This film is funny in places, but in general it seems to try too hard to be funny. Some casting was great, some not so great. A film I will probably firget about but I wouldn't go as far as some that claim wasting their time.
215 Reviews
'I've had 27 years of therapy trying to recalibrate Christmas...'
toddsgraham8 November 2021
I am afraid this new edition to Netflix's Christmas movie collection is disappointing. Though there were (to be fair) some laugh-out-loud moments, overall, the script was, simply put, weak: the humor was often dry and missed the mark, character development was poor, and the climax was as predictable as it was nauseating. Set in a Yorkshire mansion, a dysfunctional family reunites for Christmas. Caroline Christmas-Hope (played by Nathalie Cox), a control freak, has organized the perfect Christmas, so she thinks. As family members arrive, we begin to see how dysfunctional this family really is. However, Caroline is still determined to have the perfect Christmas, until out of nowhere, 'Father Christmas is Back'. And this, of course, forces things to go haywire, setting off a series of mishaps, inconveniences, and misunderstandings. However, through it all, a long-buried secret that tore their family apart many years ago is finally uncovered, and eventually, Christmas is restored. The script does a good job, I must say, of capturing the feeling of spending Christmas with family members who don't get along, spend too much time bickering, and where well-intentioned plans are shredded. The dialogue and scenes around some of the mishaps are funny, though many fall flat as well, I am afraid. Though I could relate to the dysfunctional family theme, I found it difficult to connect with any of the characters. They did not draw me in. The script was a bit light on heart-to-heart moments. To be fair, I did shed a tear or two in the scene at the pub towards the end where Caroline confesses waiting/looking for her father on every Christmas. The acting was very strong. Indeed, it was the acting that kept me watching. The cast consists of a blend of seasoned actors as well as newcomers, all of which were entertaining to watch on screen. The movie too did have a pretty good Christmas vibe to it and some nice scenes of a Yorkshire town. There was the annual Christmas fair in Howden, and, of course, a Nativity play. Overall, it is a rather weak Christmas movie, I am afraid. That said, if you are looking for a movie with quirky (and often mean-spirited) characters, occasional laughs, and a bit of the holiday spirit, then 'Father Christmas is Back' may be just what you are looking for.
"For once, I want this family to have the perfect Christmas."
classicsoncall4 December 2021
Warning: Spoilers
If you haven't seen this one yet, let me save you the trouble. I really don't know how the film makers managed to put together such a poor product with the otherwise talented cast of players that appears here. It's perhaps a toss-up as to who gave the more cringe worthy, over the top performance between Nathalie Cox as Caroline Christmas-Hope and April Bowlby as Jackie, the fiancee of Kelsey Grammer's character, James Christmas. I'd easily give it to Bowlby except for the fact she only had about half as much screen time as Cox, who's just nauseating as one of four daughters who are taken aback by the return of their father after an absence of thirty seven years. The story offers a slight little twist as to the parentage of the youngest sister, and with the proper writing and direction, this could have been an effectively poignant picture, but it just gets doomed by such antics as an escaped hamster and a refreshing glimpse of 'cowpat bingo'. I read some of the other reviewers here who obviously feel the same way I do, although those that call it campy might be stretching things a bit. It would be campy if the characters weren't so annoying. The only one with any class seemed to be Caroline Quentin, who portrayed the divorced mother, Elizabeth Christmas, and even she had a skeleton rummaging around in her closet. I've seen and reviewed close to four dozen Christmas films so far, and the only one that scores lower with IMDb voters is "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians" (you can check my list). Now that one was campy.
This Was No Christmas Comedy...It Was A Tragedy!
YabbaDabbaDabba8 November 2021
We tried, but could not stay with this Christmas lump of coal. Overdone in all aspects. Plus it used every retread of family disfunction ever in a movie. It went on and on, and overstuffed scenes like Santa stuffing his presents in his sack. Why would anybody fund this mess, and think it would be a success to annoy the viewing audience with such overacted garbage?
If you like Christmas movies, and comedies like many of us, do yourself a favor and pass this dog by. Ruff, Ruff.
If you like Christmas movies, and comedies like many of us, do yourself a favor and pass this dog by. Ruff, Ruff.
