Random Acts Of Christmas (2019) -
Some of the random acts seemed a little bit excessive and not the most constructive of ideas. Who NEEDS poinsettia's? The money would have been better spent on clean water for the Africans that still don't have any to drink or at homeless shelters. Those things would have been far more like Christmas miracles for me, although I realise that the homeless thing has been done before.
And I'm not sure that the random music act was exactly revolutionary either. There were definitely better tasks that could have been done. A bake off to feed the homeless? Food parcels for low income families? A toy drive for underprivileged kids? A chance to record video messages for loved ones abroad, in the forces perhaps? So the concept was good, but the film wasn't made with much thought about how best to deliver it.
I'm also not sure that I connected with Kevin McGarry as much as I have done with other actors, like Brendan Penny and Luke Macfarlane. He was cute enough and likeable, but it felt like there was something missing with him. Almost like he had an agenda and was going to turn out to be the actual villain of the piece.
Erin Cahill was fine in her role, but I do have to wonder why so many of these parents are so useless? Surely they've all seen 'Jingle All The Way' (1996) and know to buy the biggest toy of the year in plenty of time. It's a trope that's getting a bit tired to be honest.
Patrick Duffy was an odd character too, like a cartoon snowman of some sort that I can't really explain.
As I've said, I liked the concept, but I think that a bit more thought could have gone in to how it was delivered. His random acts really didn't seem to benefit people that greatly and I really didn't think that his efforts were front page news.
Wouldn't it be nice if the world could be so easily persuaded to stop being asshats for just a few minutes a day, but alas that reality is too far from the one we live in and the film made me feel that even more, because it was hard to believe the changes in everybody.
That and the chemistry between the leads and it just wasn't one of my favourites I'm afraid, but there were no really bad parts either. My Mother called the little boy a precocious child, but I didn't mind him. I needed more overall though.
5/10.
Some of the random acts seemed a little bit excessive and not the most constructive of ideas. Who NEEDS poinsettia's? The money would have been better spent on clean water for the Africans that still don't have any to drink or at homeless shelters. Those things would have been far more like Christmas miracles for me, although I realise that the homeless thing has been done before.
And I'm not sure that the random music act was exactly revolutionary either. There were definitely better tasks that could have been done. A bake off to feed the homeless? Food parcels for low income families? A toy drive for underprivileged kids? A chance to record video messages for loved ones abroad, in the forces perhaps? So the concept was good, but the film wasn't made with much thought about how best to deliver it.
I'm also not sure that I connected with Kevin McGarry as much as I have done with other actors, like Brendan Penny and Luke Macfarlane. He was cute enough and likeable, but it felt like there was something missing with him. Almost like he had an agenda and was going to turn out to be the actual villain of the piece.
Erin Cahill was fine in her role, but I do have to wonder why so many of these parents are so useless? Surely they've all seen 'Jingle All The Way' (1996) and know to buy the biggest toy of the year in plenty of time. It's a trope that's getting a bit tired to be honest.
Patrick Duffy was an odd character too, like a cartoon snowman of some sort that I can't really explain.
As I've said, I liked the concept, but I think that a bit more thought could have gone in to how it was delivered. His random acts really didn't seem to benefit people that greatly and I really didn't think that his efforts were front page news.
Wouldn't it be nice if the world could be so easily persuaded to stop being asshats for just a few minutes a day, but alas that reality is too far from the one we live in and the film made me feel that even more, because it was hard to believe the changes in everybody.
That and the chemistry between the leads and it just wasn't one of my favourites I'm afraid, but there were no really bad parts either. My Mother called the little boy a precocious child, but I didn't mind him. I needed more overall though.
5/10.