In director-writer Matthew Wilson’s Awesomest Christmas Ever, curiosity grips young Ollie (Gus Howell) so strongly that he decides to sneak through unwrapped presents to find out if his parents bought him his “Dragon Duel” card of choice for Christmas. While quietly hiding in their closet, he overhears the terrible truth that his mom and dad, Noreen (Sonya Davis) and Oskar (Steve Mallers), are getting a divorce. Devastated by the news and the bleak reality of not playing Dragon Duel as often as he’d like with his best friend, Trevor (Izzy Richter), the two boys set out on a mission to stop his parent’s divorce and bring them back together with less than a week to go until Christmas.
Where Ollie and Trevor fail time and again to win the day, it leads Ollie to take the most drastic of measures and join forces with…a girl! And worse, one he’s scorned in the past. The true standout of the film comes in the form of Katie (Ellison Pipe), who, though reluctant to help Ollie at first, is a girl wise beyond her years, especially when compared to her adolescent counterparts and perhaps even when contrasted with the adults she comes in contact with. She is a lover of all things romance, well-spoken, deliberate, and quick on her feet to find solutions and construct plans in order to help Ollie claim his Christmas wish. Much to Katie’s annoyance, Ollie’s execution of her plans is often inept at best.
The funniest scene of Awesomest Christmas Ever comes when Katie devises the idea to bring together a dinner visit with Ollie and herself, one set of Ollie’s grandparents, and his mom and dad. The dinner is immediately compromised by Ollie’s incompetence in following Katie’s simple instructions. The chaotic dinner scene is comical and sets up the third act of the film in hilarious fashion.
“…Ollie sets out on a mission to stop his parent’s divorce just before Christmas ..”
Howell and Richter nail the quirkiness and innocence expected of two plotting children under the age of 10. They portray a steadfast determination to succeed but are never devoid of those childish tendencies to speed conversations off track into trivial arguments that to adolescent boys, are anything but trivial.
Davis and Maller, while not delivering the strongest performances of the cast, present a frustrated, estranged couple quite effectively, and their performances excel when it’s time for them to devolve into a heated dispute, often at the expense of one of Ollie and Trevor’s “foolproof” schemes. Chuckles come aplenty when one seemingly logical plan after another comes crashing down by the slightest of miscalculations and ends in a shouting match between the parents.
This is visibly a small, independent feature, obviously so by the size of its cast and limited locations. These could seem like hindrances for a Christmas film in a sea of so many contemporaries wielding louder bells and whistles. However, these apparent limitations are used efficiently and help the film succeed as a focused, charming story.
Simple in concept, sprinkled with charming performances, and relatable to many people of all ages, Awesomest Christmas Ever is a delight. In a quick 70 minutes, the film will give you a few good laughs and keep your Christmas Cheer meter fueled up through the holiday season.
"…[will] keep your Christmas Cheer meter fueled up through the holiday season."
