The Christmas Ball

Great to have a British movie for a change, although it's a bit weird when they use American phrases etc. Midsomer Murder fans will recognise three of the four lead actors, which is fun. I wish there were more all-age-friendly UK movies like this and not just for Christmas.

The Christmas Ball is a harmless piece of made-for-tv Seasonal fluff, presumably made with a mainly American market in mind. The premise of saving a ''centuries old'' historical house rather founders at the get-go as the building in question is a mock Tudor one built in the thirties by the look of it...the idea that it is centuries old is laughable - surely even Americans know what a castle or mansion looks like, compared with a large surburban home? Meanwhile the plot is utterly devoid of surprises from the moment the stuffed shirt professor meets the free-spirited dancer. I give it three stars as a film to wrap Christmas presents to....

For Regency and Victorian era fans, it might be fun to see two dances performed from that era, the Quadrille, and the Waltz done with some extra pizazz.

The bones of the story are pure formula. Claire lost her job as a ballerina and flees "home" to recoup before returning to seek a new spot somewhere else. Aunt Bridget is retiring. Together with Liam they work on a Christmas Eve ball to impress a committee to save the house. Liam and Claire spend a lot of time together. In this case, much of that is rehearsing the dance performances. The conflict is exactly what this situation requires. The outcome is exactly what you'd expect.

There are no great highs or lows or surprises in the story. Even the tension doesn't appear until late. The only thing that sets this movie apart at all is the historical angle.

I wish I could say there was great chemistry, but Nick Hendrix as Liam was too much the stoic English professor.

Predictable Hallmark style Christmas romp but no chemistry between Deirdre Mullins and Nick Hendrix, he's a charisma vacuum, she's great. Nice to see Richard Lintern getting off with the still foxy Caroline Langrishe.

Have said many times about my love of Christmas and getting a lot of pleasure out of in particular watching films, cartoons and specials during this period, something that most years has been much needed. Wanted to see some more festive films that were more recent, lower in budget and were not childhood favourites, so in a way to broaden my horizons and have been doing so since November 2019. Watched 'The Christmas Ball' for completest sake, and also because of my love for dancing and seeing a few actors from 'Midsomer Murders' in the cast.

'The Christmas Ball' didn't do very much for me. There are certainly far worse Christmas films overall from 2020 and overall, but also a lot better. Some things are good, but there is also too much bad in too many crucial areas for me to recommend it. There have actually been some good Christmas films out there seen in the past four years, including ones centered around dancing, so me not caring for 'The Christmas Ball' is not being said with bias in any way at all.

Beginning with the good things, the supporting cast actually fare quite solidly with good work in particular coming from Caroline Langrishe, giving the film and her role much needed personality and energy, and remarkably nuanced Richard Lintern. The dancing is well choreographed and charmingly danced, loved seeing all the various dances and wouldn't have said no to more.

Furthermore, the production values are quite nice to look at, particularly the scenery. The music is suitably varied and has a lot of charming character, fitting the dancing styles well.

On the other hand, a lot does not come off well. Neither of the two leads give good performances, Deidre Mullins tries too hard and comes over as too neurotic. Nick Hendrix has a colourless role and injects very little charisma or personality, so very bland. The chemistry lacks spark and never really takes off, it wouldn't even be believable as a friendship let alone a romance.

Writing too often is awkward and forced, with too many cheesy parts and out of place and less than sharp comedy that jars with some of the seriousness. The story is very predictable throughout and drags a lot as a result of overlong scenes (some of it padding) and the middle being quite thin. The last act is too contrived and convenient. The film is very bland, taking itself too seriously to be light hearted and the lack of interesting characters and underwritten storytelling stops it from having any charm or heart. The music is forgettable at best and could have been toned down and the direction is never above routine level.

All in all, didn't do it for me despite the idea actually being a good one. 4/10.