User reviews

This film is funny in places, but in general it seems to try too hard to be funny. Some casting was great, some not so great. A film I will probably firget about but I wouldn't go as far as some that claim wasting their time.

I am afraid this new edition to Netflix's Christmas movie collection is disappointing. Though there were (to be fair) some laugh-out-loud moments, overall, the script was, simply put, weak: the humor was often dry and missed the mark, character development was poor, and the climax was as predictable as it was nauseating. Set in a Yorkshire mansion, a dysfunctional family reunites for Christmas. Caroline Christmas-Hope (played by Nathalie Cox), a control freak, has organized the perfect Christmas, so she thinks. As family members arrive, we begin to see how dysfunctional this family really is. However, Caroline is still determined to have the perfect Christmas, until out of nowhere, 'Father Christmas is Back'. And this, of course, forces things to go haywire, setting off a series of mishaps, inconveniences, and misunderstandings. However, through it all, a long-buried secret that tore their family apart many years ago is finally uncovered, and eventually, Christmas is restored. The script does a good job, I must say, of capturing the feeling of spending Christmas with family members who don't get along, spend too much time bickering, and where well-intentioned plans are shredded. The dialogue and scenes around some of the mishaps are funny, though many fall flat as well, I am afraid. Though I could relate to the dysfunctional family theme, I found it difficult to connect with any of the characters. They did not draw me in. The script was a bit light on heart-to-heart moments. To be fair, I did shed a tear or two in the scene at the pub towards the end where Caroline confesses waiting/looking for her father on every Christmas. The acting was very strong. Indeed, it was the acting that kept me watching. The cast consists of a blend of seasoned actors as well as newcomers, all of which were entertaining to watch on screen. The movie too did have a pretty good Christmas vibe to it and some nice scenes of a Yorkshire town. There was the annual Christmas fair in Howden, and, of course, a Nativity play. Overall, it is a rather weak Christmas movie, I am afraid. That said, if you are looking for a movie with quirky (and often mean-spirited) characters, occasional laughs, and a bit of the holiday spirit, then 'Father Christmas is Back' may be just what you are looking for.

We tried, but could not stay with this Christmas lump of coal. Overdone in all aspects. Plus it used every retread of family disfunction ever in a movie. It went on and on, and overstuffed scenes like Santa stuffing his presents in his sack. Why would anybody fund this mess, and think it would be a success to annoy the viewing audience with such overacted garbage?

If you like Christmas movies, and comedies like many of us, do yourself a favor and pass this dog by. Ruff, Ruff.

The negative reviews, and from trusted critics that are held with admiration by me, really did dampen my expectations prior to watching 'Father Christmas is Back'. It was still watched however as someone who loves Christmas films and because of loving various members of the cast. Particularly Kelsey Grammer, John Cleese and Caroline Quentin. Was absolutely determined to at least like this film and have been known to go against the grain and find panned films not that bad or acclaimed films not that great.

'Father Christmas is Back' unfortunately for me was as bad as has been said and the criticisms it's garnered are deserved. One of my biggest peeves is waste of talent and there is some great talent wasted and badly, which does infuriate me actually. Is it the worst Christmas film in existence? No. But there were times where it did come dangerously close to being down there and of the Christmas films seen recently it is definitely one of the very worst. That is being said with regret.

Despite being a very, very poor film, there are redeeming merits. There are some nice shots and some nice scenery.

Quentin gives the best performance, being the only person who seems to know what type of film she's in without going over the top. Kris Marshall does play it straight quite effectively.

All that cannot be said for the rest of the cast. Elizabeth Hurley comes off worst, even in a film that can be quite campy she does overact embarrassingly. As does Nathalie Cox, if her goal was to make her character insufferably irritating she succeeded. Then we have Grammer, who seems to be sleepwalking and misses the chance to give the film any real heart, while Ray Fearon also gives up too early in an underwritten and borderline pointless role. Didn't care for any of the characters, with Hurley and Cox's being incredibly annoying. The chemistry also seems awkward.

Furthermore, the script is full of incredibly forced attempts at humour, the campiness reaching fever pitch bizarre levels, and the moments that are meant to be more heartfelt come over as too over sentimental. The gags are too few and all land with a thud, due to their predictability and how really forced they are. The story is very flimsy and what not enough there is is very predictable and dully paced. Too many things happen too conveniently too. The music is also unbearably schmaltzy sounding and is completely at odds with the film's tone. The direction is barely there.

Overall, very, very poor. 2/10.

I absolutely adore Kelsey Grammar but this film is a complete bore!!! There is nothing cute or funny about it. The "sisters" are horrible! It is a must never watch again holiday film.

Campy. Funny. Ridiculous.

What's not to like?

I needed something mindless to laugh at and this fit the bill.

It's not going to win any awards but I still enjoyed it.

Absolutely terrible movie, I am saddened that it is a British made film, it is so bad. Some good actors roped in to a shocking script. An hour and 45 minutes of my life wasted. Save yourselves, avoid watching this trash.

I thought the opening credits might have been a deliberate pastiche given the pedigree of many of the cast but I couldn't have been more wrong - what an absolutely dreadful ..... I hesitate to use the word film - my headline tag of "Dire" doesn't come anywhere close to describing just how bad this was - watched for 10 minutes- ffwded the remainder.

I've added it to my annual Christmas watch list and proof that Elizabeth Hurley must be a vampire. Still smoking hot at (see her bio) years old. Loved seeing John Cleese and Kelsey Grammar in the same film. It was fun to watch and not preachy. I especially liked the dietary selections for the vegan character as provided by John Cleese.

I put this in my category of "things to have on while I'm still playing on my phone". If you are looking for an Oscar winner, no, this is not the one. But I looked up from my phone a few times and was entertained. I liked the cast, the story wasn't bad, and it was a fun watch.

Nobody does toffee-nosed dysfunctional family snark like the Brits. This one, made for Netflix, is a doozy of an ensemble piece, as if Gosford Park was remade by the Fawlty Towers lot for 2021 audiences. The musical cues are freaking brilliant. The casting is nuts. The settings are such fun, especially the gorgeous old manor house that suffers all the frailties of any home that's been haphazardly updated over 300 years.

Kris Marshall plays the owner of the venerable pile (and the ruins outside it where even older buildings died) and despite a not-deep scripted character is not outclassed in deadpan one-liner delivery by John Cleese & Kelsey Grammar as the aging Brothers Christmas: one a stiff old shootin' squire and the other a tanned Florida playboy with a girlfriend half his age.

The setup:

Caroline Christmas Hope (Nathalie Cox) is obsessed with getting Christmas perfect for her sisters' visit. The sisters take every opportunity to spite and sabotage each other while their mother alternately suggests peace and pours more wine. Family laundry is not so much aired as hurled at each other with daggers attached. Then Daddy comes back, just in time for family dinner.

You can see the first gag being set up a British country mile away, but it doesn't land for ages, while the rest of the plot - and characters - spin wildly off in unexpected directions. There are frisky moments & risque jokes, bewildered children, nosy neighbours, and a vicar who doggedly smiles through a chaotic parish Christmas market.

There's a lot of family history missing that could have been sneaked in as flashbacks instead of leaving the viewer to fill it in from 3 snappy lines of dialogue and a sight gag. I'm not sure why Nathalie Cox was cast for Caroline, who carries a lot of the scenes, when other actors in lesser roles had the chops to do more with the part. And the denouement unfolds as slowly as senior citizens wobbling into line for holiday dinner.

Despite the flaws, this is overall as watchable a bit of holiday snark as you could wish for, with plenty to chuckle about and a few lightly played tender moments as well.

It's awful. Throw a bunch of well known faces together without a decent script or direction and this is what you get. Even English country home cliches don't work. Unfunny waste of time.😡

Awful film, terrible acting, the gags were bad and the main characters were just annoying. Don't waste your time watching this , this is by far one of the worst Christmas movies I have ever seen .

Painful viewing. The gags weren't funny. The story if one existed makes no sense. Complete waste of acting talent. Why spend money making such s**t when you could use it to feed the homeless.

I found this movie to be entertaining but the screechy voices of the British did in fact get to me. The cast is great and I certainly do love John and Kelsey. It's a bit much and over-the-top in acting at points, but it thoroughly is an enjoyable story to watch and I did not watch it one sitting-but it was easy to pick up!

I love this cast, but I had to create an account just to leave a review. I wish I would have read the reviews. I watch every "bad" Christmas movie from Netflix to Hallmark and love it every year. This was one of the worst Christmas films I've seen. The comedy if you can call it that is just weird and there seems to be no true plot. The characters are so insane I feel like I need a Xanax after watching this. There was nothing to save it, just move on from this one.

Not the perfect movie, acting was a bit stiff and lacked some chemistry. However, it was kind of cute and had the heartwarming Christmas movie ending that it deserved.

Amazing Comedy on Paper OMG what a cast, this gotta be great... wrong... it was overacted, even for britisch standards... the humor was as old as Liz Hurleys Wonderbra... Short and simple this is a bad movie and only a few people will appreciate it.

This was a great movie. While definitely not your typical Christmas movie and not a movie for kids, this movie was wonderful. Give it a watch and decide for yourself!

If you didn't know this movie was made whilst some covid precautions were still in use, the site of the crew member wearing a mask who slips into shot during the pub scene will give it away.

The opening credits with the garish lighting and cheesy smiling mugs of the lead cast should have been a tip off... This Christmas comedy is very campy and silly, but without actual great punchlines or clever/witty dialogue. Kids might like it more than adults. Production value also feels more like a TV movie than a movie-movie. If you make it all the way through, ending is kind of cute.

From the 1st scene, this was the absolute WORST movie I've watched in a long time. Trite, predictable, cliché, not funny at all. Acting was abysmal, which is sad for some of the more well-known actors in it. The character Caroline, played by Nathalie Cox, is annoying from the 1st scene; the squeaking and over-acting is obnoxious throughout the movie. April Bowlby's character, Jackie, was equally annoying as a dim-witted but well-meaning younger girlfriend/fianceé of Kelsey Grammer's character. Kris Marshall, who normally plays an adorable goof, played more of the straight man as Caroline's husband and the only tolerable role besides Kelsey Grammer. It took all of me to watch this movie until the end. SO. VERY. BAD.