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.
[1][2][3][4] It was the final television film appearance of Meat Loaf before his death in January 2022.
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.