THE MAN WHO INVENTED CHRISTMAS | FAMILY MOVIE REVIEW INFORMATION FOR PARENTS AND KIDS

"THE MAN WHO INVENTED CHRISTMAS"
(2017) (Dan Stevens, Christopher Plummer) (PG)

QUICK TAKE:: Dramedy: Hoping to pen a successful novel after recent failures, an author finds the characters of his next work influencing his writing and the story's direction in this look at the creation of "A Christmas Carol."

PLOT:

It's 1843 and following the wild success of his "Oliver Twist" novel, Charles Dickens (DAN STEVENS) has written a number of works that have flopped and is facing a serious case of writer's block, something with which his wife, Kate (MORFYDD CLARK), is all too familiar. With the help of his friend and pseudo-publicist, John Forster (JUSTIN EDWARDS), Charles is hoping to right that slump and thinks he might be onto something after encountering a nighttime funeral, a curmudgeon of an old man, and the notion of writing a Christmas story about them. That's also fueled by hearing spooky children's tales told by one of his new housekeepers, Tara (ANNA MURPHY), and all of that helps in the initial formation of what will ultimately become "A Christmas Carol."

But just as he's starting to regain his creative footing, his long-estranged father, John (JONATHAN PRYCE) and mother, Elizabeth (GER RYAN), show up unannounced and uninvited. Much to Charles' dismay, his father repeatedly interrupts the creative process where characters from his work in progress start appearing in person (in Charles' mind), starting with Ebenezer Scrooge (CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER) and continuing through Jacob Marley (DONALD SUMPTER) and a trio of ghosts that figure prominently in the novel.

Facing a publishing deadline and mounting bills, Charles tries to finish the work in time, all while contending with the various distractions, interruptions and even having his characters take the story in directions in which they'd like to see it go.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?: Unless they're into "A Christmas Carol" or might be a fan of someone in the cast, it doesn't seem that likely.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG: For thematic elements and some mild language.

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