Parents' Guide to

Christmas with a Capital C

By Tracy Moore, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Heavy-handed drama about keeping the Christ in Christmas.

Movie NR 2011 81 minutes
Christmas with a Capital C Poster Image

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What's the Story?

The town of Trapper Falls, Alaska, has been celebrating Christmas the Christian way for over 50 years. But since former resident Mitch Bright (Daniel Baldwin) has returned to town -- now a big-shot, atheist lawyer with a clear agenda to take the Christ out of Christmas and run for mayor -- the townspeople aren't sure what will happen to their beloved traditions. But before the current mayor Dan Reed (Ted McGinley) and his family can find a way around Bright's scheming, they have to reexamine their beliefs and ideas about what tolerance really means.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say Not yet rated
Kids say (1):

CHRISTMAS WITH A CAPITAL C is a movie that won't matter much to you that it's well shot (it is), well acted (it mostly is), and well intentioned (it totally is). What will matter in a movie with an agenda this obvious is which side of this argument you're on, and if you're on the wrong one, it will be hard to enjoy it or be moved much. It sets out to be a film about tolerance and the true spirit of Christmas, and on some level, it accomplishes this. The Christians in the movie find a way around a legal loophole preventing them from celebrating only Christmas by acting in good faith -- with kindness and good acts, they strategize, they can still show others what Christmas is all about, even if they have to say "happy holidays" instead of "merry Christmas."

It's the portrayal of the other side that docks points in this film's misguided attempt at balance. Here, the atheist character is not a reasonable, morally good non-believer whose point of view has merit but an embittered, lonely, grumpy, opportunistic weasel nursing old grudges, a "God hater." What might have been a heartfelt look at how we can incorporate multiple perspectives and still appreciate our fellow man is instead a film that takes a shortcut at having to truly grasp another point of view and, instead, makes an easy scapegoat out of its opponent. It chooses only to preach to the choir -- and succeeds.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how we celebrate the holidays. Does your family celebrate Christmas? If so, how? If not, what do you do during the holiday season? What do your other friends or family members do?

  • Do you think there's a way to participate in the joy of the holidays even if you're not religious? What does that look like?

  • Does this film portray two fair but opposing points of view? Why, or why not? How are Christians portrayed in the film, and how are atheists portrayed? Which group is made to look more tolerant and good? How could the film have portrayed these groups with balance?

Movie Details

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