It’s the holiday season, and continuing with my reviews of Christmas movies, here is another one: Christmas with the Campbells.
This one is about a young woman called Jesse (Brittany Snow) who is naively romantic and in love with a guy called Shawn Campell (Alex Moffat). While he likes having sex with Jesse, he’s not interested in the kind of commitment she wants so he dumps her just before Christmas.
Despite the break up, Sean’s mother invites Jessie to join his family for Christmas, and surprisingly she decides to visit them in their small upstate town.
The town is full of quirky inhabitants and because it’s a small and gossipy town, all of them know about the break up.
This is not your typical Christmas movie. Indeed it’s full of salty language and overt sexual references so you probably don’t want young family members to watch it. But it’s quite funny, and though at times a little predictable, it has enough darkness in it to make it interesting.
The cast all bounce of one another really well, though seeing Justin Long play a very stoic personality seems is a little odd. The on-screen chemistry between him and Brittany Snow is a bit awkward, but I think that’s deliberate.
The film has had some mixed reviews, but I liked its deliberate anti-romance feel.
Christmas with the Campbells is available to view on the AMC+ streaming app or website.
