Weihnachten bei dir oder bei mir?

I have to admit, I am addicted to Christmas movies - and I have watched the full spectrum from boring to best (Love, Actually; Last Christmas, etc.)

But this newcomer is several steps above the vast selection of Hallmark-ish Holiday fare.

Great cast, refreshing unpredictable twists in the storyline. And even though I sometimes avoid aspects of "Brit Wit", this had me smiling & laughing.

From Asa Butterfield to the grumpy father in Victoria, and some refreshing actors I had never seen before, they all add to the film.

Give it a try. It is so much more uplifting than Hallmark or Netflix. Let me know what you think.

A cast of well known Brit actors including the ever watchable Asa Butterfield, Angela Griffin, Daniel Mays etc do their best to keep this Xmas by numbers film bubbling 'n bumbling along and just about pull it off - but it's by no means a classic. Managing to comfortably straddle the line between inoffensive and formulaic it tells the tale of two romantically engaged students independently ending up at each other's family dwelling for Yuletide - and the obvious 'hilarity' that ensues from this.

And that - along with a number of run of the mill cliches, situations and characters - is about it...

Saw this on my Prime video screen. Great cast so gave it a go on a dark Monday night and it was actually a pleasant surprise! Familiar family dynamics but still enjoyably entertaining despite knowing where it was going. Asa Butterfield and Cora Kirk are likeable leads, nice support from Daniel Mays, Alex Jennings and Harriet Walter and the rest of the reliable British cast. This is not a film that will go down as a classic but it is undemanding, pretty cosy although actually the film kept me interested all the way through. The most traumatic thing - someone leaves their phone on a train and let's face it, we would all be totally stumped with that situation. Who even knows phone numbers any more!!!

Solidly enjoyable fluff.

Two young people in school in London are developing a relationship, they are just about to the point that they profess their love. But at this moment they must catch trains at the Marylebone Station to travel to their homes for the Christmas holidays. As they say goodbye, at the last second each independently decide they will switch trains and join the other's family for Christmas. So he ends up at the home of her family, while she ends up at the home of his family. And neither knows where the other is!

Asa Butterfield plays the part of James, it turns out he has not told her all about his family, and he has not told his dad that he dropped out of military school. Cora Kirk plays the part of Hayley and she has kept things secret also. All this to generate the difficult situations over the course of the movie's time span of two days.

This is a quite different movie for my wife and me, the British approach to comedy is unique, but we enjoyed the entertainment. Streaming on Amazon.

We watched "Your Christmas or mine?" last night, with high hopes but a little trepidation. We need not have worried. It's fun, ridiculous and charming. And tons better than "Last Christmas" or "The Holiday" both of which have a similar feel but, for me, fail to ballance the cheese with charm. The acting in the scene in very first minute is abysmal, but quickly settles down. If you want a simple festive seasonal pick me up, this fits the bill nicely. I think the expression is " suspend disbelief" and it'll be enjoyable. It deserves neither the 3 star reviews nor the 10 star reviews, but is certainly watchable and I will happily watch again one day. Oh and if you want another feel good Christmas fix, try "Click and Collect".