Father Christmas is Back

We tried, but could not stay with this Christmas lump of coal. Overdone in all aspects. Plus it used every retread of family disfunction ever in a movie. It went on and on, and overstuffed scenes like Santa stuffing his presents in his sack. Why would anybody fund this mess, and think it would be a success to annoy the viewing audience with such overacted garbage?

If you like Christmas movies, and comedies like many of us, do yourself a favor and pass this dog by. Ruff, Ruff.

I absolutely adore Kelsey Grammar but this film is a complete bore!!! There is nothing cute or funny about it. The "sisters" are horrible! It is a must never watch again holiday film.

We watched this. It was not uniformly terrible. There were some moments of levity. But it felt like a long series of comedy sketches in search of a punchline. There are moments of maudlin sincerity grafted into situations that have almost no connection to the emotional statement. The acting/characterization is completely two dimensional. The comedic actions arise because no one has ever thought to ask the next question. At least three of the families here are super rich to the point of owning estates and incredibly expensive cars, and yet they act like helpless children in the face of trivial adversities to the point that you begin to believe that the foolishness of the English elite of Downton Abbey is not a one-off but is part of being rich and English.

The opening credits with the garish lighting and cheesy smiling mugs of the lead cast should have been a tip off... This Christmas comedy is very campy and silly, but without actual great punchlines or clever/witty dialogue. Kids might like it more than adults. Production value also feels more like a TV movie than a movie-movie. If you make it all the way through, ending is kind of cute.

I am afraid this new edition to Netflix's Christmas movie collection is disappointing. Though there were (to be fair) some laugh-out-loud moments, overall, the script was, simply put, weak: the humor was often dry and missed the mark, character development was poor, and the climax was as predictable as it was nauseating. Set in a Yorkshire mansion, a dysfunctional family reunites for Christmas. Caroline Christmas-Hope (played by Nathalie Cox), a control freak, has organized the perfect Christmas, so she thinks. As family members arrive, we begin to see how dysfunctional this family really is. However, Caroline is still determined to have the perfect Christmas, until out of nowhere, 'Father Christmas is Back'. And this, of course, forces things to go haywire, setting off a series of mishaps, inconveniences, and misunderstandings. However, through it all, a long-buried secret that tore their family apart many years ago is finally uncovered, and eventually, Christmas is restored. The script does a good job, I must say, of capturing the feeling of spending Christmas with family members who don't get along, spend too much time bickering, and where well-intentioned plans are shredded. The dialogue and scenes around some of the mishaps are funny, though many fall flat as well, I am afraid. Though I could relate to the dysfunctional family theme, I found it difficult to connect with any of the characters. They did not draw me in. The script was a bit light on heart-to-heart moments. To be fair, I did shed a tear or two in the scene at the pub towards the end where Caroline confesses waiting/looking for her father on every Christmas. The acting was very strong. Indeed, it was the acting that kept me watching. The cast consists of a blend of seasoned actors as well as newcomers, all of which were entertaining to watch on screen. The movie too did have a pretty good Christmas vibe to it and some nice scenes of a Yorkshire town. There was the annual Christmas fair in Howden, and, of course, a Nativity play. Overall, it is a rather weak Christmas movie, I am afraid. That said, if you are looking for a movie with quirky (and often mean-spirited) characters, occasional laughs, and a bit of the holiday spirit, then 'Father Christmas is Back' may be just what you are looking for.