A Christmas Carol

Go into it expecting a full blown high budget movie and you'll be very disappointed. But manage your expectations and you might have a pleasant time with this little film. Look at it like a local theater take on the classic story and it's worth the short runtime. The acting may not be legendary but the actors themselves are likable. The story is a modern take but it hits the classic beats. The music isn't a masterpiece but it's nice and fitting. And there is one area where the movie does excel and that's with the beautiful but melancholy scenery of the Scottish countryside. Is this destined to be a perennial classic version of a Christmas Carol? No it's not but it gave me a smile and left me glad that I at least gave it a shot.

For years I've searched for satisfactory modern-day versions of this movie.

I was fearful that maybe this movie wouldn't make the jump to modern day as such things like debtor's prison are a thing of the past.

But, glad to say this movie was really, really enjoyable as a modern-day version of A Christmas Carol.

I've lost track of how many different versions of A Christmas Carol that my wife and I have watched at this point, but it's a lot. I was interested in watching a modern-day version of the story, but had no idea how lazy they could be. This movie was truly atrocious and included some of the worst acting I've ever seen in an adaptation of the Dickens tale. They tried to shoehorn in some of the original dialogue from the book, and it simply didn't work when put in the context of a modern setting. I know the beats so well from this story, and yet somehow this adaptation managed to make it all seem clunky and lack any kind of flow.

It's clear that some guys gathered together and decided they could do an easy cash grab with a story which is in the public domain, so they slapped something together and even tried making it a little more edgy by changing Bob Cratchett into a woman, and making Tim her husband with cancer rather than a kid. However, they didn't think about how this impacts the overall story. I mean there's really no financial way that Scrooge can magically make cancer better, particularly in a nation that already has the NHS to cover most medical costs. It's just a dumb movie, and it's kind of embarrassing that they manage to take a story that even kids cartoons can get right and mess it up this badly.

Scrooge needed to see a barber immediately! The worse was using the same lines as the old movies did. It's supposed to be in England. Jacob Marley was supposed to show in his car, not on the way home. Once the driver stopped Scrooge came flying out yelling & screaming at something ONLY he could see & hear. No one understands why Mrs. Crotchet is called Bob & her husband is Tim. The scene in the bakery was funny. Firing & rehiring Mrs. Crotchet at a better pay was great. Rehiring the couple he fired for being late was good. I'm not saying it has to be the exact same. Changing too much not good.

Well this was a Christmas Eve surprise. We just put this on for something in the background as it was a cheap rental for a new release, but ended up glued to it. Fast paced throughout. Well acted by most characters and very well directed. Low budget but there are some stunning shots of castles and landscapes. Well worth a watch this Christmas especially for the bakery scene. Up go the thumbs.