This Is Christmas (2022)
Follow Adam and Emma on their daily commute from the village of Langton to London, where they meet the same passengers every day. One morning, Adam breaks the unspoken taboo of talking to strangers on a train and invites the entire carriage to hold their own Christmas party together.
- Chris Foggin
- Edward Dorman
- Alastair Galbraith
Rating: 6.9/10 by 35 users
Alternative Title:
Ovo je Božić - HR
Country:
United Kingdom
Language:
English
Runtime: 01 hour 46 minutes
Budget: $9,000,000
Revenue: $0
Plot Keyword: friendship, christmas party, train, friends in love, christmas, making friends
An interesting thing. On the one hand 'This is Christmas' is ultra, military grade, extra mature cheddar cheese and I've rarely been as uncomfortable watching a scene as I was during the initial speech on the train by Alfred Enoch's Adam - that sorta stuff, fake positivity/togetherness, is just something that makes me cringe, I can't help it. However, in fairness, the film actually manages to play it off well. I was fearing the worst at that aforementioned moment, though as the scenes go by the characters actually do feel like they are getting to know each other in a relatively believable way - therefore making the earlier cringe actually befitting, given it would initially be awkward. The cast help the film come to life in that way. Alfred Enoch is good value in the lead role, as is Kaya Scodelario alongside. I wouldn't say they have amazing chemistry, but what's there is most definitely enough. Timothy Spall chews the heck out the scenery, but eventually his character's story is probably my standout - as he is predominantly joined onscreen by Jack Donoghue, who plays his role nicely. The rest of 'em? All decent. It made me cringe early on, but I did end up liking and respecting the message that it sends. Overall, it's solid Xmas viewing.
