It’s the holiday season, and families everywhere are gathering together to watch aChristmasclassic — or congregating in different rooms, watching different films on different streaming apps, ignoring each other. Either way, Christmas movies are shooting into the top 10 lists of most streamers. But instead of re-watchingElforLove, Actuallyfor the 800th time, why not give a new, underappreciated Christmas film a go? There are dozens to choose from, asnew Christmas films are released each dayduring the holiday season. 2017’sThe Staris the Christmas film you’ll wish you had watched years ago, and it’s currently racing up Netflix’s streaming chart.
The Staris currently available to stream on Netflix, and sits at #7 on the streamer’s Top 10 most popular movies of the week.Released in 2017, the filmdepicts the birth of Jesuson the very first Christmas Day through the eyes of the different animals in attendance.The Staris directed by Timothy Reckart (Head Over Heels), and features an amazing voice cast, which includes Steven Yeun, Tyler Perry, Gina Rodriguez, Oprah Winfrey, Keegan Michael-Key, Zachary Levi, Kelly Clarkson, Christopher Plummer, Kris Kristofferson, and Tracy Morgan. The official synopsis reads:
“Bo, a donkey, is bored of his regular life and wants to do something different. He sets on an adventurous journey where he meets Ruth, a sheep, and Dave, a duck, who make his journey worthwhile.”
The Starwas a modest box office success upon its release in 2017. The film won’t be remembered as a financial juggernaut, but it did earn back double its budget, grossing $40.9 million from a $20 million budget. That said, the film was a mixed bag among criticsand sits at 45% on Rotten Tomatoes. But don’t let that stop you. It boasts a stronger 70% audience score.
Why Critics Hated ‘The Star’
Despite finding a fan base,The Starwas torn to shreds by several critics who weren’t feeling the animated holiday spirit. Tim Brayton ofAlternate Endingtakes issue with the movie’s “tone-deaf” crass humor, writing, “Poop jokes are among the least of the weirdly tone-deaf extravagances pepperingThe Star.” Meanwhile, Ignatiy Vishnevetsky ofAV Clubis cynical about the film’s actual motives. Do the all-star cast and biblical story combine to make a great movie? Apparently not, asThe Star"never overcomes the impression that it exists only because it’s guaranteed to make a certain sum of money." Ed Potton ofThe Timesdidn’t hold anything back in his review. It’s safe to say Ed Potton won’t be re-watching the film each Christmas, as he wrote:
“Why has nobody thought of this before - the Nativity retold for kids via knockabout animal animation and gloopy pop ballads? Oh yes, because it’s an absolutely dreadful idea.”
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But it’s not all bad. According to William Bibbiani ofIGN,The Staris like your nephew’s school nativity that you dread going to, but actually isn’t that bad, as they said, “The writing, voice-acting and animation are unremarkable, but they get the job done, and the film’s heart seems to be in the right place.” IsThe Starthe next Christmas classic? Probably not. Should you give it a try and judge for yourself? Definitely.
