Christmas, Again

source: Christmas, Again

Ever see the Seinfeld episode where they're pitching their sitcom idea to NBC and they're asked what the series is about? And George goes "nothing". Jerry says "well it's about something" and George returns angrily "no, no, it's about nothing!" That's what I felt like I was watching in this movie. Really, nothing does happen. From start to end. We have no clue what the deal is with the main character, and no idea about the girl. No character building at all. None. Towards the end I looked at my wife and said "wouldn't it be funny if this movie ended right now?". And it did! Instead of being pissed off that we wasted 90 minutes of our evening, we both cracked up laughing. I should say that it wasn't difficult to watch. There was a sense of realism as opposed to acting. It just could have been such a fantastic movie with some character building. But still.... nothing happens.

The storytelling and direction seemed a bit clumsy, and somewhat amateurish. However, the main character was very believable, and I felt like I was seeing a real person, not an actor. But we never find out much at all about his background, or why or how he lost his former relationship. And the story never really develops much until late in the movie. We also never learn anything about Lydia's background, either, other than that she lives with some guy she isn't well-suited for.

This film definitely wasn't festive but instead a pointed slice of reality. It was a bit boring and very depressing, and definitely low budget. It isn't a bad film, just be prepared for not a lot to happen. It was really just a snapshot of a guy who is for the most part by himself selling Christmas trees on the streets of New York City for the last few weeks leading up to Christmas morning. We learn that he was lamenting a very hard breakup of a past serious relationship. He meets a girl, who also seems to have a ton of problems of her own. His life is boring, mundane, and seeming at the moment, painful. As I pondered the movie, it became clear that the writer and producer wanted us to realize that Christmas is not wonderful and magical for many. It is a time that seems to highlight and magnify how lonely and miserable some people can be. Christmas can really stink for some...if Christmas comes or not, you are still broke, you are still lonely, the sting of that breakup or a struggling marriage is still real, your cancer is still there, your emotional struggles did not leave... The point is...people are broken regardless if we have a December 25th this year or not.