HAL’s review published on Letterboxd:
There’s just so much to appreciate with this picture! I love the little things so much. The occasional reminders that Uncle Billy is forgetful. The subtle progression of George becoming more and more frustrated with life but still not letting it get the best of him. The natural flow of said life becoming frustrating but not because of forced plot points but because of natural life getting in the way. Old man Gower slapping George SO hard his ear starts bleeding (that always got me as a kid). And everyone being human. George is slightly annoyed when his plans don’t go his way, like when Harry comes home with a new wife. But he’s never angry with Harry or his wife, he congratulates them, he’s genuinely happy for them. Hell, even Potter, despite being a giant bastard, you understand why. He’s a rich snob, he views life as a game to win, he views people as workers, not humans. It’s believable. Just about every line of dialogue is perfect, just about every performance is great, even though it’s labeled as one of the greatest Christmas movies ever made, despite the fact that Christmas doesn’t play a huge part until the last third, it works. I don’t need every frame to have a candy cane or a stocking for it to be labeled a Christmas movie, it’s the vibes. It’s the perfect film to watch towards the end of the year, to reflect what you’ve done, how you’ve affected people, how people have affected you. To remember that despite how egregious life can get, there are good things. No man is a failure who has friends, after all.
I for one am glad I watched this today, seems like the perfect film to close our Christmas 2023 with. So Merry Christmas to all of you and enjoy the rest of the holidays. You too, Tommy!
HAL liked these reviews
All
' ].join(''); if ( adsScript && adsScript === 'bandsintown' && adsPlatforms && ((window.isIOS && adsPlatforms.indexOf("iOS") >= 0) || (window.isAndroid && adsPlatforms.indexOf("Android") >= 0)) && adsLocations && adsMode && ( (adsMode === 'include' && adsLocations.indexOf(window.adsLocation) >= 0) || (adsMode === 'exclude' && adsLocations.indexOf(window.adsLocation) == -1) ) ) { var opts = { artist: "", song: "", adunit_id: 100005950, div_id: "cf_async_da333882-b7fe-4df0-a00e-c7426264acb4" }; adUnit.id = opts.div_id; if (target) { target.insertAdjacentElement('beforeend', adUnit); } else { tag.insertAdjacentElement('afterend', adUnit); } var c=function(){cf.showAsyncAd(opts)};if(typeof window.cf !== 'undefined')c();else{cf_async=!0;var r=document.createElement("script"),s=document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];r.async=!0;r.src="//srv.tunefindforfans.com/fruits/apricots.js";r.readyState?r.onreadystatechange=function(){if("loaded"==r.readyState||"complete"==r.readyState)r.onreadystatechange=null,c()}:r.onload=c;s.parentNode.insertBefore(r,s)}; } else { adUnit.id = 'pw-da333882-b7fe-4df0-a00e-c7426264acb4'; adUnit.className = 'pw-div -tile300x250 -alignleft -bottommargin'; adUnit.setAttribute('data-pw-' + (renderMobile ? 'mobi' : 'desk'), 'med_rect_btf'); if (target) { target.insertAdjacentElement('beforeend', adUnit); } else { tag.insertAdjacentElement('afterend', adUnit); } window.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', (event) => { adUnit.insertAdjacentHTML('afterend', kicker); window.ramp.que.push(function () { window.ramp.addTag('pw-da333882-b7fe-4df0-a00e-c7426264acb4'); }); }, { once: true }); } } tag.remove(); })(document.getElementById('script-da333882-b7fe-4df0-a00e-c7426264acb4'));
' ].join(''); if ( adsScript && adsScript === 'bandsintown' && adsPlatforms && ((window.isIOS && adsPlatforms.indexOf("iOS") >= 0) || (window.isAndroid && adsPlatforms.indexOf("Android") >= 0)) && adsLocations && adsMode && ( (adsMode === 'include' && adsLocations.indexOf(window.adsLocation) >= 0) || (adsMode === 'exclude' && adsLocations.indexOf(window.adsLocation) == -1) ) ) { var opts = { artist: "", song: "", adunit_id: 100005950, div_id: "cf_async_61e1f857-e1a5-441f-adf3-f00f0777d9c4" }; adUnit.id = opts.div_id; if (target) { target.insertAdjacentElement('beforeend', adUnit); } else { tag.insertAdjacentElement('afterend', adUnit); } var c=function(){cf.showAsyncAd(opts)};if(typeof window.cf !== 'undefined')c();else{cf_async=!0;var r=document.createElement("script"),s=document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];r.async=!0;r.src="//srv.tunefindforfans.com/fruits/apricots.js";r.readyState?r.onreadystatechange=function(){if("loaded"==r.readyState||"complete"==r.readyState)r.onreadystatechange=null,c()}:r.onload=c;s.parentNode.insertBefore(r,s)}; } else { adUnit.id = 'pw-61e1f857-e1a5-441f-adf3-f00f0777d9c4'; adUnit.className = 'pw-div'; adUnit.setAttribute('data-pw-' + (renderMobile ? 'mobi' : 'desk'), 'sky_btf'); if (target) { target.insertAdjacentElement('beforeend', adUnit); } else { tag.insertAdjacentElement('afterend', adUnit); } window.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', (event) => { adUnit.insertAdjacentHTML('afterend', kicker); window.ramp.que.push(function () { window.ramp.addTag('pw-61e1f857-e1a5-441f-adf3-f00f0777d9c4'); }); }, { once: true }); } } tag.remove(); })(document.getElementById('script-61e1f857-e1a5-441f-adf3-f00f0777d9c4'));
