Hello critters!
How are y'all doing this fine holiday season? Hanging in there? Hanging by a thread because of the pressure that celebrating Christmas and the guilt of disappointing people even though it's for the best? Yeah, ya know the feeling. But you know what? You're doing amazing, sweetie.
In an effort to escape the existential dread of everyday life, I've turned to Christmas movies and their unconsequential feel-good stories. Disney released a brand new movie with Anna Kendrick full of Christmas cheer, and I watched it for obvious reasons. Here are some thoughts.
If I had to describe Noelle in one word, it would be care. Noelle cares about her family and her job, she cares about keeping the magic of Christmas intact, she cares about making people happy and feel appreciated, she cares about doing what's kind and what's right. Anna Kendrick beautifully portrays how thoughtful a friend Noelle is, how removed from reality she is but how determined to understand it and make it better she is. Kendrick's gentle smile fits Noelle's cheerful spirit so well. The Kringle girl's main goal in life really is to spread joy and love. I found her naturally happy predisposition quite contagious and inspiring.
Noelle's brother, Nick, is played by the ever awkwardly hilarious Bill Hader. I felt sympathy for Nick because his character arc is so relatable. Family puts high expectations on child, said child grows up feeling like a fish out of water because their personality and aspirations in life don't match aforementioned expectations, child becomes adult riddled with anxiety until they can finally escape the clutches of their family and live their truth in peace. Can't get more millenial than that.
I liked how he eventually showed up for his sister and gave her his full support. It was nice to see siblings standing up for one another and insisting that everyone see them for who they really are: people who defy expectations because of their very nature.
Any appearance by Billy Eichner in any visual media is always a treat so seeing him pop up on my screen was a pleasant surprise. It was nice to see him in a more muted kind of role as the geeky cousin Gabe who was ready to fully digitalize Christmas. The man's got range!
The humour in the movie was right up my alley, playing on the innocence of Noelle and on Christmas-related puns. I am definitely using "oh my garland" from now on (especially since I don't believe in God and am actively working on replacing Christian expressions from my vocabulary so as to make my language align with my beliefs). It was definitely festive and pretty fun. The costumes and decor also added to that contrast between the North Pole and the real world to emphasize how odd and out-of-place Noelle is and that the striking difference of character, aka kind and empathetic vs. grumpy and selfish, is being played for laughs (in a well-meaning way, of course, it's Disney after all).
The story in itself was pretty standard and working its way towards an obvious end, but it was still nicely done so we'll allow it. It follows in the steps of The Nutcracker and the Four Realms in the way that it is a movie made primarily for children but that can also be appreciated by adults. The side characters are however way less irritating than in 2018's lavish production of the Christmas tale (I'm looking at you Sugar Plum Fairy).
All in all, despite the unsurprising turn of events of the linear screenplay, I would watch it again next year when in need of Christmas cheer.
Candy canes and elves 🍭
Nicky 🦊
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