The Man Who Invented Christmas

Bleecker Street Media | Release Date: November 22, 2017

6.5	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 41 Ratings

USER RATING DISTRIBUTION

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

Watch Now

Stream On

Buy on

Stream On

Expand

Review this movie

VOTE NOW

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Please sign in or create an account before writing a review.

Check box if your review contains spoilers

0 characters (5000 max)

User Reviews

User score By date Most helpful

GinaKDec 5, 2017

This is a fun movie for people who read books and/or like Masterpiece Theater and/or were liberal arts majors. It is about the “artistic process” of Dickens as he struggles to support his family and write the classic book A Christmas Carol.This is a fun movie for people who read books and/or like Masterpiece Theater and/or were liberal arts majors. It is about the “artistic process” of Dickens as he struggles to support his family and write the classic book A Christmas Carol. Of course, it is fanciful, but the acting is wonderful (especially Christopher Plummer as Scrooge) and if you can “go” with the movie and not take it completely seriously as great art or biography, you should thoroughly enjoy yourself. The movie is a great escape, although life was just as grim in Dickens’ day as it is now. Luckily the movie takes everything lightly – and has a happy ending – the "birth" of a perennial Christmas classic.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

All this user's reviews

AntichriticDec 7, 2017

This movie gives exactly what the trailer promised and it's simply great festive fare. It's December and I wanted a festive family film (for more grown up kids) that wasn't Marvel, DC or full of violence. We all know the story, but thisThis movie gives exactly what the trailer promised and it's simply great festive fare. It's December and I wanted a festive family film (for more grown up kids) that wasn't Marvel, DC or full of violence. We all know the story, but this injects a pleasantly fresh spin and Dan Stevens and Christopher Plummer are simply great leads. It seems to me that some reviewers feel that the people who pay to watch a festive movie in December, or go about with "Merry Christmas" on their lips should be boiled in their own plum pudding and buried with a stake of holly through their hearts. Bah, humbug to the Scrooge-like reviewers and merry, merry Christmas to one and all ... of the people who watch this movie and spread some festive cheer!… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

All this user's reviews

TVJerryNov 27, 2017

After the rousing success of "Oliver Twist" author Charles Dickens (Dan Stevens) had 3 flops before ramming headlong into writer's block. With mounting financial pressure and creative anxiety, he hatches the idea for "A Christmas Carol." AsAfter the rousing success of "Oliver Twist" author Charles Dickens (Dan Stevens) had 3 flops before ramming headlong into writer's block. With mounting financial pressure and creative anxiety, he hatches the idea for "A Christmas Carol." As everyday events and people spur his imagination, his manic pursuit of the situations and characters plays out. This process starts as a lighthearted literary adventure and ends with mildly moving sentimentality. It's the middle section that drags a bit with dramatic emotional side trips. Still, Stevens is charming and the production mostly romps along with a cheery approach. This may not become a new holiday tradition, but it's certainly an entertaining look at the genesis of a Christmas classic.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

All this user's reviews

Brent_MarchantNov 25, 2017

A modestly entertaining back story offering on the origins of Charles Dickens's "A Christmas Carol," featuring fine performances by Dan Stevens and Christopher Plummer as the apparition of Scrooge. However, given the enduring charm of theA modestly entertaining back story offering on the origins of Charles Dickens's "A Christmas Carol," featuring fine performances by Dan Stevens and Christopher Plummer as the apparition of Scrooge. However, given the enduring charm of the book on which this film is based, I was expecting something a bit more "magical" out of this offering, which, regrettably, comes across as surprisingly flat, with only periodic smatterings of wonder. As holiday movies go, this one isn't bad; it's just not great.… Expand

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

All this user's reviews

skernanNov 27, 2017

I wrote a review of The Man Who Invented Christmas for Vocal.Media. The Man Who Invented Christmas is a remarkably dull movie. Regardless of the good intentions and the good ideas at the heart of the film, the story and specifically theI wrote a review of The Man Who Invented Christmas for Vocal.Media. The Man Who Invented Christmas is a remarkably dull movie. Regardless of the good intentions and the good ideas at the heart of the film, the story and specifically the character of Charles Dickens, never get going. The story about how Charles Dickens came to write A Christmas Carol likely wasn’t all that dramatic; most writing isn’t particularly dramatic, in and of itself. But where The Man Who Invented Christmas fails is in finding some aspect of Dickens that was interestingly dramatic while he wrote his masterpiece. Instead, we have an almost insufferable lead character on a predictable journey toward a well-known outcome. https://geeks.media/movie-review-the-man-who-invented-christmas?_ga=2.158861178.1740922222.1510551572-1283273557.1497723878… Expand

0 of 4 users found this helpful04

All this user's reviews

RtheomDec 14, 2017

This was a really great movie. Sure, you know exactly how it's going to end, and it's mostly just a footnote in what is the most well known Christmas tale, but it's nice, warm, and everything a Christmas tale really should be.

