The Christmas Ball

Have said many times about my love of Christmas and getting a lot of pleasure out of in particular watching films, cartoons and specials during this period, something that most years has been much needed. Wanted to see some more festive films that were more recent, lower in budget and were not childhood favourites, so in a way to broaden my horizons and have been doing so since November 2019. Watched 'The Christmas Ball' for completest sake, and also because of my love for dancing and seeing a few actors from 'Midsomer Murders' in the cast.

'The Christmas Ball' didn't do very much for me. There are certainly far worse Christmas films overall from 2020 and overall, but also a lot better. Some things are good, but there is also too much bad in too many crucial areas for me to recommend it. There have actually been some good Christmas films out there seen in the past four years, including ones centered around dancing, so me not caring for 'The Christmas Ball' is not being said with bias in any way at all.

Beginning with the good things, the supporting cast actually fare quite solidly with good work in particular coming from Caroline Langrishe, giving the film and her role much needed personality and energy, and remarkably nuanced Richard Lintern. The dancing is well choreographed and charmingly danced, loved seeing all the various dances and wouldn't have said no to more.

Furthermore, the production values are quite nice to look at, particularly the scenery. The music is suitably varied and has a lot of charming character, fitting the dancing styles well.

On the other hand, a lot does not come off well. Neither of the two leads give good performances, Deidre Mullins tries too hard and comes over as too neurotic. Nick Hendrix has a colourless role and injects very little charisma or personality, so very bland. The chemistry lacks spark and never really takes off, it wouldn't even be believable as a friendship let alone a romance.

Writing too often is awkward and forced, with too many cheesy parts and out of place and less than sharp comedy that jars with some of the seriousness. The story is very predictable throughout and drags a lot as a result of overlong scenes (some of it padding) and the middle being quite thin. The last act is too contrived and convenient. The film is very bland, taking itself too seriously to be light hearted and the lack of interesting characters and underwritten storytelling stops it from having any charm or heart. The music is forgettable at best and could have been toned down and the direction is never above routine level.

All in all, didn't do it for me despite the idea actually being a good one. 4/10.

A poor script and a poor lead actress, Deidre Mullin. Her American accent is bad, don't know why people think you just need to talk through your nose and speak loudly to impersonate Americans.

Richard Lintern (Silent Witness) and Nick Hendrix (Midsomer Murders) are RADA trained actors, they just need a decent script. Low budget movie apparently filmed in Serbia., it doesn't have the production values of many holiday films.

Along with poor direction, this comes off as another forgettable American Christmas movie even though it's supposed to be a British holiday film.

For Regency and Victorian era fans, it might be fun to see two dances performed from that era, the Quadrille, and the Waltz done with some extra pizazz.

The bones of the story are pure formula. Claire lost her job as a ballerina and flees "home" to recoup before returning to seek a new spot somewhere else. Aunt Bridget is retiring. Together with Liam they work on a Christmas Eve ball to impress a committee to save the house. Liam and Claire spend a lot of time together. In this case, much of that is rehearsing the dance performances. The conflict is exactly what this situation requires. The outcome is exactly what you'd expect.

There are no great highs or lows or surprises in the story. Even the tension doesn't appear until late. The only thing that sets this movie apart at all is the historical angle.

I wish I could say there was great chemistry, but Nick Hendrix as Liam was too much the stoic English professor.

Every Christmas film i watch , you see them cutting down a big tree at least 7 feet and above and then when they get it home , it is 5 feet or less , i love these films , i am a sap for them ,

If you like a film with a dance theme, particularly, Tchaikovsky's 'Nutcracker', you'll be charmed by this festive romantic Anglo/American drama.

Normally this genre is invariably made in the USA/Canada but this one is mainly set in England with some scenes set in a dance studio in Boston, Mass - the unfamiliar setting for this story adding further to its charm.

I found the story, characters and dialogue intriguing ie not clichéd or run-of-the-mill - and The Ball itself is a visual/audio delight.

A bigger budget (to give the story premise more credence ie Aunt Bridget's house is being assessed for National Trust status as the Ball is taking place) and perhaps better casting of the leads may have given this a superior finish, but it is what it is; and given the Christmas Romance genre attracts a lot of mediocrity this feature is certainly not in that category.

Which is why I score it a 7. The dance scenes really pull this one up above average fare.

The performances are perfectly fine, but Caroline Langrishe as Aunt Bridget is delightful, and of course being a former ballerina she is a dream on the dancefloor as are the other three leads.

If you love the 'Waltz of the Flowers' from the The Nutcracker it's a MUST SEE!