That Christmas review: Netflix’s British animation lacks the festive sparkle
As a seasoned gamer and movie enthusiast with a soft spot for heartwarming Christmas films, I must confess that Richard Curtis’ latest offering, “That Christmas,” didn’t quite hit the mark for me. Don’t get me wrong; it wasn’t a coal in my stocking, but it’s not a film I’ll be revisiting every holiday season.
Richard Curtis, who is well-known for his Christmas movies, has once again embraced the holiday season with Netflix’s latest animated film titled “That Christmas.” This film made its global debut at this year’s BFI London Film Festival.
The filmmaker has taken his own series of three children’s books – “That Christmas”, “The Empty Stocking”, and “Snow Day” – and transformed them into a movie, working together with Peter Souter on the script. Additionally, Curtis has managed to gather an impressive lineup of British talent for the film, such as Jodie Whittaker, Brian Cox, Lolly Adefope, and others, to breathe life into his characters.
It seems that such a setup would typically lead to another triumphant holiday performance for Curtis, but the movie That Christmas doesn’t quite reach those heights. It’s not as disappointing as discovering a lump of coal in your stocking, but it’s doubtful that it will become an annual Christmas viewing tradition.
On Christmas Eve, Santa Claus managed to make it through a snowstorm and reached a charming coastal town in England. However, upon landing, he noticed three significant issues that required immediate attention for the locals to fully enjoy their holiday.
On a Snow Day, Danny unwittingly goes to school due to his mum being always occupied and missing the message; five kids create unique Christmas customs for themselves as their parents are stranded in a snowstorm.
The film attempts to intertwine these three narratives seamlessly, but falls slightly short in execution. Each story lacks depth and appears more like elongated short stories rather than fully developed feature-length plots. Towards the end, there’s a forced conflict that connects all the stories together, serving as a convenient device to deliver the movie’s predictable, albeit uninspired, moral.
Danny’s story stands out among the three due to powerful performances from Jodie Whittaker as his mother and Fiona Shaw as the strict teacher. However, despite these strong acting efforts, it’s easy to predict where the story is headed and it seems to lack the depth necessary for a more impactful emotional resonance.
As a gamer putting on my holiday hat, let me say I didn’t want to be Scrooge-like when it comes to That Christmas. Brian Cox nailed the role of Santa and honestly, the movie could have benefited from more of him, rather than keeping him mostly as a narrator. Instead, they could have given Guz Khan more screen time as Santa’s lone reindeer Dasher – he was quite entertaining!
While maintaining classic narrative elements, the film thoughtfully depicts a vibrant, multicultural society and addresses contemporary issues such as climate change. The dialogue avoids heavy-handedness, creating a more genuine atmosphere instead of resorting to preaching.
However, while some aspects – including a clever reference reminiscent of “Love Actually” for Curtis – are present, they fail to elevate “That Christmas” into a genuinely shining holiday gem. Instead, it remains insubstantial and overly similar to other traditional Christmas tales, falling short of becoming a timeless classic.
That Christmas is released on Netflix on December 4.
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2024-10-19 18:19