Sure, thereThis was a really great movie. Sure, you know exactly how it's going to end, and it's mostly just a footnote in what is the most well known Christmas tale, but it's nice, warm, and everything a Christmas tale really should be.

Sure, there wasn't much drama to be had and the conflict was minimal, but it was still fun to watch the story of how Dickens came up with A Christmas Carol, and it was also fun to try to spot the little references here and there that were "used" to create the final story. Overall, I very much enjoyed this movie and would highly recommend it to anyone else that wanted a light, but fun Christmas film, and a good way to check Christmas Carol off the list without having to actually watch that specific story again.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

All this user's reviews

CoKronakanJan 27, 2019

This movie felt like a misfire of what it was supposed to be. It missed it's audience totally by having an identity crisis. It's to serious for kids and to funny for adults. An unrealistic experience for Charles Dickens, and how he inventedThis movie felt like a misfire of what it was supposed to be. It missed it's audience totally by having an identity crisis. It's to serious for kids and to funny for adults. An unrealistic experience for Charles Dickens, and how he invented his characters. And this is not an adventures movie which makes it boring and dragging with it's entertainment massively. The characters where un-interesting and not creating immersion. You just won't care about most of the characters because there is no value in how they where acted, written and delivered. The director's style is just the casual stuff and nothing out of the special. There is also a serious pacing issue of the main events not unfolding until one third of the movie. The plot is not complex at all and by being chore like as well makes it a hard watch. The humor is totally lacking and there where no actual jokes in the whole movie, which gives the impression of this movie taking it's self to seriously given the fact that it is a magical movie. Or rather it was supposed to be. The complete absence of music in certain scenes is also experience breaking. Overall sadly this movie is a below average, and I honestly can't see any reason to watch this movie at any time of the year. The conclusion is cheesy, and in the end the movie is just not interesting, entertaining or fun to watch.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

All this user's reviews

KenROct 1, 2018

Sumptuous production values lift this vibrant telling of Mr Dickens’s life and work well above the average. Art direction, sets, lighting and slick CGI combine to take us back to those grim days of 1840s England. Christopher Plumber’s ScroogeSumptuous production values lift this vibrant telling of Mr Dickens’s life and work well above the average. Art direction, sets, lighting and slick CGI combine to take us back to those grim days of 1840s England. Christopher Plumber’s Scrooge is almost frighteningly lifted from the pages of this iconic book and analysed – but for me, Dan Steven’s Dickens was at times a little over the top (but maybe Charles might have been this scatty, along the lines of Mozart?) Having the books characters interact with their creator injects some amazing depth into many scenes –it also allows us to look into Charles’s rather tortured childhood. Good script, direction and music keep this, at times, overly chaotic movie pretty much on track. It would also quite certainly seem that Mr Dickens classic book was responsible for bringing the Christmas spirit back firmly into British life, and indeed the world - contributions to charity increased (a good thing to achieve indeed!) and Christmas Cards were introduced (although in certain respects, this is perhaps more in line with the commercialisation of Christmas –not so good) – but, not so sure about the title - may be the film could have had a more imaginative name...?… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

All this user's reviews

ChungKingCopDec 25, 2021

An uninteresting attempt at a biopic for a very interesting man. Dickens was a notorious Theosophist who ran in elite circles and dabbled in the occult (facts that very well may have played a part in his developing A Christmas Carol), butAn uninteresting attempt at a biopic for a very interesting man. Dickens was a notorious Theosophist who ran in elite circles and dabbled in the occult (facts that very well may have played a part in his developing A Christmas Carol), but this film doesn't utilize any of these fascinating truths to weave its tale. Instead, it strings us along with the paper-thin narrative that every aspect of A Christmas Carol was inspired by actual occurrences in his life. As a writer of magical realism myself, I can tell you that writers' works are seldom overwhelmingly inspired by reality. When I say this movie acted like A Christmas Carol was inspired by actual occurrences in his life, I mean it acts like EVERYTHING in A Christmas Carol was. It even goes so far as to try to convince us that he was schizophrenic and would literally have conversations with his characters. What really boggled my mind with the writing of this script is that Dickens tells the publisher that A Christmas Carol will be a comedy, and then, he proceeds to get writer's block at the death of Tiny Tim in the Ghost of Christmas Future's vision. 99% of writers know the ending from the beginning. If he told the publisher that it was a comedy, chances are he would have figured out some version of a happy ending early on. The fact is, you can tell where the movie's going 30 minutes in. It begins to hit all the beats. Dickens becomes dear friends with his maid for the first two thirds of the film, then lashes out at her when she interrupts his writing (which she's done a thousand times before, by the way) in the third act just to add drama. It's cheap writing, and maybe if I was 9 and under, this movie would warm the cockles of my heart. But as a writer and fan of history, when it comes to a movie about Charles Dickens (or any writer, for that matter) I think the producers owe us not only a well-written film, but at least the semblance of an attempt at historical accuracy.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

All this user's reviews