Recently released from prison for stealing and on parole, Dennis (Paul Giamatti) finds out that not only did his wife Therese (Amy Landecker) tell their daughter that he died of “very painful cancer,” but she plans on marrying his former partner in crime Rene (Paul Rudd) as soon as he gets divorced from his own wife. When Dennis meets with his counselor, his advice to Dennis is to either live with family or “live off the land” because the economy is so bad even people with no criminal records can’t find work. Neither is a viable option, so Dennis tracks down Rene and strong-arms him into getting him involved in his straight-and-narrow work: loading up his truck with Christmas trees and selling them in New York City.
Dennis insists he is no longer a thief, but he can’t help swiping objects throughout the film because he essentially has no other choice. He even finds it difficult not to steal from Olga (Sally Hawkins), a curious Russian woman who is the wife of a successful dentist and only shows him kindness. Meanwhile, while selling trees in Brooklyn, Dennis’ animosity for Rene frequently boils over and gets in the way of their main purpose of making money. Whether the two will even make it to Christmas without killing each other is the main question.
Considering the talent of Giamatti and Rudd, Almost Christmas ought to be a lot funnier or, at the very least, harder hitting emotionally. Sure, there are three or four very funny parts, but the film as a whole is mostly flat. Giamatti’s comical grumpiness and his Lemmy Kilmister mustache works here — especially Dennis’ slow burning anger whenever Therese calls Rene’s phone and a cheesy love song plays — but it’s not enough to carry the film. I kept wondering where all the fun was.
Without spoiling anything, Almost Christmas is one of those “Christmas redemption” movies that, in the end, doesn’t really have much of a redemption. It’s more like a movie you have on in the background during the holidays, but it surely isn’t a holiday classic. I’m not sure what screenwriter Melissa James Gibson, who has written a few episodes of The Americans, was going for in her paint-by-numbers holiday script, nor do I know what the stars or director Phil Morrison (who directed 2005’s Junebug) saw in this project. Ultimately this is like one of those ABC Family throwaway holiday movies with a few four letter words, which is a shame considering the talent involved.
Rating: A surprisingly dull effort (4/10).
Tribeca Film Festival Screening Times
April 21 9:30PM School of Visual Arts
April 24 1:00PM AMC Loews Village 7
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