It takes a lot for me to give anything my lowest possible rating and dislike something so intensely. Have always tried to be as encouraging and perceptive as possible and actually being critical of things, especially when having to be harsh in fear of saying the wrong things. Giving 'A Christmas Village' a rating so low and a negative review is going to make me sound like a Scrooge and someone that hates Christmas.
This is something that couldn't be further from the truth. It's actually my favourite holiday and there are many good films, specials etc. and even classic ones, ones watched every year and never gotten tired of. 'A Christmas Village' was one of my recent festive film viewings to broaden my horizons and see something different. It was part of a Christmas film quest undertaken at the beginning of this year, and there have been some films that have been regrettable experiences. And 'A Christmas Village' is one of them and one of the worst cases.
'A Christmas Village' has nothing good about it. Now that is something that is very rarely said by me and whenever it has ever been said it has always been so with regret. The least bad thing about it is the setting but that was very difficult to appreciate with such drab filming and with the film's editing looking carelessly slapped together. The music is not much special and is often ham-handed and misplaced.
One of 'A Christmas Village's' worst components is the script, which constantly sounds awkward and can be quite cloying. Worst of all is the attempts at absurd humour, that the film goes far too over the top in and it is often overplayed and seldom fits. The acting is similarly woeful, there is no chemistry between the leads, any attempts are stiff and forced, and the cast are made to constantly overdo their one-dimensional and quite annoying characters and they do it badly.
From a story standpoint, there is no sense of joy or charm and although one doesn't expect the film to be realistic or completely surprising they don't expect non-stop contrivance or to never feel bored watching the film. The summary is not being truthful when it says that the Christmas spirit is in abundance, everything to do with the scandal and saving the reputation complicates the story at times and is a bit mean-spirited. Maybe it was an attempt at providing some depth but it doesn't work.
Summing up, awful, there are so many Christmas films that are a million times better. 1/10
