If You Believe

Sourpuss editor Susan Stone rediscovers the child within her just in time to share the Christmas turkey with everyone else. This heartwarming, feel-good film on the Ebenezer Scrooge theme stars Ally Walker., A book editor (Ally Walker) whose personal life and fast-track career have begun to falter learns to enjoy herself again with some help from her “inner child.” Thom Weller: Tom Amandes. Suzie Stone: Hayden Panettiere. Robin: Meredith McGeachie. Bob: Andrew Tarbet. Mark: Demore Barnes. Directed by Alan Metzger., Susan Stone is a modern-day scrooge. Out of nowhere, a carefree 7-year-old girl named Suzie, the embodiment of Susan’s inner child, comes to help Susan recapture the love of life that she’s lost., While navigating the road to success and fortune, book editor Susan Stone (Ally Walker) has become cynical and jaded, abandoning the youthful idealism and enthusiasm which propelled her forward in the first place. As a result, Susan has lost her personal and professional momentum, and is in danger of losing not only her job but also the love of her family. All this changes when a strange but adorable seven-year-old girl named Suzie (Hayden Panettiere) enters Susan’s life, apparently with the express purpose of jolting the heroine back to humanity — and guiding her toward the true love of her life. It may not be difficult to guess from the outset whom the ebullient “Suzie” really is. A typical but nonetheless enjoyable Christmas-season offering, the made-for-cable If You Believe first aired December 6, 1999 over the Lifetime network.