Coming to Town

If the thought of Johnny Mathis-sung Christmas carols and 'chestnuts roasting on an open fire' makes you want to hurl yourself headfirst into the nearest woodchipper, "Coming To Town" is exactly the movie for you. It's about what you'd get if you take Billy Bob Thornton's "Bad Santa," put a fifth of bourbon in one hand...and a Glock-9 in the other.

This "heartwarming" fable is the story of one JoBeth Smalls (Delaney Manning), who's decided that she wants something a little...different for Christmas this year. In spite of the fact that JoBeth's been a pretty good girl whose been through some hard times, her lot in life seems to be serving as the punching bag for a snot-nosed little bully named Alasdair Romer (Daeg Faerch) - a repulsive brat who makes the highlight of his day figuring out new ways to make JoBeth miserable. So what she's decided she wants for Christmas is a little "payback" for Alasdair, and when she puts her request in a letter to Santa, he decides to help her out..."Die Hard" style!

There is even more to this story than you would expect - especially for a short - but I'll leave it up to you to discover those surprises for yourself. Writer/director Carles Torrens gets a great set of performances from a decidedly non-Hollywood cast, and provides us with a bracing reminder that sometimes "turning the other cheek" isn't as effective as a little appropriately applied ass-kicking!