Welcome to another installment of FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT, where we give our recommendation on a
family-friendly movie to enjoy. In honor of the Christmas season we bring to
you the review for A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS.
A Charlie Brown
Christmas is a 1965 television film adaptation of the world famous ‘Peanuts’
comic strip about Charlie Brown and his friends during the Christmas season.
The plot of the special revolves around Charlie feeling depressed during the Christmas
season under the belief that people have forgotten the true meaning of
Christmas and the holiday has become over-commercialized and secularized. The
special was written by ‘Peanuts’ creator Charles M. Schultz and directed by
Bill Melendez.
This film holds a special place in my heart. All throughout
my childhood this was a Christmas staple and a film that I find beautiful to
this day. The greatest thing about A
Charlie Brown Christmas is how beautifully woven the message of the film is
with the Peanuts characters we all know and love. They all did exactly what we’d
expect and they manage to tell a touching story that was very meaningful to me
as a child (and has only become more meaningful over the years with confusion with
how we treat Christmas as a holiday). The film brilliantly exemplifies, to me,
what the holiday season is about and is always a great film to come back to to
be reminded of all the themes of the holiday.
The music in the film is also delightful. It’s very much
within the Peanuts ambit of work, but it also has a certain cheer that makes me
smile during the holiday season. The older style of animation really fits this
film as well. It has a certain charm that never fails to pull me into the warm
memories of home for the holidays which is a super intangible thing in looking
at a film.
This isn’t a perfect film to be sure. Though it is short it
has moments where it drags. Additionally, some of the old sound effects and
voices can be a touch grating at times. Finally, at the end of the day this
movie has a thoughtful message but amounts to little more than a pleasant
diversion. That’s not a terrible thing, per se, but it is a sign that the film
is not absolutely stellar as a whole.
Overall, I think A
Charlie Brown Christmas is a delightful film that I go back to annually to
get me really in the holiday spirit. This is a great film for the entire family
and is a short but pleasant diversion from our modern world. Definitely check
it out this weekend!
Ryan’s Score: 8/10
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