Review of The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017) by Teddy F — 25 Nov 2017

"The Man Who Invented Christmas" is a well-executed biopic that tells the story of what was going through Charles Dickens' head and on in his life while he wrote his famous novel, "A Christmas Carol"; unfortunately, it isn't the easiest to sit through.

Dan Stevens was brilliant as Charles Dickens, a fantastic reimagining of the acclaimed author. Stevens is ambitious, passionate, a bit crazy, but most importantly, he is able to make the audience believe that he gets so wrapped up in his writing he forgets about those around him and surrounds himself with his characters instead. Stevens effectively balances his character in a way where the audience is both rooting for him and likes him, but also feels that he'd be hard to live with and should try harder to control his temper. Christopher Plummer plays Ebenezer Scrooge very well, and while this time Scrooge isn't the central most character of the plot, Plummer still finds a way to display that Bah humbug spirit we've come to expect from someone playing Scrooge; add Plummer to the list of good Scrooges with Patrick Stewart and company. The kid actors and general supporting cast which consists of Jonathan Pryce who plays Dickens' father, are all excellent as well and while none of them give Oscar-worthy performances, they get the job done and add to the story without distracting the viewer.

The thing the movie did best was creating a realistic 1843 winter London atmosphere; from the set designs to the costumes, I fully believed what was happening was taking place in the time period described. To hit the creation of the atmosphere even further out the park, composer Mychael Danna (Life of Pi) adds a stylistic touch to the film with his orchestral score that is Christmassy and perfectly fits the tone of the story.

The only problem I have with the film is that for a lot of it, I was relatively bored. It's hard to explain, but I wasn't having much fun. While interesting to see Dan Stevens have conversations and interactions with the characters he has created, and there being a few funny moments with Scrooge teasing Dickens, the film drags a little too much and over the long run, is not very funny or exciting; I don't necessarily want to watch this film again. There were one or two times where I thought to myself, "Okay, he is this far into writing the Christmas Carol so that means there is only roughly this much left." I wish the director would've explored the concept of Dickens going into his own world with his characters more and spent less time dealing with family issues; of course, this is less an actual criticism and more of a stylistic choice. If director Bharat Nalluri did go more my way, he might've created a more enticing picture but would've lost some of the biographical aspects? of Dickens' life; the audience would learn less about Dickens himself...or maybe not if my direction was done right. Who knows? The movie at least finishes strong, the resolution happy, heartfelt, and touching; It does a good job in inviting the Christmas spirit.

If you read (not just see) the original "A Christmas Carol" you might appreciate the film more than me but, as someone who hasn't the read the book, I can't say this will be joining my collection of films I watch around Christmas time.