Plot Summary
Gary is a local toy shop owner, but when a rude rival toy shop owner comes to town and tries to sabotage Gary’s business, Gary suddenly has to close down and look for work elsewhere. He knows that he shouldn’t be angry so he trusts God for the next step in his life. As his wife has their first child, Gary suddenly has an idea for a business venture and decides to pursue it. But little does he know that the rival toy shop owner is still miserable inside…
Production Quality (.5 point)
There’s not much to get excited about with this production. The only positive thing to mention is the clear video quality. The camera work is poor and some scenes have bad lighting. The audio quality is quite inconsistent, including an annoying Christmas soundtrack and sound effects. The sets and locations are limited and seem amateurish. Furthermore, the editing is quite choppy—some scenes are too long while others are too short. In short, there is really nothing much good to say here.
Plot and Storyline Quality (.5 point)
In an attempt to include more plot content, the writers had to also include large time jumps, spanning from one Christmas to the next (since everything has to happen at Christmas time). While there are slight attempts to be spiritually meaningful, there is too much heavy-handed messaging. There are also some slightly interesting flashbacks that attempt to build characters, but a majority of the characters are still cheesy stereotypes. This is mainly because the dialogue is very pedestrian and stock. This is not to mention the fact that the entire premise of the film, which is warring toy shops, is absurd and unrealistic. There are other happenings that are equally unrealistic, created for the sole purpose of the plot. In the end, this plot is quite predictable and needs to be reworked.
Acting Quality (0 points)
The casting work, unfortunately, brings out the amateurism of the creators. The acting is extremely wooden and stiff and line delivery is quite forced. There are really no emotions to speak of. Perhaps the worst part is the makeup, especially the eye makeup, which makes some people look like they have black eyes. Basically, there’s nothing good to say here.
Conclusion
The creators of Christmas Grace seemed like they meant well, but they needed to choose a more realistic premise for their plot. Honestly, in the advent of online ordering, nobody shops at toy stores anymore. Yet the provision of God during hard times could be communicated in a different way that is less cheesy and more realistic. At least there was some slight justification for this being a Christmas movie, and it definitely could have been better. This creative team has some potential in them, and it will be interesting to see what they do next.
Final Rating: 1 out of 10 points
Box Office Revolution 