A Sudden Case of Christmas (PG), on VOD
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This was released theatrically in Italy in December 2024, but I list it as a web film because it was first released a month earlier on digital platforms in the US. It's set in August, but I'm watching it in July 2025. I'm putting my review under "holiday films", though the Christmas theme is I think sort of a close second to the film's comedic nature. So I'll put a link to it under "comedy films", as well. For awhile I thought I might include a link under "family films", but the movie actually has some adult situations.
10-year-old Claire usually goes with her parents, Jacob (Wilmer Valderrama) and Abbie (Lucy DeVito) to stay with Abbie's widowed father, Lawrence (Danny DeVito), at his hotel in Italy every Christmas. This year, they go in August, because Jacob and Abbie want Lawrence to break the news to Claire that they're separating. Claire decides that she wants one last family Christmas together, so Lawrence agrees to decorate his hotel and do all the things they would normally do at Christmas. This includes inviting Jacob's parents, Rose (Andie MacDowell) and Mark, to the hotel. Meanwhile, Claire films her entire trip as a documentary about her summer vacation. There's also a guest at the hotel named Claudia, with whom Mark had had a one night stand years ago, so he doesn't want her to see him. But Rose ends up befriending her and spending a lot of time with her, and Claudia tells her about a one night stand she'd had with someone once, which she's never gotten over. And there's another guest at the hotel who is trying to spend time with his daughter, but is constantly complaining about all the Christmas stuff going on. There are several other characters, including an employee of the hotel named Otto. And Claire has some local friends she usually only sees around Christmas, including a "winter boyfriend" named Walter, who turns out to have a summer girlfriend. This upsets Claire a bit at first, but Walter and his girlfriend end up helping Claire and her other two friends with some of her plans. And the cranky guest's daughter also helps them a bit. But none of the kids (aside from Claire) are that important to the story. Of course, the real reason Claire wants to have Christmas in August isn't just for herself, but rather she hopes it will bring her parents back together. I won't spoil how that turns out.
Anyway, I thought it was a reasonably amusing movie, even if I wasn't necessarily a fan of all of the humor. Claire and Lawrence were likable enough. And I guess the rest of the characters were sort of okay. But I don't really know what else to say about the movie. It was just okay. But I'm glad to have watched it.