David Farnor | On 21, Dec 2024

Director: Simon Otto
Cast: Brian Cox, Fiona Shaw, Jodie Whittaker, Bill Nighy
Certificate: PG

The words “Richard Curtis” and “Christmas” will no doubt bring to mind a certain 2003 festive anthology. More than 20 years on, though, younger generations will most likely dismiss it as some “boring old Christmas movie”. That someone describe it in exactly those words halfway through That Christmas – Netflix’s new festive anthology – is a promising sign of something more modern. That it’s also co-written by Richard Curtis is the icing on a sweet cake.

Based on his short stories collection of the same name, and co-adapted by Peter Souter, the compendium of Christmas tales is set in the fictional town of Wellington, where residents are getting ready to celebrate. But it’s a far from straightforward holiday period. There’s Danny, who lives with his divorced mum and is hoping that his absent dad will make it home for Christmas Eve. There’s Miss Trapper, the stern teacher who is still moving on from the loss of husband years ago. There’s Charlie and Sam, two identical twins who between them are on both Santa’s naughty and nice lists. And there’s the small matter of a bunch of parents heading off to a wedding, only to get stranded in a blizzard.

Kids home alone at Christmas? This Netflix outing doesn’t promise to cover new ground. From turkeys being let loose to a missing child, not to mention a possible romance between Danny and Sam and a school Nativity play, there’s more than enough to win a game of Richard Curtis or Christmas movie bingo – although this is a notably more diverse and inclusive snapshot of life than Curtis’ peak 90s efforts.

But what the film does do is wrap up a host of festive familiarities with sincerity and a surprising amount of nuance. A beautiful segment involving maths lessons using snow has a heart-warming pay-off, while a gentle twist involving surprise motivations for bad behaviour is delicately delightful. Director Simon Otto knits it together with cute visuals and Brian Cox’s growling vocals as Santa commentating on events is a nifty device that keeps the tone on the funny side of saccharine. The result is a smart and sweet family offering that might even replace Love Actually in some people’s Christmas viewing rituals – and that’s saying something.

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