Much Ado About Christmas
Reviewed by Lisa Sue
Well of course Peacock is in on the Christmas movie binging, and what to my wandering eyes should appear but “Much Ado About Christmas” billed as a modern day retelling of the Bard’s Much Ado About Nothing. I’m no Shakespeare expert, and it has been decades since I read or even watched (the Kenneth Branagh edition) of Much Ado, but I admit dear readers to falling prey to that which I warn you often of. Great Expectations. While most Christmas movies do some version of Dicken’s A Christmas Carol or even a Jane Austen adaptation, you don’t find many out and out attempting the bard. After watching this, I can only encourage others to leave the bard alone, for their sake and mine. For when you put a paint by the numbers Christmas movie against the wit and wisdom of Shakespeare? Well, not only does the movie pale in comparison, but I dare say the Bard would be offended? Or maybe not, pending his cut. But as I said, I had high hopes for this movie. Thinking that the verbal back and forth of Benedict and Beatrice, while not emulated, would at least be there? Alas, not only was my favorite couple from the original altered, but even the main characters! Hero becomes Haley, and instead of her being the victim of slander, she is the perpetrator of the lie! And while there is a villain, Niles is no Don Jon. And thus I will stop comparing the two, because aside from some similar names, there really is very little in common with the Shakespeare play, it should have been called Christmas in Winterstone.
The set up? The snow laden town is Winterstone, which seems to very British as they eat Fish and Chips, and almost all in the cast have a British accent except for our female lead. Haley Lloyd loves Christmas and is helping her mom at some corporate holiday function. Mom is head of Lloyd Inc, but Haley isn’t above lending a hand at the cocoa cart, where she meets Claud. Their eyes meet, and it’s love at first sight. They spend the next week seeing the town and getting to know one another, with Haley conveniently lying about her last name and not telling Claud before his big pitch to her mom about the connection. There is Christmas Karaoke, which is a double date between Claud and Haley and Claud’s best mate Ben and Haley’s best friend Beatrice. Ben and B had dated in the past; but it ended poorly. Ben has been in town for a while, much to B’s surprise; and begins working with Claud at Blue Skies which is some ad agency. And yet despite the friend connections, and let’s not add in the complicity of their boss Don; no one mentions to Claud that Haley is Leona Lloyd’s daughter! Which I lied; I gotta bring back up the play. In medieval times sure the identity mix up is A. more plausible. B. in Shakespeare’s hand definitely much funnier, but the whole point that caused Haley to lie was that “once people found out who her mother was, they treated her differently” I guess the Lloyds are like Winterstone (self made) royalty, which does also imply plenty of press coverage? Surely pictures of Mother and Daughter are commonplace, and no one in Blue Skies thought to mention that to Claud or research this connection? Clearly we found it hard to swallow this pill, partially fueled by the fact that Haley had SO many opportunities to correct this error, and she willingly chose not to. It’s not that she’s a bad person, but she just couldn’t bring herself to tell Claud the truth.
As one could have foretold Haley, Claud eventually finds out, in the worst possible way. During the Blue Skies pitch to Mother Lloyd, she asks for something more spectacular in the pitch. To which Claud said he was working on something, it wasn’t final, and that no one had seen it. Boss Don encourages them to all see this, at the same time with Mother Lloyd, only for Mother Lloyd to become angry that they think using a picture of Haley would persuade her to pick their marketing firm? To which a confused Claud (and maybe the rest of Blue Skies?) didn’t make the link that Haley is Leona’s daughter; and Claud is so ashamed and embarrassed he dejectedly leaves while the rest of Blue Skies is kicked out of the office. Not content that Haley’s lie of omission be the only thing driving a wedge between these two star crossed lovers, there is an attempt to bring in a rival, Niles, who not only works for Blue Skies competition Elite Marketing but is flirting with Haley solely for the purpose of getting close to Leona. But Haley doesn’t fall for Niles, who she saw his real side when she served him hot cocoa from the cart and he thought she was merely the hired help.
So the night of the big gala, Blue Skies attends to make one more pitch to Leona. Initially Claud says he can’t go, but he does show up, to see Haley shine as she leads a children’s choir in Carol of the bells, which is a really beautiful Christmas song that doesn’t get used much in these movies, mostly cause you really need like a talented choir to do it right, and these kids shine and bring the good cheer. Encouraged by Leona to give Haley a second chance, these two kids start with a fresh slate this time with Haley correctly introducing herself. Ben and B, who lacked the wit of their original versions and with very little scheming by Haley and Claud end up back together. Even Don gets a date, dancing the night away with Leona. Who in the spirit of taking the advice she’s given, is going to give Blue Skies a second chance at their pitch, which aside from her perceived misuse of her daughter’s image really was a better presentation than Elite’s. We can only wonder what became of Niles, did he get what was coming to him? And thus we close out the 2021 Christmas movies, to quote the Bard “Good Night Good night. Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night, till it be morrow.”
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