A Very English Christmas (I) (2023 TV Movie) User Reviews

English? Maybe.

[rachelmariacrago · 4/10 · 17 December 2023]

My first impression was that the female lead is definitely not American and is putting on an accent, which was true because she's Welsh. Would it have been hard to find a real American for the American lead? They mention she's from the States in every other line. I am American, so I can't speak to the authenticity of its Englishness, but I will say that it is filmed in England and the producer (and one of the directors) is English. Some of the reviews say that it it would bother real English people but it is actually made by English people, which is kind of funny.

The worst parts of this movie were lighting and sound mixing for me. The plot and acting weren't great but I don't expect that of Christmas movies. The lighting was always at least slightly uncanny. At times it made it seem like they were in front of a green screen, or maybe they were. The music sometimes got incredibly loud compared to the dialogue. I couldn't just turn it down because then I couldn't hear them talking.

Christmas NOT in the Cotswolds

[otterman62 · 4/10 · 11 December 2023]

For anyone not acquainted with the Cotswolds, they are a region in central-southwest England, along a range of rolling hills that feature some of the most picturesque villages and countryside in the U. K. I selected this film as easy watching for my wife and I as she dislikes anything with much drama/action/violence/noise. When I selected it the location was a big selling point. Call me old fashioned but when i select a film called Christmas in the Cotswolds i expect some Cotswolds! There were none ! Some aerial shots of non descript countryside but none of the rolling hills and beautiful villages of the Cotswolds!! You may think i am being unfair as the film is the main topic but when you also have dreadful acting, a cast with little or no chemistry, characters with no depth, an unnecessary age range of people - one daughter is in her late thirties her half sister is 9 - so it appears the cast was designed to fit in anyone that wanted to take part, a script that may have been written in about an hour with little or no wit or humour, you would think using the ******* Cotswolds as a distraction would be one of the first things anyone would do.

Anyway rant finished the Mrs thought it was harmless hence not getting lower marks but seriously dont waste your time.

The most emotionally cold Christmas movie of all time.

[rsharpuk · 1/10 · 19 November 2023]

We all know there is a seemingly endless production of these kind of Christmas movies, but this one has all the production values and sentiment of a day time tv life insurance advert.

Supposedly set in the Cotswolds but clearly not shot within a 100 miles of said location. All action takes place in lifeless indoor locations with horrible, harsh lighting. Acting is of the carpet eating variety. Script and dialogue apparently written with the express intention of making the viewer despise every individual involved in the production.

Genuinely depressing to watch, which I'm fairly certain was not the intention.

Not worth watching

[denisejhale-555-694384 · 1/10 · 28 November 2023]

When I tuned in I thought it was a Hallmark film due to female lead having an American accent, but as it continued it's lack of Cotswold scenery and the red Buick barn which look more like a modern community hall grated. I checked to find it was a British movie with British actors which hadn't even been filmed in the Cotswolds! Okay I could have overlooked this if the script and delivery but the script was repetitive and wordy, and delivery like watching a school play except here it was accompanied with music which did little to evoke our emotions.

A real waste of everyone's time, including mine.

Shld have kept original name

[cxyjj · 1/10 · 13 December 2023]

Why change the name to Christmas in the cotswolds ?? This cld have been filmed in the USA for the lack of englishness and cotswolds .. the house is obvs new and the xmas market is backdropped with nothing .. im not even going to watch this now for lack of quaintness. This is a insult to the cotswolds and to taste .. full of cheap decorations have any of the producers actually been to England .. even the blanket on their laps when the sisters chat is a cheap imitation... is the wedding being held in the market !? If u were planning a wedding you would have to see the venue.... Getting excited about 4 blank NEW brick walls ... disappointing and also rubbish acting dont bother.

A (not) very English Christmas

[craddocksarah · 2/10 · 14 December 2023]

I think this film was going for The Holiday vibes. It's harmless enough but honestly, if you're English it's really going to grate as it's pretty obviously not filmed here (the old cottage definitely isn't old, the pub doesn't look like anyone's local, we never get snow at Christmas etc). I guess cost came into. The actor playing the leading man Dylan looks bored senseless and the acting in general is a bit forced and wooden. The plot & love story isn't very convincing. Why the father has never taken the youngest daughter to America to meet her half sister didn't really make sense - why couldn't they have just gone in a school holiday? There aren't really any surprises here - maybe it will do well in other markets but I think most British people will be irked by the 'very English' just being, well clearly not!

All in, I'm not sure why I bothered and while I do like the odd cheesy movie, this one isn't really worth sitting through.

