Review of The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017) by Laura%20 L — 10 Dec 2017

What would've happened if Charles Dickens had made the decision for Scrooge not to help Tiny Tim in the end? What would've happened if Charles Dickens had-after three flops following Oliver Twist-given up and never written again? These are questions posed in the wonderful The Man Who Invented Christmas, which opens in the period right after the massively successful release of Oliver Twist and before Dickens had "met" his characters for The Christmas Carol walking the streets of London.

I particularly loved the scenes between Dickens (Dan Stevens) and Tara (Anna Murphy), who plays the housemaid. In the film, Dickens reads her the first draft of the manuscript, and they argue over how the book should end, and if Scrooge (Christopher Plummer) can really change. As reviewers before me have noted, the movie is sweet, but it also is asking for something from the audience, much like The Christmas Carol. It's encouraging people to be generous, kind, and forgiving. As John Dickens (Jonathan Pryse) said, "No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of another.".

Les Standiford, the author of the book on which this movie is based, and the creators of The Man Who Invented Christmas have made my holiday season brighter with the release of this film. I laughed and cried, and I wanted to clap when it ended. It's an antidote to cynicism. If you're looking for something to do with your family, or your writer friend, or that person in church who looked sad last Sunday-call them up and invite them to see The Man Who Invented Christmas.