December’s theme for Genre Grandeur is “Movies about Legends we lost too soon (in any field)”. But since it is December, I wanted to write about a Christmas movie. This is why I selected the 2017 film, The Man Who Invented Christmas, for the blogathon, as it satisfies the best of both worlds. The movie revolves around how Charles Dickens created the iconic story, A Christmas Carol. With Charles living to the age of fifty-eight, one would think he lived a full life. However, there are celebrities who have outlived Charles. A few of them have even lived to the age of one hundred. Therefore, there’s an argument to be made about Charles being a “legend” the world lost too soon. About The Man Who Invented Christmas, it’s a movie I have heard of, but never saw. In fact, I have heard very few people talk about the 2017 film. So, as a Christmas present, here’s my review of The Man Who Invented Christmas!

Things I liked about the film:

The acting: What can make or break a biopic is the lead performance. Depending on the quality of that performance, it can help the audience determine if the person that actor or actress is portraying is worth learning about. Dan Stevens’ portrayal of Charles Dickens in The Man Who Invented Christmas is, in my opinion, one of the best casting decisions in the history of biopics! Throughout the film, Dan was very expressive. He was even able to convey Charles’ thoughts without using dialogue. A great example happens toward the beginning of the movie. On-screen text reveals the film takes place after three of Charles’ books have been unsuccessful. The very next scene shows Charles in a state of panic. His eyes are wide and filled with fear and stress. A grimace is also present on Charles’ face, emphasizing how he feels under pressure. This one shot of Charles perfectly tells the audience how overwhelmed he is about his next creative choices.

While we’re still on the subject of acting, I want to talk about the interactions in The Man Who Invented Christmas. Charles’ interactions with various people consistently felt realistic. What works in the cast’s favor is the strength of their on-screen chemistry! Despite sharing only a few scenes together, the on-screen chemistry between Dan Stevens and Morfydd Clark (who portrayed Charles’ wife, Kate) allowed Charles and Kate’s relationship to appear as a believable marriage. In one scene, Kate wistfully reflects on all the things she wishes she could do. Throughout their conversation, however, both Kate’s and Charles’ expressions effortlessly adapt to what is being said to each other. Later in the movie, Kate tearfully explains how Charles’ personality has been unpredictable, especially since he started working on A Christmas Carol. As Kate’s explanation goes on, Charles’ frustrated demeanor softens as he realizes how his actions and choices have negatively impacted his wife. Performances like Morfydd’s and Dan’s allowed me to stay invested in the movie!

The humor: According to IMDB, The Man Who Invented Christmas is classified as a comedy. Despite the inconsistency of the comedic elements, they were well-written and executed effectively. When Charles and his friend, John, go to a restaurant, Charles tries to avoid an acquaintance named Thackeray by hiding his face behind a newspaper. As Charles is walking past Thackeray at the restaurant, however, the newspaper’s headline reads ‘Charles Dickens’, informing Thackeray Charles has arrived. Even though the execution of this scene was simple, I found it hilarious!

Charles’ creative process: As I said in my review’s introduction, The Man Who Invented Christmas revolves around how Charles Dickens created the iconic story, A Christmas Carol. Throughout the film, Charles looks for inspiration, (literally) brings characters to life, and uses parts of his past to craft the story. During this process, the audience can glimpse “Easter Eggs” related to Charles’ Christmas tale. From hearing a random passerby in a graveyard say “Bah Humbug” to Charles’ nephew, Henry, walking with a crutch like Tiny Tim, these “Easter Eggs” emphasize the attention to detail and collection of pieces it takes to create stories of any kind. Seeing Charles have conversations with Ebenezer Scrooge illustrates how a good writer should take the time to get to truly know their characters. Even learning about Charles’ past can help the audience (and even readers) understand why Charles is the writer he is. The way Charles’ creative process is incorporated into The Man Who Invented Christmas was creative, informative, and gave the film a memorable identity!

How Charles’ life story was told: Biopics typically present the story of a person’s life in chronological order. This creative decision gives the audience an introduction to that person, especially for those who are not familiar with the person in question. But the way The Man Who Invented Christmas presents Charles’ life story provides a breath of fresh air! The creation of A Christmas Carol is like the trunk of a tree, as the movie itself primarily focuses on that part of Charles’ life. However, the creation of A Christmas Carol provides opportunities to incorporate other parts of Charles’ life, such as his childhood and his relationship with his family. These parts of the script act as branches, connecting back to the tree trunk I referenced earlier. By telling Charles’ life story in this fashion, it gives the genre of biopics a more unique form of storytelling!

What I didn’t like about the film:

Things that were left unexplained: While Charles is looking for inspiration for A Christmas Carol, he travels to a section of the city known for its poverty. During his time in that section, he spots two children that appear to be kidnapped. Concerned over the children’s wellbeing, Charles chases after their kidnapper in an attempt to rescue the children. But when Charles reaches a graveyard, he quickly abandons his mission. In fact, the kidnapped children aren’t seen or brought up again. Though there were only a few instances like the one I described in The Man Who Invented Christmas, I wish the script had taken the time to explain them.

A hypocritical author: Toward the beginning of The Man Who Invented Christmas, Charles mentions how Christmas is a time when people should be thoughtful of those less fortunate. But this sentiment is forgotten when he considers having Tiny Tim die in A Christmas Carol. Both John and his maid, Tara, insist Ebenezer Scrooge save Tiny Tim, suggesting people can change during Christmastime. Charles sticks with his creative choice until toward the end of the movie, when he chooses the ending A Christmas Carol is known for. Even though it was interesting to think about how different Charles’ iconic story could have been, the stubbornness over Charles’ creative choice made Charles look hypocritical.

Charles’ emotional crossroads: One of the tropes of biopics is the “emotional crossroads”. This is when the person in question reaches an emotional breaking point that will create a domino effect for other choices in their life. In The Man Who Invented Christmas, Charles experiences an “emotional crossroads” related to his father as well as his childhood. His interactions with characters from A Christmas Carol help him address this “emotional crossroads” in order to move forward with his life and his story. I’m not sure which parts of The Man Who Invented Christmas are based on fact or creative liberty. However, the inclusion of the “emotional crossroads” trope kind of felt clichéd, like that trope was incorporated into the movie just because the movie is a biopic.

My overall impression:

Biopics are not created equally. Even though film is subjective, there has been shared discourse over which biopics are better than others. Though I can only speak for myself, I think The Man Who Invented Christmas is one of the stronger biopics I’ve seen! The way Charles’ life story was told felt like a breath of fresh air. Using A Christmas Carol to connect parts of Charles’ world brought a unique element to the biopic genre. I liked watching Charles’ creative process unfold because it added a creative and memorable identity to the movie. The cast’s strong on-screen chemistry also works in the film’s favor. As I watched The Man Who Invented Christmas, I was reminded of another Christmas movie I reviewed last year; I Heard the Bells. This was a Christmas-related biopic I ended up liking. If you haven’t seen these films, I would actually recommend watching The Man Who Invented Christmas and I Heard the Bells as a double feature. But I wrap up this review, I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holidays!

Overall score: 8.2 out of 10

Have you seen The Man Who Invented Christmas? Are there any Christmas-related biopics you would recommend? Let me know in the comment section!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Sally Silverscreen