2/17/2024 0 Comments El camino christmasThe sum of the above mentioned parts is what you get, and any ratings lower than 9 stars is likely because the viewer may have overlooked the film's most important points. On the other hand, this is the kind of small film that is much larger than life, and not surprisingly given the superb cast, sharp directing, well paced editing, clean cinematography and a singular style of dialog reminiscent of the films by Howard Hawks. In fact, calling Netflix's El Camino Christmas (2017) a "holiday movie" would be a stretch. I think the film would have been better served to end it right after the siege at Vicente's Liquor Mart, but I guess they needed to tie up Eric's relationship with Kate (Michelle Mylett) for the classic happy ending. Vincent D'Onofrio, who portrays deputy Carl Hooker is straight out of Stallone's "First Blood" playbook as an ignorant redneck, and the film's fatal ending for Tim Allen's character mimics Eastwood at the conclusion of "Gran Torino". The fact that it's Christmas time in the movie is ancillary to the story line. Don't be fooled by the title of the picture. Funny, but I never made the father-son connection with Eric Norris (Luke Grimes) until the very end of the story when Larry (Allen) dredged up his bad experience in Vietnam. I also know he dabbled as Santa Clause in a series of flicks, so to see him here as an alcoholic dirt bag was quite the shock to the system. Now I haven't seen Tim Allen in many movies, I basically know him as Tim the Tool Man Taylor from the hit TV show. Seriously, one needs to live in a small town to understand, but as John Mellencamp would put it, "that's good enough for me". It would have been even easier about four decades ago when the population was less than half that. My town only has about three thousand residents and I could probably come up with a cast for this film. I think I have grounds to sue.Another reviewer for this picture says he doesn't believe a town like the one in the story could have so many stupid people in it. The editing and the pacing are atrocious.I mean, that was the best plot device they could think of to get these people trapped in a liquor store? Really? Plus, I've had Tim Allen half-singing Joy to the World stuck in my head twice now. The script is so awful, and these guys give wha absolute little they have, their total all. The only reason I'm giving this a 1, and not a flat zero, is because of Luke Grimes, Dax Sheperd, and surprisingly, Tim Allen. Mostly, it forces a bunch of spoon-fed sentiment, with autistic children and a stupid family story. Terrible script, the story itself is plotless, Vincent D'onofrio's character is so unwatchable and unbelievable, and this flick simply can't decide what it wants to be. A Netflix review said it was like if Hallmark or Lifetime decided to make a violent rated-R movie. I Can't believe anyone actually ,liked this film, and I can't believe how many otherwise talented actors are in it. Such an odd, but ultimately worthwhile choice to make for an original feeling Christmas flick. It's the situation itself that makes things fun though. A talented cast of familiar names like Tim Allen, Vincent D'Onofrio, and a few others make things a little more enjoyable than they otherwise would have been. The performances in this movie are surprisingly good. The really surprising part is just how violent it is. It's pretty well made despite a low budget and Hallmark quality production. There's a single mother with a child who never speaks that ultimately ends up falling for the young drifter, to help fill in the checklist for what's almost mandatory for the more traditional variety of these movies. Yet, it's not entirely devoid of warmth, humanity, and even a few seasonal clichés. It's certainly a lot darker than your average Christmas movie. Bullets fly and a lot of alcohol is consumed. Rather than spreading Christmas cheer when he pulls into town looking for the father he never met, Eric Roth (Luke Grimes) inadvertently causes all hell to break loose when a local psychotic cop decides to make him the target of his drunken rage.
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