Father Christmas is Back movie review: Yorkshire mansion steals the show in this dysfunctional family drama with twists

3/5

Story:

A dysfunctional family reunite for Christmas that leads to several funny moments, drama and twists as the members uncover secrets that were kept under wraps for several decades. The British comedy is available to watch on Netflix.

Review:

The film opens with the Christmas song and actors singing it while the credits keep rolling. Set in a Yorkshire mansion, it shows the Christmas family gearing up for Christmas. Caroline Christmas-Hope, played by Nathalie Cox, is seen obsessing over the Christmas tree decor. A perfectionist and a planner, she has been working on the celebration, hosting her family for six months. She is seen having anxiety attacks when things do not go as planned and her family seems to hardly care about it, giving you a few giggles. 

The moment her sister Joanna Christmas walks into the house with her boyfriend and mother, you get an idea of what you are getting yourself into too - overdramatic, annoying and maybe a few giggles as you laugh at their stupidity. She is all decked up in designer clothes that she gets as she is a fashion editor and walks in with her black boyfriend and mother. It leads to several arguments, chaos all over the house which makes Caroline restless. It sure can remind one of their own family celebrations that are filled with forced smiles, awkward silences and a few chuckles as you pretend to like them. 

An interesting part of the film is how the entire drama unfolds inside the house. The film is almost entirely shot indoors. It barely has any scenes in an outdoor location even if you take the scenes shot in the courtyard of the house into consideration. 

The film has an unexpected twist towards the end. An hour into the film, you tend to believe it has come to an end when you see everyone happy and all smiles after their little reunion at a pub. It gets you to wonder why the makers are dragging the story further and you need to wait for almost another hour to find that out. The twist in the end was certainly unpredicted but nothing that would blow your mind. The performances of the stellar actors is a plus point. Kris Marshall, who plays Peter Hope, has performed well. He plays the role of a desperate husband of Caroline well as his urge for some physical intimacy with his wife looks funny and thankfully, not creepy. The direction, cinematography and the beautiful mansion make it quite a fun watch. The contemporary mansion steals all the show with its explicit decor and elegant Victorian design.

The over the top drama of Jackie (April Bowlby), the dumb girlfriend of James Christmas, played by Kelsey Grammer, can be annoying and also give you few chuckles at other times. However, it hits the chord with you when James gives an emotional speech while proposing to her in front of his entire family.   

Verdict:

The no-brainer film will not get you on the floor laughing but can make for a decent Christmas fare, only for one time though. The film is not really worth your time but can be safe bet too.