Christmas Eve in Miller's Point

There are cruising parallels with American contemporaries the Ross Brothers and Halina Reijn, but this daisy chain has an earnest, festive charm unlike any other. It’s a vibe.


Essentially, this is like being in an annoying family reunion, but it's not your family... everything about the film is annoying.

More ‘Lost In Long Island’ than ‘Miracle On Main Street’, this offbeat indie ladles on the melancholy mood while skimping on the holiday highs, and seems destined to become a cult Christmas favourite.

This could well prove a dependable alternative winter warmer for years to come.

For a while, it’s all genuinely lovely, but there is an unpleasant moment around an hour into the film when you realise you’re no longer enjoying it that much, and the constant ducking of anything resembling a plot has long begun to grate.

This is the most Scorsese-esque Italian-American family gathering since every gathering in Goodfellas.

It’s curious, unusual, and a little bit mesmerizing.

Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point is like every holiday party you’ve ever been to, but it’s also not like any of them.

Alternately affecting and affected, this is a Christmas movie that has a lovely glow but in the end is a hit-and-miss proposition, sometimes insightful but sometimes just awkward.

if you watch it and hate it, you were warned! It will only be a Christmas classic for some and a chance to catch up on sleep for many. If you see abstract art and scream, “I could have made that,” then steer clear.