Nice story but too American - doesn't feel British

[SunnyDaise · 3/10 · 19 November 2023]

Slightly different all-age friendly grown-up blended family storyline, albeit with a few boring tropes included (eg baking food fight) but the big problem is it really doesn't feel very British. For starters, the film needed to include more typical Cotswolds building shots / landscapes. This is a fairly relaxing watch - most of the drama is the back story, not much happens on-screen, so I can't believe they spun it out to 90 mins. However the relationships are uplifting - the generally get on well together, including current and ex wives. This movie could have been excellent, but it required more visuals and less explaining eg could have shown weather forecast and people ringing to cancel etc. The former would also have potential to improve the British feel with a map etc. Overall disappointing but mainly frustrating because the potential wasn't maximised.

As un English as you could get

[carematters · 3/10 · 17 December 2023]

I'm all for suspending belief but there are more plot holes in this film than a beginners knitted scarf. I doubt the producers/director have ever been to England as it couldn't have been more un-English if it tried. Wherever it was made I'm pretty sure it wasn't the Cotswolds and if this film was trying to emulate The Holiday it scores a big fail. The settings were all off for the English countryside and even the make-up was a miss. Whoever did make-up obviously forgot their kit and only managed to replace it with one slightly too orange eye shadow used on every female cast member. A very disappointing watch and one to miss now you have been warned.

It's so terrible in every way that it's compulsive viewing. We actually laughed through most of it

[pjhyknh · 1/10 · 17 December 2023]

Appalling acting/directing/lighting/scenery. Actually went on line to see if it was filmed during Covid due to hair and makeup on the principal actors being so terrible and the lack of any customers at either market or pub. Surprised to see it was filmed in 23??

Acting was worse than 'Doctors' (terrible daytime soap on BBC that has recently Ben binned). Presumably very low budget. The main adverts were Andrew toilet tissue. There's some irony there..... Appreciate it may seem strange but occasionally watching something this bad, does make you realise there are good actors out there somewhere.

Good for a laugh though.

A low budget wonder

[jjafabio · 3/10 · 19 December 2023]

Ok, when I watched this, it was called A Very English Christmas, so I didn't know anything about this supposedly being in the Cotsworlds. That being said, the film was ok. However, the lack of budget definitely showed. The music overpowered the actors, the horrible floor walking noises during the ending scenes, and the stylist.....yikes! Someone must have hated the lead actress because that grayish vomit that they called a dress....didn't match anything in the wedding and it completely washed out her complexion.

I didn't hate this movie...because trust me, I've seen worse..eh hem, looking at you A Christmas Belle, but it follows the same cliches when it comes to Christmas weddings and/or events. Everything is magically done in two weeks or less. Like someone contacted their fairy godmother and had her waive a magic wand and POOF! Instant wedding! Completely unrealistic. One or both of the two leads have some tragic backstory...blah blah blah and the pity train has arrived.

The main guy is this movie seemed a bit bipolar to me. One minute he's rude, snarky, dark and brooding, and then the next he's "all caught up in feelings" because the female lead let him help her with the creative process. I will give the actor some credit though....he delivers a pretty nasty comment during his fight with the lead actress and it almost felt like he had gut punched me!

All in all, the acting wasn't too bad. If you're bored, you might find this movie a bit comical, but if you want something realistic...just pass.

Christmas on a Sound Stage

[Lilibetp · 1/10 · 23 December 2023]

Bad writing, bad acting, bad production values. Neither of the "couples" had any chemistry.

Obviously not filmed in the Cotswolds. Or any place with scenery.

Interior lighting was too bright, including the pub. The lights in the cottage were painfully bright. Even the lighting in the bridal shop were glaring.

Costumes looked cheap and ill-fitting, especially on the extras at the wedding.

Were there not any American actresses available? The girl from Los Angeles looked like she'd never been touched by the sun.

Most importantly, what the heck was going on with the American mother's eyebrows? Seriously looked like they drew eyebrows on white paper, cut them out with wide margins, and stuck them on her forehead. Was that supposed to be some kind of statement about Americans being fake?

American?

[jroyals-04341 · 1/10 · 23 April 2024]

This was absolute rubbish and an insult to Americans. It took two people to direct this drivel and they were too lazy to get an actress with a passable American accent? I knew this had to be made by Brits with the lack of authenticity so apparent in their portrayal of Americans. If the characters were actually appealing I would have overlooked these details and became involved in the story. I just couldn't though as the absurdities kept piling up. For instance, we're supposed to believe these half-sisters hadn't actually met in person before and the one sister never was curious enough to travel to London. Right, since even busy, successful Americans never fly to Europe. I want to once again acknowledge the fact that it took two directors to make this gem.

Terrible in every way.

[roseytimmisnorton · 1/10 · 1 January 2024]

This movie had a good premise and a little different but I couldn't watch it all the way through. First of all there were the half sisters, one of which was getting married, she had a smaller sister as well, the older half sister, an events planner was going over to organise the wedding. She had never met her father's partner or the youngest half sister but was close enough to the older half sister to organise the wedding. The bride was about 25 and the youngest sister, probably about 12, so it seemed she wasn't that close!

The script and the level of acting was amateur dramatic level and absolutely no chemistry between any of the characters whatsoever. This was awful.