A Boy Called Christmas (streaming on Netflix)
Okay, so admittedly, I love Christmas! I love buying gifts. I really love getting gifts. I love Christmas music, Christmas parties, ugly Christmas sweaters, and I love Christmas movies! I don’t know that I can rank my top 5 Christmas movies in order, but randomly, they have to be:
“Elf,” “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” “Home Alone,” “Die Hard,” and “Christmas Chronicles.” “Home Alone 2” is definitely a runner up along with “Jingle All the Way,” “The Santa Clause,” and “Lethal Weapon.” Last year, I watched Mel Gibson’s new Christmas movie, “Fat Man,” and I really like that one. It’s definitely a dark, violent take on Santa. This year, we’ve discovered “8-Bit Christmas” and “A Boy Called Christmas.”
In this origin story of Father Christmas, a regular boy along with his pet mouse) sets out on a great big adventure to find his father who went on a quest to discovery the fabled village of Elfheim. The boy, Nikolas, played by Henry Lawfull (Les Misérables) befriends a reindeer along the way and finds more magic than he knew existed. The movie is based on a book by Matt Haig (The Midnight Library, How to Stop Time) and co-stars Joel Fry (Game of Thrones, Yesterday), Kristen Wiig (WW84, Bridesmaids), and the great Maggie Smith (Downton Abbey, the Harry Potter series).
I really liked this movie and am looking forward to watching it again with my kids. There’s just enough magic and just enough charm. There are some bold special effects, and it’s just a different sort of story about the origin of St Nick and Christmas as we know it. It is well-written and perfectly cast. Co-writer, Gil Kenan is really on a roll this year as he also co-wrote the new “Ghostbusters: Afterlife.” There are elements of this movie that make me think of something like “The Princess Bride.” It just kinda has that feel to it.
I say absolutely watch this one with the family. Make some hot cocoa and maybe even some homemade cookies with the kiddos. “A Boy Called Christmas” is rated PG for peril, action and thematic elements. I give this one a 4.4/5. For me, it’s kind of a tie with “8-Bit Christmas.” It’s a very different movie, but just as good!
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