323. Boxing Day; movie review

 

 

BOXING DAY

Cert 12A

110 mins

BBFC advice: Contains infrequent strong language, moderate sex references, drug references

BBC News rarely features movie releases but it clearly believed that this one would rival Love Actually.

Or perhaps its editors were merely being politically correct by giving tacit support to a Christmas comedy, written produced and directed by a black film-maker with a nearly all-black cast.

Most cinema audiences don't concern themselves with the colour of an actor's skin. Their judgment is simply on whether the movie is good or not.

Sadly, Boxing Day isn't.

It stars its writer and director Aml Ameen as Melvin, a highly successful British writer who lives in California and is besotted with his girlfriend, Lisa (Aja Naomi King).

He is sent back to London by his agent for a TV chat show but is reluctant to invite Lisa along because he will feel duty-bound to introduce her to his family.

It immediately becomes clear why he is so apprehensive. 

First of all, his ex and singing superstar (Leigh-Anne Pinnock) is staying at the same hotel and is still very bitter over their split.

She also happens to be the daughter of his mum's best friend and is consequently invited to the family Christmas gathering.

Inevitable chaos ensues with exaggerated jealousies prompting misunderstandings and bad behaviour.

Marianne Jean-Baptiste plays Melvin's mum who is trying to act as peacemaker while having her own secret white boyfriend (Stephen Dillane) who is bound to create a stir.

One of Boxing Days problems for viewers who are not of West Indian descent is the number of cultural in-jokes.

Rather than bringing in a wider audience, they are more likely to make them feel excluded.

But even when the dialogue and messaging were clear, there were too many cliches and too much unconvincing presentation.

Worst of all, however, this is a comedy without laughs or even empathetic characters. This puts it well behind Love Actually which has both in abundance.

Reasons to watch: Supposedly the new Love Actually

Reasons to avoid: No laughs

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: Yes

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 4.5/10

Did you know? Boxing Day comes from a time when the rich used to box up gifts to give to the poor. It was traditionally a day off for servants, and the day when they received a special Christmas box from their masters. The servants would also go home on Boxing Day to give Christmas boxes to their families.

The final word. Aml Ameen: "This film comes from the diary of my life, and it's a film that I've been thinking about for a long time. In the Ameen family and on Boxing Day, we'd have these big parties every year. One day in 2016, I was at my family party and I thought, 'This is so dope that this should be a movie.'.'" Popsugar

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