CCI Entertainment, Really Real Films,
Elaine Hendrix, Sergio Di Zio, Sean Michael Kyer, Christopher Lloyd, Jessica Harmon, Adrian Holmes
John (Sergio Di Zio) and Grace (Elaine Hendrix) love each other, and her 10 year old son Zachary (Sean Michael Kyer). But there are problems. John absolutely hates Christmas. He despises the holidays, but Grace on the other hand, is a fanatic about Christmas. She loves the holiday to extreme. Grace was hoping John would propose over the holidays, but instead they get into a huge spat, and trying to make it up makes things spin out of control. Both have deep secrets, and unless they can get them out in the open, their relationship is doomed.
This is really a pretty silly movie. They try really hard to pull on the heart strings, but I can’t imagine anyone over 12 buying any of this. The two characters are so hideously unlikeable, and the setup is so extreme. Someone who absolutely hates Christmas must have a really good reason, but this guy has no good reason at all to be like he is, nor should he flip so quickly from hatred of the season to a holly jolly Santa. And Grace is a whiny spineless thing that has no reason to be such a Christmas fanatic. To top it all off, John has an ex that is so over the top, and Grace’s ex is such a cartoon. To try to cram these two together is such a stupid plot device that this should be a cartoon. Truth be told, the Christmas these clowns all spend in the same house (Yes even the two exes) is so incredulous that even the under 12 crowd won’t buy this. But after collecting a whole houseful of misfits, even more show up to add to the chaos. What was Christopher Lloyd thinking to do this movie? This is a new ION TV premier for 2012, and they are really scraping the bottom of the barrel. If this were funny, or even remotely humorous, it might make sense, but as it is, this movie is really a waste of video. There are so many good films for the holidays, don’t waste your time on this clunker!
Here is the home page for this 2012 Christmas film from ION TV.
** Anything But Christmas (2012),
Louisa said
December 14 2013 @ 6:16 am
Loved this film – watched tentatively, because of the bum reviews (eg, above) however relaxed midway through when I could see how it was panning out, and why. What a sad, unyielding attitude to state that this is incredulous – I am staggered at how the underlying meaning is scrutinised in the way that it is!
I have spent Christmases alone – or sometimes with just me and my son. Wishing desperately for the family squabbles that I once had, when I was part of a big family – both as a child, and as a wife
Spelling out the message, that being amongst family, close friends and loved ones is one of the meanings of Christmas in this beautiful portrayal, actually caused me to weep real tears of swollen emotion! I feel happy and uplifted after watching this – I have a family Christmas planned and am cooking for hoards 🙂
Thanks – and well done
EdG said
December 14 2013 @ 12:27 pm
Thanks for your comments. I appreciate them. It’s odd how sometimes a movie will resonate with you and despite what other people think it can be a moving experience. The time and place, and state of mind at the time really can have a big effect on how you enjoy a film. I have had cases where I really loved a film, and tried to get someone close to me to watch it with me, and they really hate it. The opposite is also true. There have been some films that critics really hated, that really touched me. I suspect when I saw this I was probably tired or burned out, or just in a bad mood. 🙂 Anyway, if I watch it again under different circumstances I may have a different viewpoint entirely.
Mallory McDonald said
December 24 2014 @ 12:19 pm
Coming from a mother who lost her husband at the age of 26 on Christmas Eve I LOVED this movie. It’s inspiring that everything that was meant to tear them apart didn’t. I love the sorry line between Zachary and the new man in his life after his dad died and the way his mother handled it all. I think it was a great message.
Sara said
December 13 2015 @ 8:07 am
This film is all that you say. However, in the end the sentiment of the season did get to me and I enjoyed it, along with all the hamming up of the acting. It was a very silly film but well done and ho ho ho, it actually made me cry. (In a good way).