Director: Debbie Isitt
Cast: David Tennant, Joanna Page, Jessica Hynes, Marc Wootton, Pam Ferris
Running Time: 109 minutes
Certificate: U
Synopsis: The national ‘A Song for Christmas’ competition is taking applications and the enthusiastic Mr Poppy is determined that his class will be there. Will the children’s new teacher, Mr Peterson, be able to avoid being swept along against his better judgement…?
Much like Mr Peterson (Tennant), I love Christmas – the tree, the trimmings, those really cool knitted jumpers with snowmen carefully woven in. And of course Christmas movies. The festivities just don’t seem right without watching Clark Griswold falling off a roof or Rizzo the Rat dancing on a rotating chicken (or strangely enough THE WORLD’S STRONGEST MAN competition. I feel Christmas hasn’t truly begun until I’ve seen a steroid infused Scandinavian lifting a car above his head).
And that brings us to NATIVITY 2: DANGER IN THE MANGER… sort of. Like all good Christmas movies, you can make a pretty good guess as to what’s in store and I think that’s part of the charm. It’s going to be cheesy. It’s going to have certain themes and iconography. It’s going to warm the cockles. One thing it’s never going to do, is break any records or get itself a prestigious award. But that’s not what Christmas is about is it?
The film has some very funny moments in a plot that takes us from a Christmas movie, via a road trip (a bit like CLOCKWISE with Tennant in the John Cleese role) to a finale that’s closer to GLEE (or so I have been told). In fact one little girl’s rendition of Amy Winehouse’s Rehab wouldn’t look out of place on the popular American show – although it is just a tiny bit disturbing.
There are also some very funny performances from Marc Wootton reprising his role as Mr Poppy and a great turn from Jessica Hynes as a singer of local renowned. Tennant also seems to be having a ball playing not only the class’s new teacher but also his own evil twin brother Roderick (who is all turtle necks and slick back hair – the swine!) Tennant is as likeable as ever and a perfect replacement for Martin Freeman.
The real stars of the film however are the children who are so infinitely talented as to make you sick to the stomach. And cute? Well, picture if you can a fluffy little bunny in a bonnet looking up at you with big, round Puss in Boots eyes. That’s about half as cute as these kids are. See, told you. Sickening!
Sat in the theatre, I couldn’t help but think that the film was not really aimed at a bunch of aging journalists and that perhaps I should have taken my nine year old nephew Tom to watch it. He would have given a much more accurate opinion. Still, it falls to me and I say yes, it is a schmaltzy affair granted. It’s not the best movie ever, but it does have its moments and as the film says, there’s always somebody who can do something better than you but that’s not the point is it? The point is to have fun along the way and focus on the things that matter – family, friends and light-hearted films.
You know, it may be a tad early, but I think that I’m going to pour myself some eggnog, put my feet up and listen to some relaxing carol music. God rest ye merry gentlefolk.
NATIVITY 2: DANGER IN THE MANGER arrives in UK cinemas 23 November
