WHAT’S IT ABOUT
A blizzard hits a seaside town, setting off entwined tales of family, friends, love and loneliness – and Santa making a big mistake.
MOVIESinMO REVIEW
It’s December, and Christmas movies are at least three to one over the other genres combined. So, next on my holiday watch list is a Netflix animated Christmas movie I just watched called “That Christmas.” Trust me, this movie is way more interesting than your average holiday movie—and I say that as someone who finds Christmas movies boring more often than not. First of all, it’s not your stereotypical sweet Christmas story. It’s set in this very quaint little British seaside town called Wellington-on-Sea, and there are just so many layers to this film. The characters are also very engaging—not of that flat cartoon stuff. There’s this kid named Danny who is super awkward. He’s an only child with a single mom who works night shifts, and he’s got this massive crush on Sam, this super intense social justice warrior at his school. Sam is hilarious in her own right. She’s basically redesigned the entire school Christmas pageant into this wild multicultural, vegetarian, climate change awareness extravaganza. And I mean extravaganza. We’re talking pop songs, serious environmental messaging, and absolute chaos. Her twin sister Charlie is a whole other story – she’s losing sleep worried about ending up on Santa’s naughty list. The kind of kid who’s simultaneously troublemaker and total overthinker. As for the voice cast – it’s ridiculous how good it is. Brian Cox is Santa. Brian freaking Cox. Imagine Hannibal Lecter as Santa Claus, and you’re kind of close to how amazing this is. He’s not your typical jolly Santa – he’s actually struggling through this massive snowstorm, trying to deliver presents. There’s this absolutely hilarious reindeer named Dasher who’s basically the sassiest character in the movie. Think of that one friend who always has a witty comeback. Bill Nighy shows up as this lighthouse keeper, and even though he’s only in the movie for like five minutes, he brings this incredible depth that just… wow. The guy could read a phone book and make it sound profound. And Fiona Shaw plays this stern teacher Ms. Trapper who turns out to have this really complex backstory that just breaks your heart a little. What really impressed me is how the movie talks about serious topics. It isn’t scared to explore issues like anxiety, loneliness, divorce, and the difficulties of being a single parent. But it does this in a very careful way that doesn’t feel pushy. The kids feel like real children – not a perfect picture of childhood, but real, complicated people. Ed Sheeran wrote a new song for the movie, which is very nice. The music, made by John Powell, is great—he has worked on “Wicked” and many other amazing soundtracks. So the sound is really good. There is one character, Bernadette, who really takes the spotlight.She rewrites the traditional nativity play into “The Three Wisewomen” – which is exactly as awesome and chaotic as it sounds. The part where she shows this to the school is very funny. Imagine a room full of surprised parents and teachers while she’s talking about representation and historical accuracy. The animation looks beautiful, by the way. It’s not trying to be some big, flashy Pixar movie. It just shows real feeling in a small British coastal town at Christmas. The details are amazing – you can almost feel the cold air and smell the sea salt. Will it be the next big Christmas classic? Probably not. But it’s more than just another holiday movie. It has a true heart that many Christmas films totally miss. Rather than making you believe in joy and magic, it’s a messy, complicated truth about family, community, and growing up. I wouldn’t call it perfect. Some of the jokes work well, some don’t, and then there are those moments where it feels like the emotion is being forced. But overall? It’s a breath of fresh air. If you’re tired of the same old Christmas movie tropes – the perfect families, the miracle endings, the saccharine sweetness – this might be exactly what you need. It’s the kind of movie that might make you laugh, might make you tear up a little, and definitely will make you appreciate the complicated beauty of real human connections. Plus, any movie that can make Santa feel like a real, somewhat stressed-out character is definitely worth watching in my book.
OUR RATING – A NON-TRADITIONAL 7