A Savage Christmas – REVIEW

Tired of watching those same old, same old, wholesome, overly sugar-coated and family friendly Christmas movies? Then catch a screening of A Savage Christmas – tis the season to be jolly and you may just be pleasantly surprised!

It’s Christmas and here’s to the most wonderful day of the year! The Savage family gather for a Christmas luncheon and each member has their own issues which eventually are brought out in the open. Dysfunctionality doesn’t run in the Savage household, it gallops a hundred miles an hour, so let the lunacy commence!

Mr Savage has delusions of grandeur, his wife Brenda is ageing-in-denial and their son, now daughter, Davina has come out as a trans with her boyfriend in tow. Young Jimmy has a gambling debt with a thug chasing him for money and rounding off the misfits is married pill-popping daughter, Leia, who has a secret she doesn’t want revealed. Even pet dog, Bubbles has dysfunctional tendencies!

Lock in these screwball characters for a cheap over cooked turkey Christmas luncheon and what more could you expect than joyful chaos?

“This whole family is built on regret. We’ve had a good life built on deception!” shouts one of the disgruntled adults to his father. Can the family make amends, reconcile, and move forward? All families have secrets but what are the two bombshells unleased which may ensure that this is their last Christmas together?

Gary Sweet is the highest profile actor in a supporting role as a thug and is part of an ensemble cast who are impressive in their respective roles.

Writing a good comedic script that audiences can quickly warm to isn’t an enviable task, possibly being the hardest genre to master cinematically. Many Australian movies in past years have suffered from contrived humour leading to unrealistic and off-putting, cheesy comedies which are quickly forgotten.

However, the writers of this film have successfully created a bunch of looney characters placed in humorous scenarios with funny dialogue that should keep audiences laughing throughout.

This is not a high budget movie, but surprisingly boasts high production standards. The explosion of emotions in the final scenes are hilarious and the poignant themes, which include the importance of forgiveness and family, are relatable and should resonate with audiences.

★★★

From November 15

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