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‘Christmas at the Kringles’ Review: Seasonal Caper Mixes Comedy and Horror, Missing the Mark on Both
Mark Severson, a work-focused stock trader, moves his family to a small town in an effort to repair his relationship with his wife and son. After befriending the Kringles, a family who celebrate Christmas all year, Mark becomes suspicious of them and joins a neighbour in trying to rescue his family. The review says the film’s mix of comedy and horror fails to make either genre work.
Ron Livingston, Rachel Bilson and Thomas Lennon lead a cast that also includes Rob Riggle and Donald Faison. The story shifts from Christmas to Valentine’s Day, when Mark’s wife and son visit the Kringles and their neighbour warns that the family may be dangerous. The review criticises the film’s uneven pacing, thin characterisation and reliance on ideas borrowed from other films.
In short
- A Christmas comedy-horror film fails to satisfy either genre.
- Mark tries to save his family from the suspicious Kringles.
- The review faults the film’s pacing and characterisation.
Explained simply
The story centres on Mark Severson, a stock trader whose focus on work has strained his relationship with his wife and son. He moves the family to a small town hoping to repair those ties, where they meet the Kringles, a family that celebrates Christmas throughout the year.
As Mark grows suspicious of the Kringles, he and a neighbour try to protect his family. The cast includes Ron Livingston, Rachel Bilson and Thomas Lennon. The film combines comedy and horror, two genres that use very different ways to create tension or amusement, and the review says the balance between them does not work.
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