Tribeca Review: ‘Almost Christmas’

Paul Giamatti is a national treasure. If he is in a movie it is categorically impossible for it to be all bad. Despite “Junebug” director Phil Morrison and FX’s “The Americans” writer Melissa James Gibson’s best efforts to keep “Almost Christmas” a lifeless and wholly forgettable film, Giamatti’s inherent virtues prevent this movie from evaporating into nothingness. While dismissing this dully scripted, lackluster film seems like the only reasonable response, Giamatti’s natural, everyman empathy has the unusual power of lending an importance to rote scenes, turning the bland into the sublime and rescuing the movie from full failure.

Nevertheless, “Almost Christmas,” a film about French Canadian Christmas tree salesmen stationed on a Brooklyn street corner, still stinks, which is especially upsetting when you consider that this is Morrison’s first directorial effort since 2005's wonderful “Junebug.”

From the first moments of its trying-too-hard opening credits, this tale of a thief newly sprung from prison and trying to go straight just can’t get a handle on what sort of movie it wants to be. There are tones of 1970s shaggy realism that are interrupted by moments of character-driven shtick. The wistful scenes aren’t rich enough to engross you and the comedy isn’t clever enough to make a difference. The bulk of the film is about two men stewing in regret, and you’ll sympathize because you’ll be sitting right there along with them.

Giamatti’s Dennis, unable to find work and unwelcomed by his ex-wife Therese (Amy Landecker,) hooks up with his ex-partner Rene (Paul Rudd.) Rene has gone straight, and busted his ass last winter selling trees down in New York. Since Rene feels a little guilty now that Dennis knows he’s moved in on Therese (who has told Dennis’ daughter that he died of cancer) he allows him to partner up for the season.

There the alleged hijinks ensue as this mismatched pair toil with weather, poor sales and buried feelings, and while some moments are cute, it all feels like an under-workshopped play. The pair try different approaches to move product, a few of which are amusing. Anglophone Rene impersonating a Quebecois is entertaining, if only for the fact that this bit of niche racial humor is fresh.

Sally Hawkins barges onto the stage with the words Act Two’s New Character tattooed on her forehead. She’s a live-in maid at a wealthy couple’s home. A “palace of dentist” who is off skiing in “Hole of Jackson,” as this Russian immigrant calls it. It’s a wacky ethnic caricature on the order of Mickey Rooney’s Japanese neighbor in “Breakfast and Tiffany’s,” and while Hawkins is naturally hilarious (see “Happy Go Lucky”) the performance itself is something of a joke.

And yet, there’s one moment – a loose tag in this unruffled shirt – when Hawkins’ character takes Dennis to a piano store. There are some long lens shots of her playing where the camera drinks in the outer borough scene through the storefront windows that evokes 70s filmmakers like Altman, Mazursky or James Toback. It’s little moments like this that almost make “Almost Christmas” worth watching.

At the heart of it is Giamatti, accepting that a life “gone straight” will be hard and that nothing he can do will win back the family from his past. It’s undeniably touching. There’s a devastating moment with him making a collect phone call that is one of the finest scenes I’ve seen all year.

Giamatti isn’t a chameleon. While perhaps best suited as the sad sack (“American Splendor,” “Sideways,” “Win Win”) even his atypical roles like the exec in “Duplicity,” the idealistic romantic in “Barney’s Version” or founding father in “John Adams” exude a man in constant dialogue with indignity. Even when he’s being brutal he’s agreeable. I can’t think of any actor who can do a funnier angry bit. Maybe Jason Alexander, maybe John Cleese, but neither taps into the sadness and pain that comes with being slapped around for too long by the world.

I almost recommend seeing “Almost Christmas.” It is meandering, low-energy and filled with phoney-feeling side characters and plot turns, but there’s something about shivering in the cold with a broke and directionless Paul Giamatti that seems essential.

SCORE: 5.0 / 10.0

Categories: Reviews

Tags: Almost Christmas, Junebug, Paul giamatti, Paul rudd, Phil Morrison, Review, Tribeca film festival

Is ‘Christmas Story 2′ Sacrilegious?

“A Christmas Story,” the 1983 holiday classic you grew up watching religiously with your family. You still remember all the lines: “You’ll shoot your eye out.” “Ho-Ho-Ho.” “FRA-GEE-LAY… it must be Italian!” You still want a Red Rider BB gun even though you have no idea who Red Rider is.

Now Warner Premier, the skuzzy, recently shuttered Direct-to-DVD arm of Warner Bros., has produced a low-budge direct sequel, “A Christmas Story 2,” and while many who love the first one will see it out of sheer morbid curiosity, we are definitely not about to drink the Kool-Aid… or in this case, Ovaltine.

If you’re as big a fan of Bob Clark’s 1983 original as we are, then you probably know he already made a direct sequel ten years later, titled “It Runs in the Family” (sometimes referred to as “My Summer Story”). While that movie doesn’t hit the same bullseye the original did, it had a great cast in Charles Grodin, Mary Steenburgen, and a young Kieran Culkin taking over for Peter Billingsley as the precocious Ralphie Parker.

Besides the same director, “My Summer Story” also had something else this new “sequel” lacks: Jean Shepherd, literally THE VOICE of the film, who not only narrated all the prior movie adventures of Ralphie but also wrote the autobiographical screenplays. His warm, nostalgic recollections of childhood defeats and triumphs within a mildly dysfunctional household are what imbued “A Christmas Story” with the Rabelaisian wit that made it so relatable.

If the above-the-line talent on “Christmas Story 2? (or “Christmas Story Boooooooo” as we like to call it) had an ounce of creative prestige to their name, that would be one thing, but sadly it’s not the case. So who are the perpetrators of this cinematic war crime? Slouched in the director’s chair is Brian Levant, a guy who at one time had a gift for cranking out harmless, mainstream family fare (“Beethoven,” “The Flintstones”) but must have forgot to send some studio execs birthday cards because his last few films have been made-for-TV “Scooby Doo” movies. Yikes!

The screenwriter is Nat Mauldin, a TV writer whose big screen claim to fame seems to be bad remakes (“The Preacher’s Wife,” “Doctor Dolittle,” “The In-Laws”). It’s pretty safe to say that without the guiding voice of Sheherd, both literally and figuratively, this new movie seems like nothing more than tired rehashing of gags that worked in the first movie, like giving the old man a new leg lamp. Yawn.

The only notable cast member is Daniel Stern, taking over for the delightful Darren McGavin as the curseword-spewing old man. Yes, Stern was at one time an impressive actor in classics like “Diner,” “City Slickers,” and “Home Alone,” and his narration as the older version of Fred Savage on “The Wonder Years” was in many ways channeling the spirit of Jean Shepherd. However, having not made a good showing in nearly two decades it’s safe to say that his heart probably ain’t in it anymore, not to begrudge a guy a paycheck gig.

Instead of cranking out an in-name-only sequel as a transparent marketing gimmick (we will honestly pay more for a DVD set that does NOT include #2), someone should release “My Summer Story” on Blu-ray, along with some of the other made-for-TV movies from the ’80s that Shepherd made based on these characters. Those include “Ollie Hopnoodle’s Haven of Bliss” starring a “Stand By Me”-era Jerry O’Connell, and “The Great American Fourth of July and Other Disasters” starring none other than Matt Dillon as Ralphie! Video archaeologists get on that now, please.

Categories: Features

Tags: a christmas story, A Christmas Story 2