There are so many movies about Christmas. They have to be categorized. There are the ones everyone watches, Its a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Carol and Miracle on 34th St. Others aren’t known as well. Come to the Stable and Miracle of the Bells, come to mind. There are others like Christmas in Paradise, that is a modern tale. It seems unlikely that it will be placed alongside Its a Wonderful Life.
The story concerns three sisters, Joanna,(Elizabeth Hurley),Caroline(Nathalie Cox),and Paulina Christmas,(Naomi Frederick). They are searching for their father, James,(Kelsey Grammer), who has gone off the grid. The sisters finally track him down, in the Bahamas. He seems to be living the life. He’s jamming with a steel band, and doing yoga on the beach. His best friend in his new world is the musician/philosopher, Jimmy Love, (Billy Ray Cyrus). It isn’t that James just dropped out. He found out that he has cancer. He just wants to live out his days in peace. This doesn’t sit well with his daughters. They can’t understand James reasoning, and want him to leave, and seek treatment.
The movie is very slow paced. It is mainly saved by two people, Kelsey Grammer and Billy Ray Cyrus. Grammer, the Emmy award winning star of Frasier, can carry mediocre material. He is able to play anything, from cartoon characters to super heroes. Cyrus is a country music star, who has a talent for acting. His daughter Miley has inherited her father’s talent, and then some. Elizabeth Hurley does alright at playing the oldest and wisest daughter. Its just that her skills aren’t developed enough for a serious role. Naomi Frederick does lend some comic relief as the youngest daughter. She is a classically trained actress, and won an award for performing Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure.
The film has a bright side. It was filmed in the Bahamas. The cinematographer, Christopher Carcelle, gives beautiful shots of the island paradise in broad daylight and at night. He has gotten some good shots of Grammer in various phases of day and night. The director, Philippe Martinez along with his wife, Megan, wrote the screenplay. The story doesn’t have a firm structure. It also has a contrived ending. Philippe Martinez has a background in theater. He ran The Odeon Theater, one of the largest in Europe. He became a successful producer, and has helmed several films. He has many writing credits. This movie would be better, if the writing had more to it. It would be easier sometimes if instead of treatment to post production, other professionals could be involved. This might make for a better movie.