We just watched THE CHRISTMAS HOUSE 2, here in the UK. We loved it! The original film was good, though not great. I found the focus on the christmas decorations in the first film almost unbearable to watch. It seemed so over the top and infantile that grown ups would spend so much time and money transforming their lovely home into such a gaudy spectacle!
I only really watched the original as I was keen to see how the gay couple were presented. Sadly, they were portrayed as very minor characters in the first film. Though the gay adoption storyline was a nice touch and very progressive for these kinds of films.
I am delighted to say that THE CHRISTMAS HOUSE 2 is a much, much better film. It's a very satisfying story and all the characters get a chance to stretch out and breathe.
The cool magician played by Chris Gauthier returns and pops up in lots of scenes throughout. The gay couple now are given a much more prominent role and I liked how they were presented. What I found funny was that, intentionally or not, the straight brother plays his character in a much more camp way than his gay brother - who plays his part in a much more masculine way. A nice twist, if possibly unintentional?
There are two great scenes where the gay brother played brilliantly by Jonathan Bennett has a heartfelt conversation with his husband and later his brother about his awkwardness of feeling like he is seen as lesser than his straight brother. Powerful scenes.
The storyline about the straight brother and his romance with his girlfriend and his awkwardness when the father of her child shows up, is really well handled. The young boy actor, Mattia Castrillo, is really superb and delivers his lines with great wit and style.
One of the funniest moments in the film is when Robert Buckley's character is mimicking the British accent of his girlfriend's ex. The ex speaks with a posh British accent, but Robert Buckley puts on a strong Cockney accent. Whether this was intentionally the wrong accent or not, it was hilarious and I had to rewind to watch it again as it was so funny.
I also enjoyed the subplot about the parents of the brothers and their amateur dramatics play about a dirty Santa!
It's striking that hardly any of the 10 reviews on imdb seem to even mention the gay characters in the film. Is this a sign that many viewers, presumably in the US, are NOT comfortable seeing gay characters in films? Or is it a sign that it's not a big deal, so it isn't worth mentioning? Sadly, I suspect it's the former.
I am a gay man, so seeing gay characters in films like this is a VERY big deal to me, as it's sad how we've been shut out of films like this for so long. It's refreshing that, finally, things are changing and they are making films aimed at a mainstream audience that shows the world that we are here. We always have been and we are part of families too.
Thanks to everyone involved in making this film. Bring on THE CHRISTMAS HOUSE 3 !
I only really watched the original as I was keen to see how the gay couple were presented. Sadly, they were portrayed as very minor characters in the first film. Though the gay adoption storyline was a nice touch and very progressive for these kinds of films.
I am delighted to say that THE CHRISTMAS HOUSE 2 is a much, much better film. It's a very satisfying story and all the characters get a chance to stretch out and breathe.
The cool magician played by Chris Gauthier returns and pops up in lots of scenes throughout. The gay couple now are given a much more prominent role and I liked how they were presented. What I found funny was that, intentionally or not, the straight brother plays his character in a much more camp way than his gay brother - who plays his part in a much more masculine way. A nice twist, if possibly unintentional?
There are two great scenes where the gay brother played brilliantly by Jonathan Bennett has a heartfelt conversation with his husband and later his brother about his awkwardness of feeling like he is seen as lesser than his straight brother. Powerful scenes.
The storyline about the straight brother and his romance with his girlfriend and his awkwardness when the father of her child shows up, is really well handled. The young boy actor, Mattia Castrillo, is really superb and delivers his lines with great wit and style.
One of the funniest moments in the film is when Robert Buckley's character is mimicking the British accent of his girlfriend's ex. The ex speaks with a posh British accent, but Robert Buckley puts on a strong Cockney accent. Whether this was intentionally the wrong accent or not, it was hilarious and I had to rewind to watch it again as it was so funny.
I also enjoyed the subplot about the parents of the brothers and their amateur dramatics play about a dirty Santa!
It's striking that hardly any of the 10 reviews on imdb seem to even mention the gay characters in the film. Is this a sign that many viewers, presumably in the US, are NOT comfortable seeing gay characters in films? Or is it a sign that it's not a big deal, so it isn't worth mentioning? Sadly, I suspect it's the former.
I am a gay man, so seeing gay characters in films like this is a VERY big deal to me, as it's sad how we've been shut out of films like this for so long. It's refreshing that, finally, things are changing and they are making films aimed at a mainstream audience that shows the world that we are here. We always have been and we are part of families too.
Thanks to everyone involved in making this film. Bring on THE CHRISTMAS HOUSE 3 !