There are at least three movies fighting for attention inside Awesomist Christmas Ever. Which makes for an uneven viewing experience. Should I laugh or be sad while experiencing extreme divorce anxiety, as I hope for the best for our characters? I'm still not entirely sure.
The first movie is a heartbreaking drama about a family going through divorce. It's emotional and raw. I did not like living in that head space. It was strangely real, yet not entertaining. We know we're supposed to hope these two stay together, but I found myself wondering if that was really for the best for either of them or the kiddo.
The second movie is a coming of age tale about a 10-year-old kid who has good friends. The friends make mildly complex plans to fool the clueless adults around them. There's some pre-teen love thrown in, too.
The third movie is about a talking Christmas tree. I guess this is the fantasy option. No one else can hear the sultry-voiced tree except our 10-year-old lead. There's something weird going on with this tree, who shakes nearly imperceptibly when the voiceover comes on. Either we needed more tree or way less tree. I can't decide which.
Add each of these tales together and we get our previously mentioned uneven viewing experience.
It's unfair to compare this low-to-no budget flick to Hollywood releases. It's a hurriclean task to write, direct, film, edit-and maybe, I think-wear a clown nose too. Matthew Wilson does that, and despite its flaws, the movie made me feel things and actually wonder how it was going to conclude.
I watched this film with my 7-year-old son. He was excited we got a special sneak preview of a real movie. The full "mommy and daddy are getting a divorce" scene was a little much for him, as was the almost-sex scene. And on that note . . . No married couple has ever had sex to calm themselves from getting belittled by one of their nosy parents. It was weird, and if the divorce talk didn't scar Ollie, then being under the bed might.
Our cast. Kudos to Ellison Pipe, Gus Wilder Howell and Izzy Richter. They had a ton of work to do on this movie and did a great job. Sonya Davis as the mom was good too, I just wish we saw her a bit happier. We saw it at the end for a moment. Charles Shaphren, who was only in like two scenes as grandpa, had some pretty good timing too.
Notes
-This was technically a Christmas movie, just ask the tree, but it could have cut the holiday stuff and been a summer movie and had the same impact. This wasn't an awesome Christmas by any standard.
-The movie was filmed in Washington. Props to the Evergreen state, where I live.
-Two funny lines: "Hey mom, you know who you should hang out with? Dad!" And, "She texts me everyday - don't get vaccinated!"
-The Lindsey Lohan movie references were a funny bit, even if they didn't quite get the movies straight.
-I wanted to punch dad in the face for disrespecting mom (being on his phone) while she decorated the tree. Dude, you don't deserve them.
