Film Review - Christmas Karma
Images courtesy of Rialto Distribution.
Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is one of the most beloved stories of all time, and there have been no shortage of film adaptations. From The Muppet Christmas Carol to ‘80s comedy Scrooged, Hollywood is always looking for a new way to bring this classic tale to life. The latest attempt is Bend it Like Beckham director Gurinder Chadha’s Christmas Karma, a multicultural modern-day retelling set in London.
Mr. Eshaan Sood (Kunal Nayyar) is the 2025 iteration of Ebenezer Scrooge, a heartless and hard-headed businessman who essentially hates everything and everyone. Money hungry and business focused, Mr. Sood is feared by his employees, and has no friends or family. When Christmas Eve comes, he couldn’t care less, and is sickened by all the joy and merriment around him. On that fateful night, he is visited by three ghosts, the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future, who take him on a journey of self discovery that will eventually lead him to finding redemption and compassion in his heart.
On paper, Christmas Karma has a lot of potential, taking the form of a musical and being heavily influenced by Bollywood films. Unfortunately though, Christmas Karma is an absolute mess from the minute it starts, and it is a real shame. The film opens with a bizarre, fever dream-like musical number that feels manufactured and artificial in every way possible. Most of the songs, including this one, sound like they were AI generated, and that is almost unbelievable considering the man behind the soundtrack is Take That’s Gary Barlow. These musical numbers have no flow, and it doesn’t help that there is obvious autotune and out of sync editing. There are also moments where the actors are singing and you can barely see their mouths moving at all. The cast may be one of the most random in the history of cinema, with the ghosts being played by Eva Longoria, Billy Porter, and Boy George, for some reason. Most of the acting misses the notes and doesn’t feel believable, but the saving grace is Nayyar as Mr. Sood. Best known for playing the lovable Raj in The Big Bang Theory, Nayyar shows off some impressive dramatic chops, making his character’s journey somewhat easier to invest in. Occasionally, the story utilises its modern day setting by touching on timely topics such as culture, capitalism and colonisation. These parts are certainly more interesting, but are really only skimmed over at a surface level.
Christmas Karma certainly isn’t boring, but not in the way you would want it to be. It is impossible to imagine how this misguided project could be from the same director as Bend it Like Beckham, as well as other coming-of-age movies such as Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging and Blinded by the Light. The intention is there and its heart is in the right place, but sadly, Christmas Karma will not become a new Christmas classic.
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Christmas Karma is screening in cinemas from Thursday the 27th of November. For tickets and more info, click here.