Between Christmas and New Year I caught the last half of a film on TV that, despite missing the beginning I ended up really enjoying.
A month later I found myself wondering what led up to the events I witnessed on that day all those weeks before.
So, with it being Sunday and all, yesterday I did the unthinkable (unless you’re one of those weirdos who thinks Die Hard is a Christmas film) - I watched a Christmas-related movie in January!!
8-Bit Christmas (2021)
I almost left this post till next Christmas but I enjoyed the film so much I couldn’t wait that long to share my thoughts about it.
If you haven’t seen it, its a Christmas comedy based on the novel of the same name by Kevin Jakubowski .
It stars the young and talented Winslow Fegley in his first starring role, Neil Patrick Harris (The Matrix Resurrections), Steve Zahn (Sahara), and June Diane Raphael (Long Shot) among many others.
This is what it’s about according to the internet:
In 1980s Chicago, a 10-year-old boy sets out on a quest to get the Christmas gift of his generation: the latest and greatest video-game system.
If you’ve ever been a gamer you’ll appreciate this film, especially if you grew up in the 80s or 90s and had a Nintendo. Personally I was always a Sega kind of guy which means I missed out on playing the legendary GoldenEye. But hey, I got to play Sonic the Hedgehog and Streets of Rage so I can’t be too upset.
I don’t usually go for films where kids are the main protagonists (unless it’s The Goonies, The Monster Squad or Home Alone). I don’t know why, I just struggle to relate. With this movie being set in 1988 though, I get it. I was a kid myself back then so maybe that’s why I enjoyed this one so much.
This is a really funny film! There’s a lot of stuff in it that’s spot on to the era it’s set and I think some of that is what makes it so funny.
The movie starts off with Neil Patrick Harris’s character, “Jake” fending off his daughter’s attempts to justify why she should get her own phone for Christmas. This leads Jake to tell her the story of how he desperately wanted a games console one Christmas and the lengths he and his friends went to get one. The rest of the movie flashes back to his childhood, occasionally coming back to present day in a “The Princess Bride” kind of way.
There are some really funny characters and the comedy is quick and excellently delivered by the young cast, especially Winslow Fegley who’s brilliant as the young Jake.
All in all this is a fun film with a great story, lots of laugh-out-loud moments and a surprisingly emotional and heartwarming message. It’s also one of those Christmas-themed movies that you could be forgiven for watching any time of the year.
I definitely recommend it.
Seen it? Let me know below.