The Christmas Break

Is this the worst movie ever made? Well there's been a lot of bad Christmas films made and many of them are shown on afternoon TV, so I'd have to say it's not quite as bad as those but boy it is bad! It's another of those movies where an innocent American experiences the kind of Ireland that doesn't exist in reality and never did. Full of lame Oirish stereotypes and a ridiculous predictable plot it's just a total waste of time. In fact I felt embarrassed for the cast, it's that bad. The trashing of Fairytale of New York, probably the best Christmas song ever written, is just unforgivable. The storyline, if you could call it that, is totally predictable which I wouldn't mind if it had a shred of humour or reality but unfortunately it has neither. Give it a wide berth. Nothing to see here.

I tried watching this and got through some of it, but it was so cloying and shallow that I had to stop watching it before wanting to throw things at the TV. I gave it 5 stars because the dialogue, pacing and filmography are adequate, but I never could really care for any of the characters. The peripheral characters that pop up once the couple arrives in Ireland seem so shallow, and their implied backstories have no emotional impact on the viewer. The premise of disagreeing on having children is a big yawn. Have them or don't--whatever. I tuned in because I hadn't been to Ireland, but frankly I could go to YouTube and find videos there if I want because the scenery is surely more interesting than the characters in the show.

Two stars out of ten, purely for Justin Long -- he's the real star of this charmless film. He makes a real effort to bring his character to life. But everyone and everything else here is bland and unappealing.

So the basic premise is that you have a couple where one person is ready to start a family and one person isn't. Stir in the fact that one of them seems more enamoured by the other's hometown than the other person is themself. Season with some blatant small town sexism which the enlightened American will do his very best to eradicate. Inevitably, you can expect some things to change without necessarily resolving disagreements.

Where you might expect to see a thoughtful advertisement for the Emerald Isle, this is played for very light laughs and is best avoided.

Kid-friendly Jack Bradford (Justin Long) is happily married to Caroline (India Mullen) in Chicago. He suggests trying for a kid, but she maneuvers out of it by using his LARPing. They go back to her Irish home town for Christmas. Her father owns the century-old family pub, but it is being challenged by Caroline's hunky ex Cormac O'Leary and his karaoke machine. The clan is battling him in Gaelic football.

This is a little different than the normal basic TV rom-com movie. This one has Justin Long. He's too good. Maybe he did this for the Irish vacation. The bigger problem is the baby issue. The movie is trying to push Caroline into having a baby when she doesn't want it. I don't know if it could be made funny. At least, this movie doesn't achieve it. As much as Justin Long tries with the kids, the premise keeps pulling the movie down. It also makes Caroline into a wet blanket with a wondering eye. This really needs to rewrite her character.

Not expecting much from contemporary Christmas rom coms, this was a refreshing take on the genre and was full of genuine laugh out loud moments. There are of course some cringey moments which are part and parcel of the nature of Christmas movies. And some unrealistic ones too (such as the age cormac claims to be). The new pub also felt a bit like slapstick. But overall, the film has a lighthearted feel and doesn't try to do too much at once, it's a nice change from other streaming services overly engineered movies over recent years. The Irish humour is captured well and overall it's a nice storyline with many relatable elements.