Ed's Review Dot Com

Film Väst, Scott Free Productions,

Jim Broadbent, Rafe Spall, Warwick Davis, Ewen Bremner, Stephen Graham, Joanna Scanlan, Jodie Whittaker, Kit Connor, Josh McGuire, Nonso Anozie, Hera Hilmar, Matt King

A young boy finds Santa asleep in their garage after clipping a power line and crashing his new sleigh. With the help of his Dad, who is on parole after spending some time in the pen, set out to help Santa, but things are bad as the police are after him and the reindeer have all gotten loose. They will have to do everything possible to get Santa back on track for Christmas Eve.

This little movie was a surprise. It’s got Jim Broadbent as Santa. He will always be Tootles for me from the movie Hook, but he is an excellent choice for Santa. We also have “Not an Elf” Warwick Davis (Willow) here as a prisoner who Santa mistakes for an Elf. He adds a lot of humor to the script as well. This is a very British movie and the (dare I say) accent makes it a little harder to follow, especially if your sound is screwed up, but it was actually a very nicely done movie. I found it very entertaining and a cut above the rest. There have been so many low budget Santa is in trouble and needs the kids to help him save Christmas movies, but this has a lot of class. Granted some of it is silly and that’s intentional. But it has much more going on here. There is a complicated relationship between the boy and his Mother who is remarried and with his Dad who is trying to do his best even though he’s being punished by having his son kept away from him. All in all it was a delightful adventure and a good time watching this, and I feel like it is well worth the time I invested watching it. You can stream it on Netflix if you wish.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

Translux, Working Title Films,

Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams, Bill Nighy, Lydia Wilson, Lindsay Duncan, Richard Cordery, Josh McGuire, Tom Hollander, Margot Robbie, Vanessa Kirby

When Tim (Domhnall Gleeson) turns 21, his Dad pulls him aside and informs him that the men in their family have always had the ability to time travel to the past. When he finds this unbelievable, He gives it a try and find out it is true. As he proceeds through his life he meets a young woman played by Rachel McAdams. He’s immediately smitten by her, so travels back in time many times to try to win her heart. But he finds there are some events which you cannot go back before without changing things too much. There are limitations in this very quirky little time travel film.

First of all, I must say that I am a sucker for time travel films. I’ve always been fascinated with the paradoxes of time travel and typically enjoy these kinds of films. This one is unlike any I’ve ever seen. There is deference given to the method in which they travel back, nor is there any mention of the quandaries of traveling in time. We just accept it as a fact. This is, after all, mostly a love story. But I think it’s more of a love story between Tim and his father, even more than his love for his wife and children. It is certainly a quirky film, but it was very powerful to me. I was deeply moved by this story and enjoyed it way more than I thought it would. This movie has a feel to it much more like Somewhere in Time or Tuck Everlasting, or even Lake House. The character that Rachel McAdams plays is kind of unlike her other roles. She’s much less the centerpiece of this film than she usually is, but she gives a splendid performance. She’s one of the newer actresses who doesn’t disappoint with her ability to really sink her teeth into whatever role you give her. She adds a lot to the film. The only complaints I might have is that a lot of the wonder of how he can go back in time is wasted when they just kind of throw it aside. There’s not much purpose in his repeated jumps back and forth. But if you stick through the movie, it really gets to the meat of the story and the things that are very important to him. He finds the things that he really needs and the movie turns very touching. It’s deep and it’s soul searching, and not near as novelty driven as most time travel adventures. This movie just slipped in out of left field and shocked me with it’s impact. I was impressed and it has definitely been a quirky week.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog