Short Film Reviews: Christmas in July

The Christmas Gift:

First up, we have a simple short film about the power of kindness. The holiday season is a rough one for Larry (Philip Schwadron), an unemployed divorcee struggling to find a job and buy a Christmas present for the daughter he barely gets to see anymore. But Larry's fortune is about to take a turn for the better. An interesting detail about The Christmas Gift is that its protagonist celebrates Hannukah rather than the titular holiday. While Larry's differing faith from the other characters is alluded to on a few occasions, it never overwhelms the plot and no one treats him differently because of it. Instead, The Christmas Gift is your average feel-good film about a down-on-his-luck man learning that compassion has a way of coming back to you sometimes.

It's not a unique story, but it's well-paced and is sure to have you smiling as Larry's chance encounters with Hector and Molly end up brightening up all their lives. Interestingly, though, The Christmas Gift's conclusion doesn't wrap the movie up with a shiny red bow. It's an overall heartwarming finale, but Larry's story doesn't get the archetypal "happily ever after." As for the acting, while it's nothing spectacular, everyone does a good job of selling their characters as kind people who haven't let their rough situations rob them of their spirit. Philip Schwadron powers through shaky moments to give a solid lead performance. His co-stars Candice Martin and Chris Kato (the latter of whom also wrote and directed The Christmas Gift) do similarly decent work as Molly and Hector, the two perfect strangers who end up having a small but powerful impact on Larry's life. It may be relatively lightweight, but The Christmas Gift is an uplifting tale bound to make you feel as warm as a new teddy bear.

Score: 7 out of 10 mini menorahs.

Do You Know How Christmas Trees Are Grown?:

Much like the last movie, Do You Know How Christmas Trees Are Grown? tells a story about chance encounters at Christmastime. It's December 23rd, and young couple Isabel and David (Sophie Scannell and Mark Finbow) are out at the pub when they stumble across a depressed man named Bogdan (Eduard Micu). Will Isabel and David's kindness be enough to lift Bogdan's spirits? This UK short film is just as simplistic as The Christmas Gift and has a story with just as much heart. The pacing is effective, as is the acting of this movie's minimalist cast.

All three actors play the admittedly awkward situation their characters end up in (two people inviting a complete stranger to spend the night at their home) with realistic apprehension. But despite that tension, Isabel ends up sharing a touching moment with Bogdan and the encounter allows David to open up with Isabel about how much he cares about her. The story ends on a much sweeter note than The Christmas Gift, but the script keeps that ending from feeling too saccharine. With its good cast and uncomplicatedly engaging plot, Do You Know How Christmas Trees Are Grown? matches up with the film that precedes it on this festive list in terms of enjoyability.

Score: 7 out of 10 reindeer sweaters.

A Christmas Dinner:

A family coming together for Christmas should be a joyous time. For the Baileys, however, it's a time of drama. Sophia (Ava Michelle) is bringing her boyfriend Kian (Joe Slaughter) to meet her family for the first time. Her mother Diana (Kelly Rebecca Walsh) has some surprising news to share. Some other revelations will also come to light as Christmas dinner becomes a mess of occasionally hard-to-understand bickering. Between the shaky diction and the overlapping conversations, some of the dialogue is bound to get lost in the web of sound. Outside of that, this is a generic "Christmas gathering gone awry" story told through generic characters with a generic message about family attached to it. Unlike the previous movies, which had authentic heart to make up for their average scripts, A Christmas Dinner's heartfelt conclusion is as hit-or-miss as its comedic beats.

On the positive side, the plot moves at a steady pace and has a solid enough cast. Ava Michelle and Joe Slaughter do the best work as the level-headed Sophia and her endearingly dorky boyfriend Kian. Kelly Rebecca Walsh makes matriarch Diana's antics moderately funny and, of the actors playing the other dinner attendees, Sarah J. Bartholomew and Brandon Stewart make the most memorable impressions as Sophia's siblings Jackie and Chester. So while it's a point below the past two features, A Christmas Dinner's flaws aren't severe enough to make it comparable to stale mashed potatoes or burnt apple pie.

Score: 6 out of 10 ugly Christmas sweater contest texts.

