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A Christmas Tale Reviews

2008

60
from 1106 members

"A Christmas Story" is a tragically comic tale of love, death, and familial strife and forgiveness. The film centers around the strife and heartache in one family, over the course of decades, and how tragedy can bring them together despite all the odds. Read more

Starring	Catherine Deneuve, Mathieu Amalric, Chiara Mastroianni, Melvil Poupaud
Director	Arnaud Desplechin
Genres	Comedy, Drama, World Cinema

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Critic's review of A Christmas Tale
View all (1)
- It may still be Christmas for the troubled Vuillard clan in the northwest French town of Roubaix but itâs not shared... read more on Time Out
- 51514
- - Dave Calhoun
  - Time Out
  - 20 Jan 2009 at 01:47
Write your own review »
Most helpful member's review of A Christmas Tale
View all members' reviews (14)
- - 14
  - 0
  Very confusing
  
  Very disjointed story line. Very little explanation as to why people behaviour the way they do. No sympathetic characters. Got boring.
  
  Report this review
- 771824
- [Highly rated reviewer]
  - a customer
  - UK
  - 16 Jun 2009 at 18:34
Most recent members' reviews of A Christmas Tale
View all members' reviews (14)
- - 0
  - 0
  Neither one thing, nor the other
  
  I found this to be a tale that veered between classic French farce and poignant drama. As a result it seemed to suffer from being overall neither one nor the ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 1097429
- - Minopater
  - 251 reviews
  - Wallington
  - 28 Feb 2012 at 12:58
- - 0
  - 0
  good film
  
  Good film, loved the french humour, good characters. A little long but necesssary for the context of the story though
  
  Report this review
- 1090322
- - a customer
  - 08 Feb 2012 at 23:30
- - 0
  - 0
  All over the place but in a good way!
  
  Really complicated. An all-together really good representation of complicated and dysfunctional family relations.French humour is dark, there is no doubt of ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 1075961
- [Highly rated reviewer]
  - Mois
  - 25 reviews
  - 25 Dec 2011 at 20:20
- - 0
  - 0
  Wonderfully funny and entertaining family drama
  
  A quintessentially french Christmas with family drama, sexual promiscuity and lots of wine and cigarettes. This film reminded me a lot of the Royal Tenenbaums ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 1071808
- - cherith
  - 2 reviews
  - 09 Dec 2011 at 13:24
- - 1
  - 0
  Christmas with Les Miserables
  
  Self indulgent and entirely French in nature and narrative. Why are the nation so hung up on their health and yet smoke incessantly? The film was very long, but... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 1007784
- - Cato
  - 589 reviews
  - Lydbury North
  - 21 Jun 2011 at 10:51
- - 0
  - 0
  What a nightmare family
  
  An excellent film, requiring quite a lot of concentration.
  
  It was difficult to relate to this odd set of upper middle-class characters. Having said ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 954700
- - LehcarSnave
  - 58 reviews
  - Gerrards Cross
  - 17 Jan 2011 at 21:06
- - 0
  - 0
  Disjointed and confusing
  
  I gave up after about half an hour as I was so confused over who was whom or why people were behaving the way there were. The film flips from one scene to ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 949024
- - a customer
  - Innerleithen
  - 26 Dec 2010 at 13:30
- - 0
  - 0
  The anti christmas-movie
  
  Yes, probably the mistake was that I had believed the trailer and thought it would be a lovely, feel-good, 'christmasy' kind of entertainment. It wasn&#... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 946624
- - Bori
  - 4 reviews
  - London
  - 13 Dec 2010 at 17:03
- - 1
  - 0
  why did i see this?
  
  I'm honestly not sure why I saw this. Stuff happened, pretty serious stuff if you regard bone marrow transplants as being serious, and yet the director has ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 871132
- - Milman
  - 8 reviews
  - Hackney
  - 10 Mar 2010 at 14:26
- - 1
  - 0
  a christmas tale
  
  I will have to say i put this on and feel asleep, not that its a bad film i just got bored reading subtitles while watching the film, not my cup of tea. try it... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 849628
- - dondonshannah
  - 71 reviews
  - scotland
  - 15 Jan 2010 at 19:47
View all members' reviews (14)

- - 14
  - 0
  Very confusing
  
  Very disjointed story line. Very little explanation as to why people behaviour the way they do. No sympathetic characters. Got boring.
  
  Report this review
- 771824
- [Highly rated reviewer]
  - a customer
  - UK
  - 16 Jun 2009 at 18:34
- - 3
  - 0
  Unforgiveably dull
  
  This has all the ingredients to make an intriguing film, a medical dilemma within a family - which member of a large, clever, volatile family can save the ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 812331
- [Highly rated reviewer]
  - hardpressedmother
  - 109 reviews
  - East Sussex
  - 19 Sep 2009 at 09:32
- - 1
  - 0
  Not so good
  
  I expected an interesting film considering the cast and the story, but it lacked sparkle, dialogues were rather boring at times, and the actress who plays the ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 820133
- - a customer
  - Edinburgh
  - 11 Oct 2009 at 20:26
- - 1
  - 0
  Don't bother
  
  The idea is good but is lost in the on going of the film. I slept through most of it. They call it 'art' I suppose but really I don't get it.
  
  Report this review
- 833923
- - cadykeni
  - 8 reviews
  - London
  - 23 Nov 2009 at 20:45
- - 1
  - 0
  a christmas tale
  
  I will have to say i put this on and feel asleep, not that its a bad film i just got bored reading subtitles while watching the film, not my cup of tea. try it... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 849628
- - dondonshannah
  - 71 reviews
  - scotland
  - 15 Jan 2010 at 19:47
- - 1
  - 0
  why did i see this?
  
  I'm honestly not sure why I saw this. Stuff happened, pretty serious stuff if you regard bone marrow transplants as being serious, and yet the director has ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 871132
- - Milman
  - 8 reviews
  - Hackney
  - 10 Mar 2010 at 14:26
- - 1
  - 0
  Christmas with Les Miserables
  
  Self indulgent and entirely French in nature and narrative. Why are the nation so hung up on their health and yet smoke incessantly? The film was very long, but... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 1007784
- - Cato
  - 589 reviews
  - Lydbury North
  - 21 Jun 2011 at 10:51
- - 0
  - 0
  The anti christmas-movie
  
  Yes, probably the mistake was that I had believed the trailer and thought it would be a lovely, feel-good, 'christmasy' kind of entertainment. It wasn&#... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 946624
- - Bori
  - 4 reviews
  - London
  - 13 Dec 2010 at 17:03
- - 0
  - 0
  Disjointed and confusing
  
  I gave up after about half an hour as I was so confused over who was whom or why people were behaving the way there were. The film flips from one scene to ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 949024
- - a customer
  - Innerleithen
  - 26 Dec 2010 at 13:30
- - 0
  - 0
  What a nightmare family
  
  An excellent film, requiring quite a lot of concentration.
  
  It was difficult to relate to this odd set of upper middle-class characters. Having said ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 954700
- - LehcarSnave
  - 58 reviews
  - Gerrards Cross
  - 17 Jan 2011 at 21:06

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Critic's review
- It may still be Christmas for the troubled Vuillard clan in the northwest French town of Roubaix but itâs not shared... read more on Time Out
- 51514
- - Dave Calhoun
  - Time Out
  - 20 Jan 2009 at 01:47

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Buy from Amazon.co.uk

- - Buy
- A Christmas Tale
  
  "A Christmas Story" is a tragically comic tale of love, death, and familial strife and forgiveness. The film centers around the strife and heartache in one family, over the course of decades, and how tragedy can bring them together despite all the odds....