I’ll Be Home For Christmas (2016)
Directed by and starring James Brolin this is fairly ordinary holiday family stuff with a bit of cop drama thrown in. Not bad just not very memorable.
Is it Hallmark? Yes
Does it look like Christmas? Sure
Does it sound like Christmas? Courtesy of Brolin’s old lady.
Does it feel like Christmas? Sure
Did it make me cry? Nope
Did I finish it? Yep
Is it a good movie? It’s okay
Is it a good Christmas Movie? Ditto
A Song For Santa (Rifftrax)
A young boy from Texas pulls “ a reverse Home Alone” and wanders into a Bavarian Cathedral where an orchestra and choir are rehearsing. Enchanted by their performance he begins to dream of some sort of Santa heaven, as you do, and tries to sell Santa the song Silent Night, as you do.
Not as bizarre or unsettling as some of the holiday shorts the Rifftrax 3 have unearthed but it has its moments.
A Visit to Santa (Rifftrax)
Not starring child actors as much as hostages. Some genuinely interesting stock footage of community Christmas parades precedes a more pedestrian tour of some store’s Christmas village, though the Rocket themed elevator to the model train department is pretty sweet.
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir - The Ghost of Christmas Past S2 E14 (1969)
One of my favorite series growing up, I probably haven’t seen this episode in decades. It’s an okay “Christmas Carol” pastiche giving Charles Nelson Reilly a chance to wildly overact in two roles. There’s also a bit of romance and an abandoned baby in the mix. Overall a sweet but inessential episode unless you’re a big fan of the series.
Christmas Episode or Special? Episode
Am I familiar with the series? Yes.
Is it Christmassy? Sure
Would I Rewatch? Sure.
Father Knows Best Home For Christmas (1977)
Nostalgic holiday reunion TV movie from 1977. So much more relatable than most of today’s TV fare. Virtually every bit of family drama the writers threw in was familiar, things most families have or will experience at some point over the years. The performances were fine, somewhat under-rehearsed but this was clearly a low-budget effort. Still, it was lovely to see the gang back together and the handful of flashback clips weren’t too intrusive.
Christmas Episode or Special? Special
Am I familiar with the series? Yes
Is it Christmassy? Yes
Would I Rewatch? Sure,
Love the Coopers (2015)
So, Wes Anderson and Woody Allen rebooted A Christmas Story as an Arrested Development spinoff, Christmas cringe. I’m sure it has its place in the wide pantheon of Christmas films, it is a well made film and people who hate Christmas need something to watch during holidays so...
