terryrdunn

So 10 is "perfect/classic/timeless." 7-9 are "I'm satisfied I spent my time & money for this." 4-6 are "Wish I'd waited for streaming (or plain old TV). 1-3 are "that was a waste." I gave this a 9.

The story was simple, and no, not Dahl at all. Newsflash-neither was the 1971 fantasy that I and so many others grew up with. For many of us, Gene Wilder was goofy, eccentric, weird, and a little scary, while Johnny Depp was...creepy. Yes, by the time I saw Tim Burton's work, I had grown up and read most of Dahl's works, both his children's books and many of his essays. In the hippy dippy 60's and early 70's, Burton's film would have been a hideously expensive commercial failure, perhaps becoming a cult fave, but not the adulation of the first.

If you want Depp, this ain't your film. If you want the hopefulness and wonder of Wilder before he became an industrial magnate, this is it.

The music is absolutely forgettable, but again that's true for most of the songs from the others. That said Timothy C has a pleasant and uplifting tenor, in addition to his capable acting to believably bring this character to life. He truly seemed to revel in this role, bringing hope and charisma. The cast is a smorgasbord of recognizable British talent, most of whom also seemed to enjoy the show. (Though Matt Lucas seemed wasted-his subservient 3rd tier villain role was far too tame for the usually over-the-top boisterousness of his Little Britain personas.)

The audience laughed and oohed and aahed throughout, and several burst into applause at the end. Oscar winner? Probably not. Good value for a tame date or fun with the kids? Unless you're a Dahl-purist, or a diehard "only Depp and Burton will do" type, absolutely!

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Doubt this will ever be "honored" with a 24 hour marathon of reruns, but who really watches the whole 24 hours anyway! Seriously, you needn't be drunk or stoned to laugh continuously at this movie. As long as you don't have a stick up your tail-end, this is a riotous adult comedy about the excesses and superficiality of so many politically correct notions of Christmas. Does it recognize the "reason for the season?" Um, no. But if you read the cast list and haven't lived under a rock for the past 25 years, you wouldn't go into this expectation bit to be. And no, it will never be on any of the Hallmark channels, unless they decide to add one for reprobates. Watch, laugh, live.

First things first-it's Will Ferrel and Ryan Reynolds. Why are so many self-proclaimed movie experts (and Ferrel and zReynolds "super fans") expecting an Oscar-winning movie?! The script was uneven, the singing in many cases not great, the songs were cheesy, and-shockingly-the plot was predictable. Jeez...the original story is going on 200 years old. What so many seem to forget is that the story is about redemption and they did a great job making a campy, happy, silly version. It is fun. I'm very glad I watched it. Time well spent for a classic theme, and I'll probably tech it again this week. And yes, Octavia Spencer is awesome.