This Is Christmas Review: A Beautiful Holiday Gem

I’m two years too late to This Is Christmas, but better late than never when it comes to an unmistakable hidden gem. This movie is what a specific holiday staple starring an ensemble cast wishes it was—heartfelt, tender, raw, and profoundly endearing. 

I love Hallmark-esque schmaltzy Christmas movies as much as the next gal, but few stick with me long after the initial viewing. It’s one thing to consume something for temporary joy, and it’s another to find a movie that evokes the magic of Christmas with every frame and every character. This Is Christmas is the latter—it feels like the type of story that’s born from someone’s sacred experience, a narrative uncovered in a treasure trove of old diaries that have collected beautiful moments their owners wanted to keep close.

Starring Alfred Enoch, Kaya Scodelario, Timothy Spall, Jack Donoghue, Joanna Scanlan, Sarah Niles, Virginia Thompson, Ben Miller, and more, so much of the story shines brighter because of the exceptional performances. Oftentimes, an overly saccharine statement can hit in all the right areas if the delivery occurs at an appropriate time and simultaneously doesn’t feature overacting. It’s all about reading the room and the energy. If someone doesn’t want to be given positive reinforcement after a negative statement, then it feels fake and fabricated. Yet, in This Is Christmas, it’s about the right place, right time, and right person. 

“Do you ever wonder who they really are? The people down your street. Those half-familiar faces at your local coffee shop? Or whoever sits opposite of you on the train every day? Aren’t you just a little bit curious? Might be an amazing artist. An undiscovered talent. Or a true legend, whose star simply hasn’t been blessed. Maybe someone who’s been having a real tough time of it recently and could do with a friend. Or, maybe if you’re lucky, someone you were always meant to find.”

In reality, few people want others to start conversations with them during their commute on the train. Most people want to be left alone. However, sometimes, it’s exactly what someone’s looking for—it’s everything they need to open up about their heartaches and the loneliness they’re trying to crawl out of. The story centers around Adam (Enoch) wanting to plan a party for those on the train, but it turns into something bigger: it becomes a story about connecting with others and looking back in order to make lasting changes for the future. 

Timothy Spall delivers an astounding performance as Ray Smythe, conveying the brokenness of a man who was once somebody and now believes he isn’t with such nuance that long before you find out who he is, it’s apparent he’s holding onto a mountain of pain. Don’t even get me started on Donoghue’s Dean or I’ll start crying right on the spot. At the same time, Linda’s arc comes to the surface in a way that’s so devastatingly sad that even while it’s also predictable, it still hits just as hard, allowing Joanna Scanlan to give us a full range of emotions throughout the film. Nearly every performer in this movie takes my heart and runs with it. There’s not a single person who feels miscast or like they’re bringing down the film’s greatness with something mediocre. Everyone’s A-game is on full display during every scene, down to minute details such as an eye roll or a small smirk.

While the film also features a gorgeous romance between Emma (Scodelario) and Adam that’s easy to invest in right from the start, it’s the found family that anchors the film’s heart into place. It’s knowing that these people will never be alone because someone from this train will always show up, even when they hit the breaking point and realize they don’t want to show up for themselves. There are few universal truths in the world, but it feels like the one thing we could maybe assume is a shared desire is our need to be seen. Whether that’s knowing someone hears what we have to say without judgment or having someone take care of the thing we haven’t done ourselves, it’s comforting to know that we aren’t alone. It’s especially relevant today where it feels like the world is more cruel than ever before.

This Is Christmas beautifully explores the innate goodness within humanity that I find so many of us are often looking for. It allows the characters to be messy and complex while giving each of them moments of vulnerability that made me cry on multiple occasions. There’s a tenderness in some of the most simple exchanges that grounds the film in a way that makes it feel timeless. It’s one of the special ones, from beginning to end, as it takes us through ordinary days and ensures we see the fragments of magic in the people we encounter.

This Is Christmas is now streaming on Prime Video.
First Featured Image Credit: ©Sky | MGM+