Film Review: A Very Corgi Christmas

A very Corgi Christmas PosterPeople love Corgis. People love Christmas. Who wouldn’t love A Very Corgi Christmas? That is exactly what writer/director Andrew Cymek thought when he conceived of adding Corgis to the many films containing “A Very ______ Christmas” in their title. However, if I had one wish this season, it would be to take this back on boxing day.

Single mom Lauren (Jelly Kruger) takes her son Jacob (Davide Fair) to her grandparents for Christmas only to find they are in Florida. Turns out nobody expected Lauren to actually come home for Christmas since she is a workaholic. Her parents and sister just assumed she would skip Christmas and work as usual. She and Jacob decide to stay at the house and have a chance encounter with a single dad in the neighborhood, Ben (Kevin McGarry).

Like every real-life and movie kid, Jacob wants a dog for Christmas. Lauren gives excuse after excuse from the handbook on why kids can’t have a dog, but Ben is going to get a Corgi for his daughter Charlie (Ariella Cannon). He asks Lauren to hide the puppy for a few days until Christmas, to which she reluctantly agrees but ends up falling in love with the Corgi herself.

The middle of the film focuses on Lauren hiding the dog from both Charlie and her son, playing with the puppy, seeing the puppy act cute, and of course having more conversations with Ben. Christmas Eve day is here and Lauren takes the pup to Ben’s. The two end up decorating cupcakes together and discussing how awkward it is for single parents in their 30’s to go on dates, especially the first kiss. Even after several longing looks between the two – nothing else happens.

Then the predictable phone call comes asking her to go into work because one of her coworkers messed up but he is out of the country and can’t fix his own mess. Her boss reminds her of a possible upcoming promotion, and Lauren decides she can work one more Christmas Eve if it means she gets a promotion. Jacob is upset for 20 seconds since she might miss the tree lighting ceremony but quickly goes back to the dog. Lauren promises to be back before the ceremony and heads into the city. When she arrives, she finds one of her other bosses, Doris, is also at the office. Doris makes a comment about she and Lauren are kindred spirits and Lauren realizes there will always be the “next” promotion. She has missed so much in Jacob’s life and if she keeps this up, she will miss even more. She calls her boss to tell him she’s leaving, and Merry Christmas then takes off for the tree lighting ceremony, getting there too late.

Ben, Jacob and Charlie are waiting there when her sister Lizzy brings her in a police car. The tree lights up again and we find Ben and Lauren overshadowed by the huge tree, kids and puppy nearby, it’s the perfect backdrop for – the first kiss.

I knew what I was getting into with this film, as you should too. Even so, I was expecting a little more. The scenes with light snow falling when Lauren is driving, or around the town look like they were bought as an effect on Fiverr. The overall acting was pretty good, and Davide Fair (Jacob) can be forgiven for his delivery since it is his first film. He tends to manifest a beginning actor mistake – yelling his lines – throughout the entire film. Kelly Kruger is very endearing, even given some of the stereotypical plots she was given to perform.

There are several themes in the film that talk about the importance of family, giving in to the unknown and unexpected, and of course, love. Both Lauren and Ben love their children, and the amount of hugging, smiling, and cuddling can lift your spirits for a bit. A very strange public service announcement occurs in the film as Lauren’s sister takes the kids to an animal shelter. The kids learn that even if they don’t have a dog, they can still give back and make the dogs at the shelter happy by just rubbing their belly. Interestingly enough, there is a Corgi at the shelter which is unusual because I would imagine Corgis don’t end up at the shelter very often.

Overall, this film might appeal to 30-something women who are looking at a rom-com to pass the time snacking on popcorn, hot chocolate and wearing fuzzy slippers. However, kids will be bored easily, there are not enough Corgi moments to keep them entertained.

You can find the film for sale on Amazon Prime for a $3.99 rental or $12.99 purchase.

  • A Veri Corgi Christmas
1.5

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