Gingerbread House:

Speaking of holiday desserts, a gingerbread house is the centerpiece of this next movie. As they build a gingerbread house together, Jen and Dave (Jessica Yang and Chris O'Brien) discuss their five-year-long relationship and where they see it going. While it focuses on a sweet confection, the conflict of Gingerbread House is a bitter one as Jen and Dave's disagreement over their future becomes increasingly tense. Their fight also touches on sensitive topics like the stigma of interracial relationships and the idea that a woman needs to get married and have children to be fulfilled. These topics aren't delved into too deeply, though, and with the film's short runtime, the rift between Jen and Dave doesn't go very far.

But in the time given, the couple's argument makes an impact thanks to the realistic dialogue and strong performances from Jessica Yang and Chris O'Brien. You'll empathize with Jen and Dave's points of view, with Yeon Jin Lee's script making sure not to let either half of the couple become exceedingly nasty. The same can be said for Jen's somewhat overbearing mother. The script and Crystal Lee work together to keep her from coming across as cruel or abusive as she nags her daughter about Dave. While the ending is as sugary as a bag of gumdrops, it's a much-appreciated finale after how heated things get between Jen and Dave. Anyone with a cinematic sweet tooth is sure to find Gingerbread House appetizing, and viewers without one should still be able to enjoy this mini-flick without falling into a sugar coma.

Score: 7.5 out of 10 gummy bears.

Holidaze:

The last two films on this list are animated and as lighthearted as they come. Holidaze is a silent piece that follows the story of two holiday spirits: Jangle, a Halloween spirit, and Jingle, a Christmas spirit. With Jangle growing tired of scares and frights, Jingle's arrival sparks a change in the weary spirit and leads to a beautiful friendship. If you thought Gingerbread House was high in sweetness, you haven't seen anything yet. But that's certainly not a bad thing, as Holidaze's wholesome atmosphere and colorful animation are what make it so fun to watch. The animation also goes the extra mile and helps illustrate the development of Jingle and Jangle's friendship.

The expressiveness of the animation lets you get a good feel for Jingle and Jangle's personalities despite their lack of dialogue. Jangle is a disillusioned ghoul in need of a supportive friend and Jingle is a pure-hearted spirit willing to show Jangle kindness, even after their less-than-positive first meeting. You can also see through Jingle and Jangle's changes in appearance how their friendship has allowed them to grow and learn more about each other's holidays. All in all, Holidaze is a vibrant and high-energy take on the age-old tale of two polar opposites learning they're not so different after all. If you need a well-illustrated pick-me-up, look no further than this Nightmare Before Christmas-esque feature.

Score: 8.5 out of 10 spooky snow angels.

Come Home:

The last movie on this holiday list is part short film, part Xfinity commercial, and part Sing 2 promo. As the Moon Theater crew prepares to kick off their televised Christmas special, dachshund nurse Angie (Keke Palmer) hurries to get home in time to watch it with her family. But a forgotten cell phone, car troubles, and a snowstorm conspire to make the night one Angie and her kids will never forget. Being only 2 minutes long, Come Home is incredibly simple plot-wise. Nevertheless, it still packs plenty of charm and some great music into that 120-second time limit.

The animation is as crisp and appealing as that of the Sing movies and the voice acting/singing is just as great. Sing franchise newcomers Keke Palmer and Amari McCoy give lovable vocal performances as Angie and her daughter and the returning Sing stars (while not being in the spotlight this time around) are as wonderful here as they are on the silver screen. Whether or not you've seen or are a fan of the Sing movies, Come Home has more than enough going for it to make the movie/advertisement hybrid well worth watching.

Score: 8 out of 10 rubber glove Christmas trees.

Overall:

I'm tempted to call it a Christmas in July miracle that not a single film on this list scores below a 6. Animated features Holidaze and Come Home are the shiniest presents in the collection, but even the lowest-scoring film on the list (A Christmas Dinner) has enough fun qualities to keep it from becoming a lump of coal. Appropriately, all six of these movies have some degree of merriness to them--even the ones that delve into more somber themes. As such, this list is perfect for whenever you're feeling the summer blues and need something to put your gloomy soul at ease. Happy watching to all, and to all a good night!