Review of El Camino Christmas (2017) by Toby H — 11 Dec 2017

Let's just call this the anti-Hallmark Christmas movie. The film's desert setting, violence, drug and alcohol use as well as the bittersweet ending really puts El Camino Christmas at odds with practically every identifiable Christmas film trope and that fact alone makes this film an interesting watch.

El Camino Christmas definitely isn't for everyone and if you're looking for a feel good Christmas movie to get you into the spirit of the season then you might want to look elsewhere. But if you're the kind of person who can tolerate and enjoy a film with darker and more adult subject matter that frames itself with the Christmas setting then this is a great flick to sink your teeth into. That's not to say that there's nothing inherently Christmas-y about this movie, the ending in particular was incredibly emotionally affecting and it was certainly a Christmas film moment in its own way.

Performance-wise this movie stood out as well, we get a surprising dramatic turn from Tim Allen who plays a type of character most people aren't used to seeing him play. Dax Shepard and Kurtwood Smith both help immensely to lighten the film's tone and keep it from deep diving into pure drama and Vincent D'Onofrio puts in another great performance as an offbeat antagonist character (as well as humorously enough contributing to the soundtrack while staying in character). Luke Grimes does a perfectly serviceable job as the lead, though he's not given the same kind of material to play with as the supporting cast, his character is mostly relegated to being the Everyman and reactiing to the insanity around him, which he does well. The only complaint I really have is Jessica Alba's character, Alba feels wasted here as her character is pretty detached from the main narrative and she doesn't have much of an arc.

Overall though I'd say that El Camino Christmas is a worthwhile watch, especially if you're tired of the same old formulaic Christmas films. The cast shines, the dialogue is sharp and the story details a a chain reaction of mishaps and misunderstandings that is truly entertaining to watch unfold, all of it results in an ending that is heartfelt, emotionally impactful and absolutely Christmas in its own special way.