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The Fitzgerald Family Christmas
The siblings of the Fitzgerald family must decide if the dad who abandoned them 20 years ago can come home for Christmas. Can the big Irish clan get past their grievances to be a family again?
Release : | 2012 |
Rating : | 6.3 |
Studio : | Marlboro Road Gang Productions, |
Crew : | Director of Photography, Director, |
Cast : | Kerry Bishé Edward Burns Heather Burns Marsha Dietlein Caitlin FitzGerald |
Genre : | Drama Family |
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A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.
Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.
One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.
The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.
The many talent's of Edward Burns as screenwriter, director and actor were abundantly evident in this film. Everything from the cast of characters, choice of location, simple but powerful lighting and suburb directing makes this a memorable "family relationship" Christmas classic.The script was written, and intended, as adult entertainment due to the use of language not appropriate for children. But, by doing that Mr. Burns was able to avoid the classic failure of your typical family Christmas film that often ends up as either "sugar mush" or absurd comedy. You know the ones I referring to, they're often found on the Hallmark Chanel at Christmas time.I take my hat off to Edward Burns this film "The Fitzgerald family Christmas" is among my favorite Holiday movies of all times along with the "Christmas Story" and "It's a wonderful Life" All three rate 10 out of 10.
A big family is a catalog of problems, a big family at the holidays is a catalog of problems reaching its boiling point. If you've lived in a big family you know it, if you've seen one or two films about big families, you probably know it too. Here lies the failure of this nice little film. Don't get me wrong, it's fairly well acted, the director choosing a low key approach that suits the genre well, so it's not a catastrophe, in fact it might be a good pastime if you can relate. Thing is the plot is not only loaded with cliché, it's devoid of any refreshing surprise or plot twist. And it tends to solve most of the problems it's looking into in a superficial almost casual manner. An abusive husband, falling for a creepy old man, falling for a girl who's too young for you, everything solved nice and easy, like it was no more than a ploy to cover a few more minutes on screen. It's not a good feeling to end with after a film with which we're suppose to relate.
Well, you can tell from my screen name that I'm part of the Irish American tribe. All I can say is that there is a lot of truth in this film. While there is a good deal of family dysfunction being dealt with here, there is also a moving portrayal of how love can transcend hurt if you let it. Believe me, been there, done that, in the same environment that Ed Burns comes from. I know these people and this film, while maybe a little exaggerated, was very real. Definitely worth a viewing, even if your not Irish. Compared to most other Christmas films, there is not a trace of false sentimentality in this picture, but it is warm and heartfelt.
Tired subject. Too many holes. 1.Why did dad leave? Maybe 7 kids were too much for him. 2.Maybe mom was nuts. 3.And what's Nora's story? Shes from Boston and......? 4.And the pregnant sister? The scene where the brother goes to save her is weak. 5.Why does Ed still live with mom? Each sibling has issues. 6.What's the relationship between the old sick lady and the mother? This isn't new. I grew up almost next door to Mr. Burns, and large Irish families aren't all dysfunctional. I was sorry that the mother gave in in the end. He did manage to leave room for seven sequels.I don't think Ed needed to have seven siblings. If he reduced the number of siblings and their issues, he would have been able to add more substance to the main subject...mom and dad's relationship.