Well after a brief hiatus I return, hot on the heels of a slew of Halloween themed movies, with Christmas movies. New and old, good and bad, I will watch them. And first up for this season is Christmas in Wonderland, which really should be titled... Christmas Eve in West Edmonton Mall (aka Santa's house).
The film stars an uncanny cast of Patrick Swayze in his second to last movie filmed before his unfortunate passing, Chris Kattan, a nearly unrecognizable and forgettable Carmen Electra and Tim Curry phoning in another pay cheque. Oh how I will always love thee Dr. Frank-N-Furter, between Rocky Horror and Legend and your turn as Pennywise, you continue to do schlock as long as you want, I won't complain.
Anyways, back to the flick. Story in short. Typical paint by numbers holiday movie about a down on their luck family who have lost the Christmas spirit save for the little girl who holds Santa near and dear. Swayze is the dad who just lost his job after relocating his entire family to Edmonton, Alberta for his new career. Kids hate Canada, he is broke, and mom is stuck in an airport in L.A. until Xmas day. She tasks him with shopping for the family. He leaves the kids with the oldest son, while he shops. Kids find a bag of money, hijinks ensue.
SPOILER ALERT: In the end, family finds Christmas spirit, everything works out via Santa ex machina, and life is good yet again.
We all know how it is going to end, that is the point of the holiday flicks. What does this one have going for it that made it stand out? Well it featured my old stomping grounds of West Edmonton Mall being the sole location more or less for the majority of the flick. Granted this West Edmonton Mall, while still being the largest mall in North America, is drastically different in appearances (at least externally).
The movie version of West Edmonton Mall:
Compared to the rather drab and boring real version which is how I affectionately remember the mall I grew up with:
Like this:
So did I really just watch a movie because it was filmed in West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada? Yep. The film doesn't have much else going for it. Like I said it is paint by numbers. You have the bumbling crooks (bonus points for the obese mentally deficient farting goofy one, they are always extra funny....), the bad cg parts, the doe-eyed little girl that believes enough for everyone, the wacky antics, the stereotypes, etc, etc.
This is what annoys me about these films though. They are obviously just a paycheque for most everyone involved, save for the child actors who are most likely looking for something to have on their demo reel. However, with a marginal bit of effort, the folks involved could have made a pretty decent flick. It wouldn't have been timeless necessarily but it may have been good. I miss the effort of films these days especially around the holidays. The latest CGI Christmas Carol may be a worthy addition (I have to re-watch it), but aside from that there hasn't been a half way decent Xmas flick in a long time. That's why people flock to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, Scrooged or even older fare. If you have recommendations let me know. You can see from my library list that I own Muppet Christmas Carol, which I hold in high esteem as one of the better versions of the Christmas Carol story.
The good: The locale. It was good to see the old mall, despite how much I avoid it, even if I were to visit today. Patrick Swayze was decent too, obviously happy to just be working at the time. The gent who played Santa was a charming fellow.
The bad: The rest. Who really finds slapstick humour funny without a decent story attached? I know, I know, it's obviously a kid's flick that is meant to be family friendly fare. But story needn't be sacrificed for that does it? Chris Kattan, such a wasted actor in my opinion. He's done some brilliant work when a director can rein him in (ala House on Haunted Hill). The stereotypes. My gawd. Not every flippin Canadian walks around saying ABOOT or EH? all the time. The RCMP is portrayed as bumbling buffoons, marginally less idiotic than the hapless crooks. And is Canada so bad that the only female the older brother can find attractive is another displaced girl from L.A.? And what's with her name being Shane? I can't say I have ever met a female Shane. But I digress.
Final Thoughts: A forgettable holiday film. Check it out only if you are a hardcore Swayze fan (which I'd recommend you re-watch Road House instead) or if you have a family and need a throw-away flick on the PVR to occupy the kids for two hours. I did find it amusing that it was Christmas Eve in the film and despite the movie talking about how busy the mall is, it wasn't even a fraction of how busy that damned mall can be on a regular weekend let along Christmas Eve. It wasn't that bad I guess, it was fine to have in the background while I put up the Christmas tree.
Add to the Vault? Not in the least. But take heart, I will be reviewing some other holiday flicks that I don't currently own and will most like be added to the list.
So to welcome you into the holiday season, I leave you with trailer for Christmas in Wonderland!
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