Movie review: The Man Who Invented Christmas

On Christmas Day, in keeping with the theme, I decided that the movie du jour should be The Man who Invented Christmas. This star-studded cast boasts some acting greats such as Christopher Plummer, Ian McNeice, Simon Callow, Donald Sumpter, Jonathan Pryce, Bill Paterson, and Miriam Margolyes. The story this time is not A Christmas Carol, the most beloved Christmas tale, but the story behind the story; how Charles Dickens came to write this 1843 novella. It makes for very interesting viewing, especially if one is a writer. The plot of the movie revolves around how Dickens, facing financial failure, conceives of and writes the story in just six weeks. He comes up with names, characters, ideas, and plot twists based on the people and events around him. But soon one wonders if the author is writing the book, or the characters are writing the book…

Dan Stevens plays Dickens rather frenetically as the somewhat self-absorbed, eccentric author who can’t stand failure and/or criticism, and very nearly loses his friends and family while he wallows in the mire of writer’s block and the pressure of creating a new work. The characters appear in his imagination but very quickly assume more corporeal proportions and offer their opinions of him, his attitudes, his character, his behaviour, and his words. Chistopher Plummer is utterly superb as Ebenezer Scrooge, a mean old scoundrel who knows the value of a penny but not of love. Can he change? Will he survive the three phantom visitations? I can’t think of any other actor being able to play Scrooge with the nuances that Plummer gives the character. He is brilliant. The excellent supporting cast is too large to mention everyone, but Donald Sumpter is wonderful as the ghost of Jacob Marley. 

The sets are fantastic as well, giving the right atmosphere and ambiance, with famous names of the era dropped in here and there. The audience is transported right into Victorian Engand. The scenes are well fleshed out, giving background to the period, and highlighting some of the sadder social issues. Dickens, as a writer and social critic, highlights the issues and desperate plight of the poor at the time. The movie epilogue says that Charles Dickens changed the way people viewed Christmas and revived the spirit of goodwill and giving. A bit of research shows that yes, the novel was so wildly popular that it reinvigorated the Christmas season and people’s interest in an ancient custom. Is it worth watching? Absolutely, it's a must-see. Stevens is chaotic in his interpretation of Dickens but the solid cast and superb performances, plus the poignant nature of the story, make this an excellent movie to both enjoy and ponder a little more thereon. This is a perennial Christmas movie the family can watch year after year without tiring of it.