Father Christmas Is Back
Four sisters called Christmas are reunited at that time of year in a feeble new comedy from Netflix.
Centre: Elizabeth Hurley, Kelsey Grammer and Nathalie Cox
It's an old story, the one where an entire family gets together for some occasion and then they all start fighting tooth and nail. Here it's a Christmas gathering for the, yes, ‘Christmas’ family. What could be funnier than that? Well, for a start, as it's allegedly a comedy, the screenplay ought to be at least more than just moderately amusing – but it isn't. The Christmas family get-together is at the huge Yorkshire manor of Caroline (Nathalie Cox) and Peter (Kris Marshall) and their two children, plus Caroline's mum, Elizabeth (Caroline Quentin) whose husband James (Kelsey Grammer) deserted the family home a quarter of a century ago to live in the US with a roster of nubile beauties, leaving mother and a quartet of offspring to fend for themselves.
The four daughters of this apocalypse are Joanna (Elizabeth Hurley), a fashionista with latest beau Felix (Ray Fearon), Vicky (Tallulah Riley) a young over-heated sex-pot, Paulina (Naomi Frederick), a music professor writing a thesis on The Beatles, and the party's hostess Caroline. Then there's mother, Elizabeth Christmas herself, and her very friendly neighbourhood farmer John (John Cleese) who also happens to be her brother-in-law, just to add more panic-stricken shenanigans to an already overblown plot.
But, look, who is that on the horizon? Why, it's none other than Elizabeth's absconding ex-husband James, back home for the festive season with his latest squeeze, Jackie (April Bowlby). That explains the title – Father Christmas Is Back – and his unexpected arrival upsets the celebrations in a series of over-the-top farcical situations. Sadly, however, these complications never really reach the fever pitch of being riotously funny. A good cast of notable comic actors do their best with the screenplay on offer which has three writers and two directors (do I detect an air of desperation?) but, as hard as they try, the results, despite being at times quite manic, are also pretty feeble too.
MICHAEL DARVELL
Cast: Elizabeth Hurley, Nathalie Cox, Tallulah Riley, Kris Marshall, Caroline Quentin, April Bowlby, Ray Fearon, Naomi Frederick, John Cleese, Kelsey Grammer, Katy Brand.
Dir Mick Davis and Philippe Martinez, Pro Alan Latham and Philippe Martinez, Screenplay Hannah Davis, David Connolly and Dylanne Corcoran, based on a story by Philippe Martinez, Ph Ross W. Clarkson, Art Dir Declan Price, Ed Frederic Fournier, Music Bruno Brugnano, Costumes Julia Drummond-Haig.
MSR Media/Highfield Grange Studios/Goldfinch-Netflix.
105 mins. UK. 2021. Rel: 7 November 2021. Available on Netflix. Cert 12A.