Harlie’s Very Merry Movie List — On the first day of Christmas…
In what is most definitely an outdone and thoroughly explored vein of writing, I have taken up the proverbial holiday season torch as I embark on an Advent calendar Christmas movie viewing experience. You heard it right, folks. I’m watching a Christmas themed movie for every day of December leading up to the eve the jolly man will make his way around the world.
Rules of the viewing experience which I must abide by:
- I can only watch Christmas movies.
- I can only watch Christmas movies that have come out on the same day of viewing.
- Only in the case when no films have been released on the day of viewing may I watch a Christmas movie filmed in years past. However, it must be a Christmas movie which I have previously not seen.
- On Christmas Eve, I will watch Die Hard.
While I probably won’t adhere to any structure whilst writing this review, I hope to always have at least three of the following elements: a scale which rates the movie from 1 to 25 “Holly Berries,” a Christmas-themed pun, and a special editorial provided by Christmas movie expert Kris Ford (who also happens to be my mom). However, at the outset of this project, my schedule did not align with my mom, so I brought my roommate, Valerie, along for the maiden sleigh ride.
As I try to escape the exposition of this daunting holiday project that no one in this entire world asked me to do, all I ask of you now is to bear with me as I try to deck your halls for 24 (25?) more December Eve’s.
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(WARNING: ALL REVIEWS WILL BE SPOILER-LADEN. I AM VERY SORRY FOR THIS UNAVOIDABLE CONSEQUENCE.)
Title of Film: Angela’s Christmas Wish
Rating: TV-Y
Release Date: December 1, 2020
Where to Watch: Netflix
Synopsis: A big surprise awaits four children who believe they are spending Christmas Eve without their father.
Angela’s Christmas Wish is an honest film which does not try to be anything more than it is: a feel-good Christmas movie for all ages. For many, it could absolutely be viewed as a heartfelt story for the families who might be missing someone at the table this holiday season. For others, it may just be a fun journey as we watch rather chaotic children try to make their way to Australia, which is only “four pages long” from Ireland. Regardless, this short film had a Christmas mission and I truly believe it was achieved.
Angela’s Christmas Wish has highs and it has lows, but it’s short enough that the lows are rather brief and easy to move past. One notable high is that all of the children are so strange and it is an absolute delight to watch a film where children are treated like actual human beings (animated humans, albeit). Their hijinks are believable and they engage in a perfect amount of chaos born from unrestrained youth. As soon as our lead (who I believe is named Angela. I couldn’t be sure, I completely forgot to take note of names and I refuse to look at IMDB should it tarnish any perspectives I currently hold onto) says, “Thank you, Baby Jesus (…) See you later, Baby Jesus,” I knew I was going to have a good time watching this film. Another high includes a scene in which a librarian makes the children wash their hands with snow before they come inside and for some reason in this town, that is a perfectly acceptable way to clean your hands. When the kids meet with the father of another child (a little girl in a blue dress who is my absolute favorite in all of this), he also accepts their snow-washed hands without question, even though he is written as a straight-laced character who would take no part in such a frivolous cleaning method.
It is of critical importance that I establish I did not watch this film alone and instead had my roommate, Valerie, with me for this first watch. I mention this now so that I can better frame the lows (or perhaps, weaknesses) of this flick. At about the 20-minute mark, we both looked at each other and asked how much longer we had to go, which is not a favorable sign for a film that was not yet half over. Thankfully, it was just after that point where the film picked up again, but that valley in the narrative exists nonetheless. In this valley, Angela and her brother meet a blind, peg-legged accordion player in an alley. I did not intend on rhyming, but to trudge on, the only purpose of this scene is to give the kids an idea on how to fund their travels to Australia. However, it is framed in such a way that we are made to believe that Angela is about to steal from this blind busker, which was an incredibly out of place feeling. Valerie and I also made the comment at the same time of, “Oh my god, is she going to steal from this blind man?” Thankfully, she does not and instead busks a bar of day drinkers with her brother. Not much better, is it?
There are numerous other notes I took during this watch, such as the fact that I was absolutely convinced their father was dead for the entirety of the film and that his return is overshadowed by a cow named Socks in socks (a cow which is only given a mere second of screen time but is worth watching nearly forty five minutes of film to see), but it is currently 1:33 a.m. where I am and I’d like to have this published before I am well into December 2, 2020. Thus, we come to the end of Day 1 of Harlie’s Very Merry Movie List and there is only the holly berries left to disperse.
The Holly Berry Scale is made of five parts, each of which has five respective points, totaling the magic Christmas number 25. Whether or not it makes any sense or is any good is up to you to decide, but I did try for honesty on my scores.
Val’s Holly Berries
- Plot: 3/5
- Twist: 2/5
- Ending: 4/5
- Characters/Acting: 2.5/5
- Christmas: 2.5/5
For a grand total of 14 out of 25 Holly Berries, Valerie’s brief, but final note explains, “the concept was good, but the execution left much to desire.”
Harlie’s Holly Berries
- Plot: 3/5
- Twist: 2/5
- Ending: 3.5/5
- Characters/Acting: 3/5
- Christmas: 3.5/5
Indeed, a generous 15 out of 25 Holly Berries. My final note: This is not a bad film by any means. It has a cohesive plot from start to finish, all the kids get their wishes and no one dies. It imbues the Christmas spirit throughout with likeable characters aplenty, but it could have been ten minutes shorter, or the same length, but the valleys are filled with shots of Socks in their socks instead.
Or more Baby Jesus. I didn’t see the film before this one which probably has a ton of Baby Jesus, but that doll sure tickled me pink.
If you all need any further explanation for my rating scale or want to provide Christmas movie suggestions, you can reach me on Twitter @HarlieFord or by calling my name out your window. The latter might be faster, actually.
May your halls be decked!