Christmas with the Christmas family
TheLittleSongbird12 July 2022
The negative reviews, and from trusted critics that are held with admiration by me, really did dampen my expectations prior to watching 'Father Christmas is Back'. It was still watched however as someone who loves Christmas films and because of loving various members of the cast. Particularly Kelsey Grammer, John Cleese and Caroline Quentin. Was absolutely determined to at least like this film and have been known to go against the grain and find panned films not that bad or acclaimed films not that great.
'Father Christmas is Back' unfortunately for me was as bad as has been said and the criticisms it's garnered are deserved. One of my biggest peeves is waste of talent and there is some great talent wasted and badly, which does infuriate me actually. Is it the worst Christmas film in existence? No. But there were times where it did come dangerously close to being down there and of the Christmas films seen recently it is definitely one of the very worst. That is being said with regret.
Despite being a very, very poor film, there are redeeming merits. There are some nice shots and some nice scenery.
Quentin gives the best performance, being the only person who seems to know what type of film she's in without going over the top. Kris Marshall does play it straight quite effectively.
All that cannot be said for the rest of the cast. Elizabeth Hurley comes off worst, even in a film that can be quite campy she does overact embarrassingly. As does Nathalie Cox, if her goal was to make her character insufferably irritating she succeeded. Then we have Grammer, who seems to be sleepwalking and misses the chance to give the film any real heart, while Ray Fearon also gives up too early in an underwritten and borderline pointless role. Didn't care for any of the characters, with Hurley and Cox's being incredibly annoying. The chemistry also seems awkward.
Furthermore, the script is full of incredibly forced attempts at humour, the campiness reaching fever pitch bizarre levels, and the moments that are meant to be more heartfelt come over as too over sentimental. The gags are too few and all land with a thud, due to their predictability and how really forced they are. The story is very flimsy and what not enough there is is very predictable and dully paced. Too many things happen too conveniently too. The music is also unbearably schmaltzy sounding and is completely at odds with the film's tone. The direction is barely there.
Overall, very, very poor. 2/10.
'Father Christmas is Back' unfortunately for me was as bad as has been said and the criticisms it's garnered are deserved. One of my biggest peeves is waste of talent and there is some great talent wasted and badly, which does infuriate me actually. Is it the worst Christmas film in existence? No. But there were times where it did come dangerously close to being down there and of the Christmas films seen recently it is definitely one of the very worst. That is being said with regret.
Despite being a very, very poor film, there are redeeming merits. There are some nice shots and some nice scenery.
Quentin gives the best performance, being the only person who seems to know what type of film she's in without going over the top. Kris Marshall does play it straight quite effectively.
All that cannot be said for the rest of the cast. Elizabeth Hurley comes off worst, even in a film that can be quite campy she does overact embarrassingly. As does Nathalie Cox, if her goal was to make her character insufferably irritating she succeeded. Then we have Grammer, who seems to be sleepwalking and misses the chance to give the film any real heart, while Ray Fearon also gives up too early in an underwritten and borderline pointless role. Didn't care for any of the characters, with Hurley and Cox's being incredibly annoying. The chemistry also seems awkward.
Furthermore, the script is full of incredibly forced attempts at humour, the campiness reaching fever pitch bizarre levels, and the moments that are meant to be more heartfelt come over as too over sentimental. The gags are too few and all land with a thud, due to their predictability and how really forced they are. The story is very flimsy and what not enough there is is very predictable and dully paced. Too many things happen too conveniently too. The music is also unbearably schmaltzy sounding and is completely at odds with the film's tone. The direction is barely there.
Overall, very, very poor. 2/10.
Covid reminder.
pgreenuk15 November 2021
Terrible
rudicantfail28 November 2021
Absolutely terrible movie, I am saddened that it is a British made film, it is so bad. Some good actors roped in to a shocking script. An hour and 45 minutes of my life wasted. Save yourselves, avoid watching this trash.
Utterly DIRE
angietjones8 November 2021
I thought the opening credits might have been a deliberate pastiche given the pedigree of many of the cast but I couldn't have been more wrong - what an absolutely dreadful ..... I hesitate to use the word film - my headline tag of "Dire" doesn't come anywhere close to describing just how bad this was - watched for 10 minutes- ffwded the remainder.
Fun and Entertaining
matteovalenti26 December 2021
Question to the cast...
