The Man Who Invented Christmas

One of the better movies I've seen in a long time.

A wonderful addition to the countless adaption of A Christmas Carol. This meta tale parallels Dickens and his writing process with the tale itself. Great acting and renews my love of this tale of generosity of will and a charity of the heart. A delight! 8/10

An interesting film about the brainstorming behind writing Scrooge. With brilliant work by Dan Stevens (Beauty & the Beast) as Charles Dickens. While Christopher Plummer is just as good as his creation Scrooge, himself.

I don't believe for a minute that the events in this film led to the writing of A Christmas Carol, but despite it being all a bit tinsel and glitter with no real substance, it is still an enjoyable and heartwarming tale. God bless you, everyone!

What struck me over and over again while watching this film is a single question: is there a better movie in here?

The good:

The acting is phenomenal. I can’t believe Christopher Plummer is still acting at his age but he absolutely crushes this role (as he always does).

About ten minutes into the film I wondered where this story would go as it seemed rather straight-forward. Halfway through the movie we are introduced to new layers that interweave the current story with the original story. I really found this fascinating and gave the movie a depth that I was not expecting.

The bad:

Well, nothing really “bad”. The worst I can say about the film is the question that I posed at the beginning of the review. The film was satisfying but I felt given the layers and acting it could have been fantastic. That said, I couldn’t quite figure out what it could have been. Should it be more of a comedy or more of a dark drama? If it was the former we’ve seen that before in Scrooged. If it was the latter it might too much resemble the actual story. Maybe I would have the “characters” be more involved in a kind of neurotic way? I don’t know.

see my christmas movie reviews at https://ihatebadmovies.com/?s=christmas

I enjoyed this film. It was a lovely insight to see how Charles may have came up with his characters and plot. It was very heartwarming and a lovely addition to my Christmas movies.

_The Man Who Invented Christmas_ is a compelling and whimsical fictionalized telling of Charles Dickens’ writing of _A Christmas Carol_. Having lost the faith of his publishers after a string of failed novels and dwindling finances, Charles Dickens comes up with a scheme to self-publish a Christmas book that will put him back on top; but to do so he’ll have to confront the ghosts of his past. The film does an impressive job at showing the creative process, with Dickens literally bringing characters to life and interacting with them as he develops them. Dan Stevens does a good job at playing Charles Dickens, and Christopher Plummer is perfectly cast as Scrooge. Additionally, newcomer Anna Murphy brings a lot of charisma as the nurse/muse who inspires Dickens. Also, the sets and costumes are especially well-done, giving a real Dickensian feel to the film. Inspirational, with a little bit of magic, _The Man Who Invented Christmas_ is an entertaining look behind the novel that forever changed the way we see Christmas.

This movie is a madcap reconstruction of the writing process that produced THE CHRISTMAS CAROL, probably as much fiction as fact, but spun together with all the frenzy of the creative spark. This scattered approach to storytelling is illuminated by some stellar performances, but, once again, Scrooge steals the show. Christopher Plummer:flag_ca: brings a startling depth to the Scrooge we know married with the Scrooge that was the catalyst for Dickens' imagination. This was an award worthy performance. I give this film a 7 (good) out of 10. [Historical Fiction]. But, I take issue with the title. No one invented Christmas nor would it fall into obscurity. As long as there are those who owe their lives to a babe, born in a manger, born to bear our sins and redeem our lives, there will be a Christmas. And, all the goodness of Christmas comes not from a tale of the transformation of a tight-fisted old man, but as a overflow from the transforming presence of Christ in the lives of those who call Him Lord. (Thus endeth the sermon).