Movie Review: Home for Christmas

By Becky Gulc

Back in 2011 I reviewed Cally Taylor’s romantic comedy novel Home for Christmas and I just loved it.

‘Beth Prince has always loved fairy tales and now, aged twenty-four, she feels like she's finally on the verge of her own happily ever after. She lives by the seaside, works in the Picturebox - a charming but rundown independent cinema - and has a boyfriend who's so debonair and charming she can't believe her luck! There's just one problem - none of her boyfriends have ever told her they love her and it doesn't look like Aiden's going to say it any time soon. Desperate to hear I love you' for the first time Beth takes matters into her own hands - and instantly wishes she hadn't. Just when it seems like her luck can't get any worse, bad news arrives in the devilishly handsome shape of Matt Jones. Matt is the regional director of a multiplex cinema and he's determined to get his hands on the Picturebox by Christmas. Can Beth keep her job, her man and her home or is her romantic-comedy life about to turn into a disaster movie?’ (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

When given the opportunity to view the film version of the novel I jumped at the chance. I’d followed Cally’s Facebook posts regarding the production of the film and the fact that it was made by a small independent film company and financed through crowdfunding/an auction night (as well as private funding) made it all the more intriguing and I was rooting for its success.

Here is the trailer:


When you’ve loved a book so much you always wonder if a film version is ever going to live up to your expectations. To be honest I also wondered if it was going to appear low-budget on screen, I really hoped it wouldn’t. I’m pleased to say I enjoyed the film very much.

I was admittedly a bit unsure about the casting of Matt when I first heard who it was (I used to watch Emmerdale and remember his character as being moody so I was basing it purely on this!), but I have to say Karl Davies who plays Matt won me over very quickly. He lights up on screen when interacting with Beth, I could see Matt falling for Beth, lovely chemistry. April Pearson who plays Beth was also great.

I haven’t got the best memory in the world so I was never going to recall all the details of the novel to know what had changed or stayed true to the novel so instead I referred back to my review. All of the things I loved about the book which I noted in my review were also featured in the film. It made me laugh, it made me cry, just as the book did, what more can you ask for? I also loved the soundtrack to the film and it felt very contemporary and quirky throughout.

There were recently screenings taking place at Picture House cinemas across the UK. Unlike regular cinema screenings this is an 'on demand' way of getting independently made films out there i.e. they'll only be screened if there's enough interest and pre-bookings. You can now pay to watch the film online (provided it is available in your region), if you missed the showings but like the sound of it.

Thanks to Our Screen for the opportunity to watch the movie in exchange for an honest review.