Movie Review: The Man Who Invented Christmas
There have been many imaginings of Charles Dickens' beloved A Christmas Carol, my favourite is the 1992 Muppets version.
This film takes a different track by zooming in on how Dickens (Dan Stevens) found inspiration for his classic story.
Against the backdrop of 1843 Victorian London where Christmas is but a "minor holiday", Dickens is suffering from writer's block after three flops in a row.
He is in debt and still coming to terms with his traumatic childhood where he was forced to work in a shoe-blacking factory, no thanks to his father (Jonathan Pryce).
When the creative juices finally flow, Dickens is faced with a tight six-week deadline to get his story published.
Much fun occurs when his characters come alive, especially Ebenezer Scrooge (Christopher Plummer).
While Stevens' comic timing makes the somewhat cliched film light, it is Plummer who owns every scene.
A visually impressive and heartwarming tale befitting the festive season.
Rating: 3 Stars
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