Boxing Day is a 'dramedy' about the unexpected twists that occur when a dysfunctional white family grappling with internal issues is introduced to a new member to the family – who is black.
Emmy Towne (Bridget Devlin Burke), a school teacher, meets Darryl (Demetrius Parker), a chemical engineer through an online site. She is not too keen for Darryl to meet her family, since she never heard back from the last two guys whom she brought to her house. Her family is extremely careful not to appear racist in way, but due to their limited experience, fall back on established stereotypes. Besides being in denial of their slight fear of blacks (Emmy's mother wears an emergency whistle around her neck to use in times of need!), Emmy's family has its share of strangeness – a dim podiatrist father (Jim Murphy) who is defensive about being a foot doctor and keeps a collection of diseased feet pictures, a mother (Vicki Hartford) who writes advice columns on everything under the sun, a part Chinese sister (Jenna St. John) with identity crisis (Gothic, Hippie, Commie sympathizer) and a mentally disturbed brother (Danny Gavigan) who is on the run from law, having dabbled in dangerous concoctions but with no aptitude for chemistry whatsoever. When the pair reach the Towne home situated in lily-white Maryland suburbs after deliberate delay, the family blunder their way by mistaking him for an intruder, much to Emmy's horror. Subsequently they take great pains to redeem themselves by sanitizing everything they do and say, so that they do not come across as racist. But in the process, they only make it worse, reinforcing their rejection of their own deep seated prejudices. The 'meet the family' is like walking on eggs for the couple, and the Townes'. Accidentally, everyone in the family is confronted by the skeletons they have tried to stuff into the closet . What happens after that forms the rest of the movie.
Watch Boxing Day! It has a strong story and great acting with all the actors doing full justice to their roles. A perky comedy that trips you by poking fun at going overboard trying to be PC and leaves you happily shocked at the ending. It is without doubt one of the funniest independent films I have seen in a while.
Way to go!
