A Not So Merry Christmas centres on a curse cast on Chuy, who learns that he has lived a whole year but is destined to only remember Christmas Day. The movie is now streaming on Netflix.
Story
Chuy hates Christmas since his birthday is on Christmas Day and his family only celebrates Christmas, not his birthday.
Chuy meets his fairy godmother, who casts a spell on him to make him experience Christmas every day. He is advised by his godmother on how to end the curse by learning to love and cherish Christmas.
Over the Christmas dinner, Chuy learns about the changes that his family experiences every year. Even after his children become adults, Chuy is still caught in the same predicament.
On another Christmas Eve, the Godmother breaks Chuy’s spell and the following day ends up being a typical day in Chuy’s life.
When Chuy’s life flips upside down, he apologises to every family member for how he previously treated them. The following morning, he emerges as the same youthful Chuy realising that all that occurred was a dream.
Performances
José Sefami, Ana Brenda Contreras, Manu Nna, and Mauricio Ochmann are among the outstanding ensemble who offer their finest talents to bring the weakly written plot to life.
The cast has limited options in a movie that lacks coherence from the very beginning of the writing process.
Positives
It falls within the confines of a family-friendly Christmas movie and is light, comparatively appealing, and at times even daring.
The film’s director Mark Alazraki refrains from adding too many Christmas customs that would have made it seem outdated and unappealing.
The Christmas custom helps to break the characteristics of family love in a great way. It is also a great move to incorporate the LGBTQ+ community into the film.
Negatives
With time loop hijinks, the movie summary seems simple. However, the narrative that forces Chuy to make the same errors year after year eventually becomes tiresome.
Neither a good chuckle nor a dramatic investment can be generated by the screenplay. The godmother arrives to add some humour to the proceedings, but she isn’t given any amusing lines to speak, and the protagonist, Chuy, is just a lifeless cypher for a cliched feeling.
Why the fairy godmother lifted the curse after ten years has eluded explanation. The story doesn’t explain how Chuy was expected to understand that he was making errors the rest of the year while experiencing the same day year after year.
The viewer might spend too much time finding flaws in this thin idea observing how the other characters always easily explain what happened in the previous year when Chuy wakes up. Chuy seems to be least bothered by what happens and how he can make amendments.
Despite being unique, the tale doesn’t have enough tension to keep the viewer interested.
Verdict
‘A Not So Merry Christmas’ is a feel-good Christmas movie with a plot that drags out indefinitely. Audiences who enjoy time loop stories can enjoy the movie.
Also Read: A Not So Merry Christmas ending explained: Does Chuy break his curse?