Weihnachten allein zu Haus

The original title of 3 day Christmas makes more sense in this Christian based film of families putting gadgets away and spending time with each other.

Of course in reality chances are you will have more arguments and soon get back to your gadgets for some peace and quiet.

Martin Taylor (George Newbern) feels that he has lost touch with his family and they with each other. So as a test he locks them up in the house with no power, heating, electricity, water, phones and contact with the outside world so they can all connect with each other. The test is to last for three days and the rest of the family agree to go with this rather reluctantly and of course at first they find it difficult to adjust to this more simpler and basic lifestyle which to be fair has its uses if you were suddenly stranded in a remote island.

Well that is the core of the film that gadgets get in the way of good old fashioned talk talk and interacting with each other. Writer/director Corbin Bernsen realises that the film needs to pep up the plot and he introduces some Home Alone shenanigans at the end as some intruders get some hard slapstick action.

Of course the core problem with this film is the message that modern society is rubbish. Bernsen apparently had the idea for this film over 20 years ago. So modern society has always been rubbish.

It starts out nicely, but deteriorates into home alone. I had expected more conflict within the family, and more overcoming of obstacles resulting from the test itself, for instance the precarious water situation. Instead, some relative turns up to simulate an external threat, resulting in the family going "home alone". The TV team showing up is also rather dragged in by the head and shoulders, even if they're quite self-ironic.

And of course, there's the religious propaganda, insinuating you should feel bad for not going to church, and the intellectual property propaganda comparing copyright infringement to theft.