LOCKDOWN CHRISTMAS ROMCOMS 2020 | ROUNDUP
Let Jon Sutton be your end-of-2020 TV guide with his quickfire assessments of three seasonal slapstick sapfests, premiering on UK screens this month…
Mainly forgettable Richard Curtis ripoff saved only by these three gifts… a great George Michael soundtrack, the darkest Xmas movie twist since the Gremlins chimney story and, last but not least, Daenerys Targaryen out of Game Of Thrones dressed like Buddy the elf.
Available on Sky Cinema and NOW TV
When Hallmark (or Channel 5 in the UK) show a Christmas movie, you know what you’re getting. Twinkling piano keys playing a cheap jazz version of Silent Night, while equally twinkling Christmas lights bounce off the melodramatic tears of the Z-list cast. It’s cheesy – we know, expect and accept that. This, though, is not that. With its bigger budget, stunning locations and some great cinematography, A California Christmas aims to be so much more than Hallmark, but achieves far less as a result. One minute it’s a bad slapstick comedy with a fake Zac Efron, the next it’s a steamy drama with a way-too-raunchy-to-be-funny sex scene in a field. What’s more, there’s not a single Christmas scene in the entire film. If the producers had stuck to any one of the strategies they’d dreamed up in the writers’ room, it might have been half-decent…
Available on Netflix
Finally, some modern brilliance to rival the romcoms of times gone by. Happiest Season [pictured] encompasses stunning scenery, heartfelt romance and smart comedy, everything a Christmas take on this particular genre needs to stand the test of time. Turns out Kristen Stewart really can act, too: alongside the brilliant Mackenzie Davis, she shows true humanity and vulnerability here, way beyond the vampire pouts of her past. The characters and complications feel absolutely real, even to people who’ve never struggled with a life-changing secret. Light the fire and pour the Baileys – your new festive favourite has landed.
Available on Sky Cinema and NOW TV
words JON SUTTON