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A Christmas Tale (2008) Reviews

A Christmas Tale (2008)
Member Rating:  
The devastating reverberations of a profound tragedy echo through generations of a long-suffering French family in this emotional family drama from director Arnaud Desplechin. When Abel and his wife, Junon, started a family, it seemed like the seeds of true happiness had been planted. But while their daughter, Elizabeth, was healthy from the day she was born, things quickly turned dark when her brother Joseph was diagnosed with a rare and deadly genetic condition. Joseph's only hope for survival was a bone marrow transplant, but Abel, Junon, and Elizabeth were all incompatible. In one last, desperate chance to save their son's life, Abel and Junon conceived a third child. But not even little Henri could save his ailing brother's life. Joseph died at the age of seven, and neither his siblings nor his parents have ever found the strength to recover. Years later, family relations have deteriorated beyond the point of repair; the tensions between family matriarch Elizabeth and her cynical brother Henri finally culminating in a violent confrontation in which Elizabeth banishes her alcoholic brother and refuses him further contact with his troubled adolescent nephew, Paul. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Starring:
Catherine Deneuve, Jean-Paul Roussillon, (more)
Director(s):
Arnaud Desplechin
Theatrical MPAA Rating:
NR
Format(s):
DVD  |  Blu-ray
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Average Ratings

(31 member reviews)  

Member Reviews

Fred W.

Slwo moving and with characters not that interesting.

Yes   |   No


Richard L.

Ensemble films can sometimes amble along, riffing on human nature, and defy our expectations of a unified plot or a strong thematic statement. That's what Desplechin attempts in this two and a half hour film about a dysfunctional family's holiday reunion. But the pitfall is incoherence and incredulousness. Some examples of moments I didn't just couldn't accept: "A Christmas Tale" makes several key allusions to "A Midsummer Night's Dream"; a mother wakes up in the wrong bed and smilingly greets her children and cuckolded husband; a child is offered as a bone-marrow donor even when a compatible adult donor is available...and no one finds these things strange. I thought of "You Can't Take It With You", in which every member of a household is utterly eccentric...except that's a farce and this is a drama. Despite the wonderful cast, and some affecting moments, I can't recommend this film.

Yes   |   No


Phillip P.

Interesting french film, worth watching.

Yes   |   No


Curry J.

I liked this movie...good characters

Yes   |   No


Kay Q.

Yes, it was long, but the acting was excellent and I found the casting very interesting. It was very French am I am a fan of French cinema.

Yes   |   No


William C.

Not my cup of tea

Yes   |   No


Cheryl B.

.I didn't find this in the foreign section. So be aware that it is in French and if you enjoy stick figures please enjoy. For me I didn't even make it through the first 5 minutes. Not worth my rental time

Yes   |   No


Shelia D.

That was the worst movie i have even seen.... i could not under stand it and we did not watch all of it......... Shelia Davis

Yes   |   No


Marianne B.

Being in French with subtitles made you lose interest. It had an interesting story line, but it would of been better in English. I didn't like the ending, because it left wide open.

Yes   |   No


Charles C.

Pitiful work. I don't like captioned films. Too distracting.

Yes   |   No


 
 
 

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    Member Reviews
    Read all (31)
     
    Fred W.

    Slwo moving and with characters not that interesting.

    Yes   |   No

     
    Richard L.

    Ensemble films can sometimes amble along, riffing on human nature, and defy our expectations of a unified plot or a strong thematic statement. That's what Desplechin attempts in this two and a half hour film about a dysfunctional family's holiday reunion. But the pitfall is incoherence and incredulousness. Some examples of moments I didn't just couldn't accept: "A Christmas Tale" makes several key allusions to "A Midsummer Night's Dream"; a mother wakes up in the wrong bed and smilingly greets her children and cuckolded husband; a child is offered as a bone-marrow donor even when a compatible adult donor is available...and no one finds these things strange. I thought of "You Can't Take It With You", in which every member of a household is utterly eccentric...except that's a farce and this is a drama. Despite the wonderful cast, and some affecting moments, I can't recommend this film.

    Yes   |   No

     
    Phillip P.

    Interesting french film, worth watching.

    Yes   |   No

     
    Read All 31 Reviews

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