jenkins is a bit of a surprise. There is no explosion of violent blood and gore being spilled, no flesh-filled scenes of passion between taboo lovers, and no endless strings of profanity, as is often the case with LionsGate material.

Instead, we are treated to a quiet human drama of the movie-of-the-week variety, a Hallmark Channel-style drama about a small ensemble of characters whose lives intersect on Christmas Eve in ways that are unexpected, minor and yet critical. The cast is headlined by Stephen Baldwin, the “born again” Baldwin brother of reality show fame, who manages to turn in a credible performance. He plays a man down on his luck, drinking his regrets and bitterness away in Riedel wine glasses and tempted with the thought of taking his anger out of the world that seems to conspire against him, imagining a shower of violence.

Other characters struggle with their own issues, like having a car break down on a night in which they absolutely need to get home, or the tale of the disheartened youth pastor, saddled with taking the teens around Christmas caroling despite believing such efforts are unwelcome and make no difference. The tale, a bit of a play on the Pay It Forward concept, shows that one simple act of being nice to a stranger can change everyone’s fate.

The positive message never gets too preachy or too religious, meaning that it’s a faith movie that even non-faith-based folks might be able to stomach, provided they don’t mind movies with a cautiously optimistic, hopeful message. While the film is entertaining, though, be warned that it is a bare-bones DVD at best. You get a basic audio commentary, a minor “making of” documentary and that’s about it. It’s not the least feature-rich DVD I’ve watched lately, but it’s certainly not that impressive.