Well, I had no Christmas spirit this year... I still forced it onto me so that when it did come, those bits and pieces of memories of how I should feel around the holiday, I was able to embrace it. And one movie more than the others helped me this year and despite it having a bad rating on imdb, which I think is utterly stupid, I would like to tell you all about it in light of the holiday season!
A big family is about to come around for Christmas Eve dinner, but all of them have to run a lot of errands before getting there, and many don't finish in time... the parents are about to get divorced, their daughter brings a soldier home to pose as her boyfriend, their son is looking for a job after his separation, and the mother's sister gets arrested.
This movie is everything I love about Christmas: a winter wonderland, a caring family, Christmas trees everywhere and a dog! A cute little puppy! There are hundreds, truly hundreds of Christmas movies out there - they keep making them -, most of the time it is just new versions of classics like
A Christmas Carol or
It's a Wonderful Life, and some have great twists, but otherwise the stories keep repeating themselves. The key is to have likable characters and stories that work separately. And they really do! This is not another mixture of famous people with no plot and no story arcs! When the stories come together and you realize how everyone thinks that the worst part of them is someone else's fault and not their own and they are faced with their mistakes, however, with family around they are able to mend those mistakes and see past their faults.
I can relate to that because I always have the need within me to finish and conclude everything I start before Christmas of the given year. I also feel like running away sometimes. I have also felt the need to be the best person I can be for my parents and my family and sometimes I fell short. But somehow... someway, it does not matter on Christmas Eve. When we are sitting around the tree, when we open the things we got for each other, after dinner, before second dinner, with gingerbread and tea around us... nothing matters anymore.
Maybe that is why it is the season of love... you will fight, because family fights, you might be alone because 2016 sucked big time or you might be with the one you love more than anyone else right now. Who knows? But you are smiling and that is what matters.
The conflicts in the movie are relatable and with so many characters anyone can find something they have experienced themselves or wish to have. There is no unnecessary death just to make you weep, and when it comes to the jokes, it does not forget to add them at the right time and not just the beginning (the way romantic comedies do nowadays...). When you looking at all the characters, the movie does not force its message onto you. You might be alone, and that is OK. You might long to be with someone, and that is fine too. You might wish for the old customs of your family or to make new ones and you'll see that there is a place for all of it under the tree. And the snow outside makes it pure!
I recommend this movie to everyone. I don't get the rating and it has become a quick favorite of mine and I can't wait to rewatch it again next year! You can barely go wrong with
Diane Keaton and J
ohn Goodman, so do check it out when you get a chance!
And for now HAVE THE BEST TIME THIS HOLIDAY SEASON!
Until the next item on my list, best to you all!
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
No comments:
Post a Comment