AccessCardRequired10 November 2021
Warning: Spoilers
... all of you are great actors, but happened here? The script is less than mediocre, did you habe a chance to read it before hand? You are a stellar ensemble and you had nothing to play with. Why would you do this? The constant medium close ups in the directions is not helping at all. It's painful to watch. Take the eating cake scene for one example. One sister smears the cake, or whatever it was, into the others sisters face. And then what? Nothing... Seriously? Editing is a joke throughout, camera / lighting has no style. I don't get it.
There is zero character development. Zero emotions and worse zero humor.
Very unfortunate, and judging from all the votes, ratings I am not alone.
There is zero character development. Zero emotions and worse zero humor.
Very unfortunate, and judging from all the votes, ratings I am not alone.
Try it yourself, form your own opinion
rcjsheets28 December 2021
I put this in my category of "things to have on while I'm still playing on my phone". If you are looking for an Oscar winner, no, this is not the one. But I looked up from my phone a few times and was entertained. I liked the cast, the story wasn't bad, and it was a fun watch.
Kind of cute
Calicodreamin7 November 2021
Don't waste your time watching this.
joshuawhite-041826 December 2021
Warning: Spoilers
To submit this review I had to reset my imdb password, request a new confirmation email wait five minutes for it to appear, then delete the imdb app as it crashed when i followed the link, i then had to start the whole process again just to write about how bad this film was and you know what? It was honestly more fun then this movie.
The writers who worked on this film have very clearly not only not worked on a film script before, but I would be willing to bet they had not even watched a movie before.
This piece of trash disguising itself as a film is an hour and a half of nonsensical storytelling strung together with poorly acted (despite the incredible actors) weak "comedic" moments that fail to even fall into the 'so bad its good' style that some films do so well.
Do yourself a favour and avoid this unless you decide you have a few extra brain cells that you would like to kill off, or if you have already watched it just know that you are not alone!! I might even make a support group for the poor other souls who have suffered the indignity of sitting through this.
To sum up, I wouldnt watch again.
The writers who worked on this film have very clearly not only not worked on a film script before, but I would be willing to bet they had not even watched a movie before.
This piece of trash disguising itself as a film is an hour and a half of nonsensical storytelling strung together with poorly acted (despite the incredible actors) weak "comedic" moments that fail to even fall into the 'so bad its good' style that some films do so well.
Do yourself a favour and avoid this unless you decide you have a few extra brain cells that you would like to kill off, or if you have already watched it just know that you are not alone!! I might even make a support group for the poor other souls who have suffered the indignity of sitting through this.
To sum up, I wouldnt watch again.
Not even Christmas could save this
Howard-537 November 2021
Diabolical!
oneill-oliver7 November 2021
Great cast of characters
dbuckshnis15 December 2021
I found this movie to be entertaining but the screechy voices of the British did in fact get to me. The cast is great and I certainly do love John and Kelsey. It's a bit much and over-the-top in acting at points, but it thoroughly is an enjoyable story to watch and I did not watch it one sitting-but it was easy to pick up!
Disappointing with fun cast
PandamoniumBear1238 November 2021
I love this cast, but I had to create an account just to leave a review. I wish I would have read the reviews. I watch every "bad" Christmas movie from Netflix to Hallmark and love it every year. This was one of the worst Christmas films I've seen. The comedy if you can call it that is just weird and there seems to be no true plot. The characters are so insane I feel like I need a Xanax after watching this. There was nothing to save it, just move on from this one.
Fun Christmas Comedy
scotrutherford3 January 2022
I've added it to my annual Christmas watch list and proof that Elizabeth Hurley must be a vampire. Still smoking hot at (see her bio) years old. Loved seeing John Cleese and Kelsey Grammar in the same film. It was fun to watch and not preachy. I especially liked the dietary selections for the vegan character as provided by John Cleese.
Amazing Comedy on Paper
alex-frey-pattaya8 November 2021
Amazing Comedy on Paper
OMG what a cast, this gotta be great...
wrong... it was overacted, even for britisch standards...
the humor was as old as Liz Hurleys Wonderbra...
Short and simple this is a bad movie and only a few people will appreciate it.
Don't listen to the negative Hype
ddysean19 December 2021
Actually I'd give it a 7.5
JaynaB23 December 2021
Nobody does toffee-nosed dysfunctional family snark like the Brits. This one, made for Netflix, is a doozy of an ensemble piece, as if Gosford Park was remade by the Fawlty Towers lot for 2021 audiences. The musical cues are freaking brilliant. The casting is nuts. The settings are such fun, especially the gorgeous old manor house that suffers all the frailties of any home that's been haphazardly updated over 300 years.
