Trailer Park Boys: Xmas Special

This is a must see for any fan of the Trailer Park Boys. Of course, I may be a little biased, as I love what is in my opinion, the only truly great show produced locally, but this prequel was entertaining from start to finish. It was particularly amusing to see J Roc before he became "leader of the Roc Pile", and how his decline into rapper culture came about. There's plenty of laughs, and if you're a fan of the series, you will appreciate the humour (though I understand that it's not for everyone).

When I first saw this, I was under the misunderstanding that this was the original movie on which the series was based, as the plot, era etc all seemed to fit, but the fact that it was written after gave the writers the benefit of foresight, and many amusing plot devices to tie into "future" episodes, and explain the way many things are. I still have yet to see the original movie, but if it's half as good as this, it will be well worth watching.

Having seen all of the episodes of the Canadian television series "Trailer Park Boys" I can assure you that if you're a fan of the show, you're going to dig the Christmas special. If you're not a fan, I think the short running time makes it at least worth your while so you can choose for yourself whether or not you want to keep going and catch more of the boys. The series (and this movie), is shot documentary style, with a group of camera men following the residents of Sunnyville Park. The trailer park is filled with colourful characters, the most notable of which are the three boys: Ricky (Robb Wells) a dope-dealing idiot , Julian (John Paul Tremblay) a greedy crook who will stop at nothing to make a buck and their not particularly clever, but earnest friend Bubbles (Mike Smith). This holiday season, Julian is up to his old tricks again. He's stealing Christmas presents and decorations and re-selling them to the residents of the park in order to make cash. To avoid distractions from Ricky's ex-girlfriend, he bails out his friend from jail (something Ricky isn't particularly pleased about because he loves being incarcerated during the holidays). Meanwhile, Bubbles just wants to have a merry Christmas, something that hasn't really happened since he was abandoned by his parents as a child.

With the commercial breaks, this movie comes to about an hour, so you're looking at about a 46 minute special on DVD. If you're a fan of the series, it's actually a prequel episode (set in 1997) that shows the origins of a lot of the characters' crippling problems, most notably the alcoholic park supervisor Jim Lahey (John Dunsworth) and his lover, the male prostitute Randy (Patrick Roach). The series stays true to its roots by giving us a Christmas special... that's not particularly heart warming, still contains just as many stupid stunts from the boys and has plenty of cursing, drinking and dope. The special was technically aired as an episode, but as far as I know, it isn't included in any of the season box sets, so if you're a big fan of the show, I think you'll find yourself adding this to your regular queue of Christmas films, if only because the running time is less than an hour and it breaks up all of that Christmas cheer nicely. If you're not a fan of the show, this special is a nice introduction, but if the humor isn't your cup of tea, I don't think this story will change your mind.

I'm a casual fan of the show, having seen most of it more by happenstance than by actually physically going out of my way to catch it when it was playing on Showcase. I have only mild affection for it, but I do recommend that you check it out, because why not really. If you're a fan of Sunnyvalle, I think you'll go nuts for "The Trailer Park Boys Christmas Special". (On DVD, December 24, 2014)

Releasing shortly after the finale of the fourth season, the Trailer Park Boys Xmas Special is a 45 minute long prequel to the TV series. Taking place in December of 1997 this Christmas special sees the boys up to their old ways, with Ricky being bailed out of jail at the start as to help Julien with his Christmas scheme. However most interestingly the audience is treated to seeing Jaime before he became J-Roc as well as, Jim and Barbra Lahey still being married with Lahey and Randy formally meeting each other as Barb takes him in over Christmas. The special plays out like an elongated episode, which is definitely not a bad thing unless you're not a fan of the Trailer Park Boys formula. For me this special mostly worked, it featured subpar writing and some goofy jokes although outside of its Christmas theme I did not find it all too special. I liked Ricky's epiphany near the end but the most enjoyable aspect for me came from the aforementioned setup of some seeing characters in positions that are different from their circumstances in the series. It was charming to hear some characters talk about their plans for the future when we know as the audience how it will play out. It should be noted though that I do not recommend this special for first-time viewers; similar to a film like Rogue One, the Trailer Park Boys Xmas Special you will get the most out of this special if you've been a viewer of the TV show and have some recollection of the events/characters in the show. I am sure most people who view this special are already Trailer Park Boys fans, however, there probably are some outliers who will check out the special without having any context of who some of the characters are and it will hurt their experience. I doubt it's a story that will pull in any new viewers, it is a perfectly fine special that I'm sure will please even the most casual of Trailer Park Boys fan and for that reason, I am giving the Trailer Park Boys Xmas Special a 6/10. I do recommend this short for anyone who is a fan of the series and I possibly see myself getting some rewatches out of it during the holiday season.

Having just been exposed to TPB on a recent visit to Montreal, I brought back seasons 1-4 on DVD and just got the Xmas special in the mail. Why this hasn't made it to the States is beyond mysterious to me. Too rough? Too white trash? Nope, just too damn funny and it's a crime HBO or Showtime haven't picked this up. There's a whole country full of people like this here... The comments on the boards are right: This one answers all kinds of questions about how and why these characters are who they are. Hilariously sick, this episode is also extremely touching (won't give it away!). Believe it or not, you'll actually learn something about the true meaning of Christmas from Julian, Ricky, and Bubbles. If you're a fan, you know you need this. If you're new to the show, it's better to watch the episodes from the beginning and watch this after series 4. Bring on the movie, boys!

Don't listen to Rusty Nails 30 review, if you are a true Trailer Park Boys fan, you will love anything and everything put on film with these guys.

( you can tell by Rusty Nails 30 review that he only saw season 1, so he is most likely not a true Trailer Park Boys fan to leave such a ridiculous and negative review)