Holiday Family Film Guide
honestbaby’s hot picks, passes and previews of the upcoming family films coming to a theater near you this holiday season.
BOLT – opening November 21st.
With a bark more powerful than a locomotive and the ability to leap tall fire hydrants in a single bound, the new superdog Bolt arrives to save the day courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures. Genetically altered to be a Dog of Steel with courage just as strong, Bolt’s only fault may be that he does not realize he is only a TV character and all his powers are just special effects. Now, out on the mean streets of New York City, as far from the pampered confines of his Hollywood studio as he can be, Bolt begins the most exciting episode of his career with a cross-country journey back home, presumably along with a healthy does of self-discovery about who he is and what it really takes to be a hero. John Travolta leads the cast as the scrappy TV superdog along with Miley Cyrus as his onscreen co-star. If BOLT strikes the expected chord with the kids, and with the right doses of comedy, action and cuteness already all in place there is no reason to believe that it won’t, this could be the start of a welcomed new franchise for Disney (perhaps even a series featuring Bolt in character just as we were treated to a series with the “real/reel” adventures of TOY STORY’s Buzz Lightyear).
TWILIGHT – opening November 21st.
The film version of the first installment of Stephanie Meyer’s best-selling vampire saga stands as this year’s most surefire box office smash. With promotional events turning into free for alls of teenage girl fandom and lines already forming at theaters a week out from its release, TWILIGHT’s popularity seems immortal. Taking the drama of high school to its most extreme, the film focuses on the dark romance between Bella, a quirky transfer student and Edward, the mysterious, handsome teen heartthrob who just happens to be a vampire. Produced with the full cooperation and support of author Meyer, TWILIGHT should be a faithful adaptation of the popular books and be rewarded with blockbuster status. Although not for the toddler crowd, it is hard to imagine the teen and tween set not seeing this by any means necessary.
FOUR CHRISTMASES – opening November 26th.
While not a family film for the entire family, FOUR CHRISTMASES is a film about families of the dysfunctional sort. Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn play a happily unmarried couple that has carefully avoided the emotional minefield presented by the ever so dangerous yuletide visit home… until this year. With their plans for a tropical getaway thwarted by bad weather, and exposed as available for the holidays on national television, the two are left with no option but to visit each of their divorced parents and their new spouses for Christmas. With four visits on the itinerary, their Christmas rounds become the hell they always feared it could be, quadrupled. With the likable and dependable Witherspoon and Vaughn in the lead, FOUR CHRISTMASES looks to be a fun but predictable holiday film, acerbic on the surface and sweet somewhere deep down inside with enough laughs along the way to make it all worthwhile.
DELGO – opening December 5th.
While definitely marketed as an epic animated children’s event film, the trailer for DELGO reveals a relatively complex narrative underlying its fantasy setting and not a cute, cuddly character in sight. Just as the film itself features teenage characters, that same demographic may be the most appropriate audience for this film that combines a Romeo and Juliet like love affair laid over the wider conflict of a two warring nations of different species. Too serious for toddlers, not cool enough for teens and too trite for adults, DELGO does not seem positioned to appeal to anyone. And with a flat look, relatively featureless characters and a disengaging story, even hardcore animation fans might not find enough of interest to turn out for on opening day.
NOTHING LIKE THE HOLIDAYS – opening December 12th.
Based on the trailer, this looks to be one more generic entry in the ‘sort of funny, sort of heartwarming’ family reunion film that is likely to disappear from memory as you exit the theater. This time around, we get to eavesdrop on the quirky Rodriguez family as they open old wounds, deconstruct their relationships and presumably rediscover their love for one another just in time to open the presents on Christmas morning. The specific details of the plot are irrelevant. Overall, it will probably be a reasonably entertaining ride for the two hours or so needed to see it but don’t expect a classic like IT’S A WONDEFUL LIFE.
THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX – opening December 19th.
From the best selling and Newberry Medal winning children’s book of the same name, THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX combines equal dashes of Dumbo and Ratatouille as we meet a young mouse set apart from the rest thanks to his giant ears and love of books (for reading, not eating). With a brave heart too strong for his own good and a sense of curiosity that would even kill a cat, Despereaux sets out on an adventure to explore the castle and ends up as the hero heir apparent to save the lovely Princess and bring light back to the kingdom. Grand in scope with an earnest good will that radiates from the screen, this gorgeously animated film looks like a winner. The all-star line-up of voice talent is even more reassuring that this will be a cut above the average cartoon and includes Matthew Broderick, Dustin Hoffman, Sigourney Weaver, Kevin Kline and Hogswart alumni Emma Watson.
BEDTIME STORIES – opening December 26th.
Teaming with Walt Disney Pictures, Adam Sandler takes the lead in this surreal but wholesome family comedy as Skeeter Bronson, a hotel handyman who could use a hand himself as his life turns upside down when the outrageous bedtime stories he tells his niece and nephew actually begin to come true for him. From raining gumballs to raining fireballs, the off the cuff plotting provided by the kids becomes his new reality. Sandler’s penchant for over the top humor and slapstick physical comedy make him the perfect match for this role and, based on the BEDTIME STORIES wild trailer, he looks right at home as the fun uncle every kid wishes they had, Coming out the day after Christmas, this looks to be a nice present from Disney as they give us one last bit of magic to escape with before we head into the new year.