Kris Marshall plays the owner of the venerable pile (and the ruins outside it where even older buildings died) and despite a not-deep scripted character is not outclassed in deadpan one-liner delivery by John Cleese & Kelsey Grammar as the aging Brothers Christmas: one a stiff old shootin' squire and the other a tanned Florida playboy with a girlfriend half his age.
The setup:
Caroline Christmas Hope (Nathalie Cox) is obsessed with getting Christmas perfect for her sisters' visit. The sisters take every opportunity to spite and sabotage each other while their mother alternately suggests peace and pours more wine. Family laundry is not so much aired as hurled at each other with daggers attached. Then Daddy comes back, just in time for family dinner.
You can see the first gag being set up a British country mile away, but it doesn't land for ages, while the rest of the plot - and characters - spin wildly off in unexpected directions. There are frisky moments & risque jokes, bewildered children, nosy neighbours, and a vicar who doggedly smiles through a chaotic parish Christmas market.
There's a lot of family history missing that could have been sneaked in as flashbacks instead of leaving the viewer to fill it in from 3 snappy lines of dialogue and a sight gag. I'm not sure why Nathalie Cox was cast for Caroline, who carries a lot of the scenes, when other actors in lesser roles had the chops to do more with the part. And the denouement unfolds as slowly as senior citizens wobbling into line for holiday dinner.
Despite the flaws, this is overall as watchable a bit of holiday snark as you could wish for, with plenty to chuckle about and a few lightly played tender moments as well.
Kris Marshall plays the owner of the venerable pile (and the ruins outside it where even older buildings died) and despite a not-deep scripted character is not outclassed in deadpan one-liner delivery by John Cleese & Kelsey Grammar as the aging Brothers Christmas: one a stiff old shootin' squire and the other a tanned Florida playboy with a girlfriend half his age.
The setup:
Caroline Christmas Hope (Nathalie Cox) is obsessed with getting Christmas perfect for her sisters' visit. The sisters take every opportunity to spite and sabotage each other while their mother alternately suggests peace and pours more wine. Family laundry is not so much aired as hurled at each other with daggers attached. Then Daddy comes back, just in time for family dinner.
You can see the first gag being set up a British country mile away, but it doesn't land for ages, while the rest of the plot - and characters - spin wildly off in unexpected directions. There are frisky moments & risque jokes, bewildered children, nosy neighbours, and a vicar who doggedly smiles through a chaotic parish Christmas market.
There's a lot of family history missing that could have been sneaked in as flashbacks instead of leaving the viewer to fill it in from 3 snappy lines of dialogue and a sight gag. I'm not sure why Nathalie Cox was cast for Caroline, who carries a lot of the scenes, when other actors in lesser roles had the chops to do more with the part. And the denouement unfolds as slowly as senior citizens wobbling into line for holiday dinner.
Despite the flaws, this is overall as watchable a bit of holiday snark as you could wish for, with plenty to chuckle about and a few lightly played tender moments as well.
Campy more than Funny
mycannonball9 November 2021
The opening credits with the garish lighting and cheesy smiling mugs of the lead cast should have been a tip off... This Christmas comedy is very campy and silly, but without actual great punchlines or clever/witty dialogue. Kids might like it more than adults. Production value also feels more like a TV movie than a movie-movie. If you make it all the way through, ending is kind of cute.
AWFUL movie, do not waste your time
designdiva-871438 November 2021
From the 1st scene, this was the absolute WORST movie I've watched in a long time. Trite, predictable, cliché, not funny at all. Acting was abysmal, which is sad for some of the more well-known actors in it. The character Caroline, played by Nathalie Cox, is annoying from the 1st scene; the squeaking and over-acting is obnoxious throughout the movie. April Bowlby's character, Jackie, was equally annoying as a dim-witted but well-meaning younger girlfriend/fianceé of Kelsey Grammer's character. Kris Marshall, who normally plays an adorable goof, played more of the straight man as Caroline's husband and the only tolerable role besides Kelsey Grammer. It took all of me to watch this movie until the end. SO. VERY. BAD.
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