Tudo Menos Natal

Really nice film! Very funny, attractive and sweet! Much much better than your average Hallmark-production ...Tamar Novas plays his part really well... he is many times hilariously funny when screaming during his slapstick scenes, while being a bit nerdy with a big wardrobe full of the best cosy jumpers (sweaters) and red snow boots with fur. But at the same time the main character is sweet, masculine and a true romantic lead. '1000 miles (kilometers) from Christmas' also has many references to classic American Christmas films. 10 out of 10 for me. This is how you should make a Christmas film.

It's somewhat predictable - big city misanthrope, hates Christmas and avoids it every year, gets sent to a remote mountain town to audit a nougat factory (in Spain, nougat called turròn is inextricably tied to Christmas). The town loves Christmas, of course, but he's on a short timeline to make his Caribbean vacation (avoiding spending the holiday with his mother, naturally). Tropes abound, but the cast is very good and carry their roles well (especially the sugary Christmas-loving townsfolk). It's different from the North American Christmas films that obviously inspired its making. Distinctly Spanish in the Christmas details. I am adding it to my holiday viewing roster, for sure.

A normal Christmas movie with a very banal moral but very sweet even if perhaps at times a bit annoying and not very entertaining. Ultimately, however, the film is great to watch with the family because it is sweet and light.

I started watching it with little expectations, but after the first 20 minutes it really managed to engage me fully! Funny characters, nice plot, great morals and all in all, it had all the ingredients for a funny and sweet Christmas movie. It is an excellent choice for Christmas time!

Maybe you know the feeling: on one hand you kind of like Christmas, on the other hand you find it almost disgusting and maybe even unnecessary. A consumer filled chaos, that is quite stressful if you think about it. In the tradition of the Gremlins and one characters hate for Christmas, we have our main character here, who cannot stand Christmas at all. How lovely - and so well played.

Now of course in stark contrast you have many other characters who are deep in love with the idea of Christmas ... and deep in love with each other. Or some of them love someone else - even if that love is not being received or rather given back the same way.

Now I'm not going into details, but you can imagine where this is heading ... still Santa Slays and Reindeers aside (or whereever you'd find them), the movie is a lot of fun ... and it really gives us an idea of how funny a comedy can be, if it has the right ingredients. Very well made and a movie that seems to be for everyone - although comedy always is a special genre, so there is that ...