That Christmas Review: Yet Another Christmas Movie

Netflix’s That Christmas is a joyful movie that is equally about the happiness and heartache of the Christmas holidays.

Set in Wellington-on-Sea, That Christmas invites the audience to take a look at three families on the days preceding Christmas. In the lead-up to the holidays, Sam (Zazie Hayhurst) is worried about her troublemaker twin sister Charlie (Sienna Sayer) and the fact that she might end up on the naughty list and without any presents this year. She is oblivious to the obvious crush that Danny (Jack Wisniewski), the shy new kid in school, has on her. Danny, on the other hand, feels lonely at times with his mother (Jodie Whittaker, of Doctor Who) constantly working in the hospital and his absent father who is supposed to celebrate Christmas with them. The movie also follows Bernie (India Brown) as the children and adults in her family get separated during the holidays, all while Santa Claus (Brian Cox, of Succession) tries to save Christmas for everyone.

Usually, the beauty of Christmas films is their appeal to a wide audience; they are meant to be watched by the whole family, after all. But Simon Otto’s latest movie seems to be targeting kids the most, with its child-like humour – expect at least one fart joke – and its rather straightforward plot. Very little is actually unexpected or surprising in the film: from a storyline point of view, it follows the classic structure and tropes of a Christmas tale without really adding anything for the new generation that might be watching it. 

However, the way That Christmas explores some of the recurring topics of Christmas films is still quite sweet. Love and loneliness are portrayed as two sides of the same coin, which is undoubtedly a very important message for the younger audience. In this sense, the commentary on Christmas is fascinating, reminding us that the festive time is not always or necessarily joyful. That said, the film does not follow through with it as much as it should have done to reach the emotional depth it would have needed. The community aspect is also very heartwarming, if only a little predictable, and very much in line with the spirit of Christmas.

Otto’s past work as an animator shines through in a style that remains faithful to the traditional 3D computer animation audiences are now more than used to. The visuals may be impressive – the opening scene with Santa arriving on the sleight to a town covered in a snow blizzard is fascinating to watch – but the film doesn’t do anything particularly groundbreaking or innovative in terms of its style, making for a forgettable product overall. In a day and age when animation films are constantly stepping up and evolving in terms of cinematography and techniques, the movie feels stuck in the past with an animation style that could have been impressive a few years ago but is not anymore.

Narratively, That Christmas does not particularly stand out either. The film is based on a series of children’s books written by Richard Curtis: while the stories may very well work on paper, the same can’t be said for the on-screen adaptation. Ultimately, it feels like we are watching three separate stories unfold that just happen to be set in the same town but have very little to do with each other. This makes sense as the movie is based on three separate books, but I wish there had been more of an effort at combining these stories together. With a script that does not particularly stand out at all, the structure of the film is fragile at best and ultimately brings down the entire final product.

While That Christmas may not instantly become part of the Christmas classics canon of films we tend to watch every December, it can still be an enjoyable movie for its target audience. Admittedly, this is a film aimed primarily, if only exclusively, at children, which may not go down well with the adults in the room. While watching it in mid-October is not exactly ideal, the movie may find its success at a later date in the year – after all, its official release is scheduled at the beginning of December – when everyone will be feeling the Christmas spirit a lot more.

That Christmas had its World Premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on October 19, 2024.