Plot
Bert O'Riley (Ernest Borgnine) is a retired Hollywood actor who has been estranged from his ex-wife, Brenda, and only daughter Marie (Tracy Nelson) for many years. The last time he saw Marie was at her college graduation twelve years ago. Despite this, Bert keeps busy with his many friends from show business and his days are mostly spent playing chess with his former agent and lifelong best friend, Karl Sugarman (Richard Libertini), and getting coffee with Karl, Adam (Jamie Farr), Jack (Quinn Redeker), and Roxie Famosa (Katherine Helmond). Unbeknownst to Bert, Marie has moved back to Los Angeles with her ten year-old daughter, Rebecca (Juliette Goglia), whom Bert has never met.
While traveling for work, Marie ends up in a severe car accident and is hospitalized for a coma. Social Services places Becca in Bert's care, but Becca, having been told by her grandmother that Bert left the family because he did not want to raise a child, is resentful of Bert despite his best efforts to connect with the girl. Becca asks Bert why he never starred in musicals, and Burt claims he was too ugly so he was typically cast as a henchman. Becca tells him that her grandmother claimed that he didn't make it in musicals because he couldn't sing or dance. During a thunderstorm, Bert comforts the scared Becca and sings her a Welsh lullaby that puts her to sleep.
Roxie encourages Becca to audition for the Christmas pageant at her new school, and she agrees. Roxie offers to help her with singing, and suggests that she reach out to Bert for help as well. While playing chess with Kurt and Bert, Kurt reveals to Becca that Bert actually used to teach drama at Glendale College and directed many successful musicals. Becca begins to realize that what she had been told about her grandfather was not correct, and asks Bert to help her with her dancing. After a successful audition, Becca gets the part in the musical with a solo number.
Marie wakes up from her coma and asks to see Bert, and she thanks him for taking care of Becca. However, relations between the two are still strained, and Bert leaves the room. Becca attempts to tell Marie about how Bert is not a bad man, but Marie tells her to be careful, because he was not there for her or her mother when they needed him. Becca gets angry and says that Bert was there for her and leaves the room. Karl, who witnessed the break-up between Brenda and Bert, suggests that Bert tell Marie and Becca the truth about what happened, but Bert claims that he does not want to ruin Brenda's memory, as she passed away three years ago.
As an early Christmas present, Bert gives Becca an iPod Nano, something her friend, Heather, had gotten previously. Becca is so excited that she calls him "grandpa" for the first time. Soon after, the pageant director has to leave for a family matter, and Becca suggests that Bert direct the pageant instead. Bert agrees and spends several days training the students for the production. Things are going well until Bert suffers a sudden heart attack. While Bert is in the hospital, Karl finally tells Marie the truth: Brenda left Bert on Christmas Eve for a director named Russell who promised to make her famous. After a year, Russell left the two, and Brenda attempted to get back together with Bert. Bert could not trust her, so he refused, and in retaliation, Brenda took the three year-old Marie to San Francisco and out of Bert's life forever. Marie protests, pointing out that her mother claimed Bert never helped out financially, but Karl reveals that was a lie: in reality, Bert paid for her entire college tuition and even attended her graduation secretly.
On Christmas Eve, But checks out of the hospital early so he can see Becca's performance at the Christmas pageant in person. His doctor warns him that it could be harmful to his heart, but he assures her that if he isn't there to see Becca's performance, that his heart would be broken anyway. Becca is suffering from stage fright and is nervous about performing in front of a large crowd, but Bert helps her overcome her fears and the performance is a massive success. Back at Bert's home, all of his friends are there celebrating Christmas. Bert goes outside to talk to Marie and she tells him that she wants to move into his house while she recovers so they can make up for lost time. Bert gladly agrees and she calls him "dad" for the first time in his life. With the family reunited, the three go join the party, with Bert preparing to celebrate his first Christmas in decades.
