We return to South America next for another Netflix foreign import, this time from Colombia. 2020’s An Unremarkable Christmas is another original if (harhar) unremarkable film with perhaps a little too much going on to keep up with. I keep wondering if I’ve missed bits or if I’m supposed to know who certain characters are and it’s only later on, following some strategic googling, that I discover this is a ‘Christmas Special’ TV prequel movie to a sitcom named The Unremarkable Juanqui. It mostly works as a standalone movie, though if the humour on show here is representative of the show, then I find it hard to fathom how Juanquini ever got enough viewers to merit a Christmas Special.
The plot follows the mishaps of accountant-cum-awful-magician Juan (Antonio Sanint), whose ill-fated office Christmas party magic show finds him drawn into a money-laundering plot hatched by a gangster, now masquerading as Juan’s boss. The kingpin is known for owning fancy Vegas-style hotels, so Juan is determined to bend over backwards to impress him and hopefully secure a lucrative gig as a performing magic act. He invites the boss to his house for the family holiday gathering and things go awry as Juan’s family turn out to be as dysfunctional and kooky as they come. Attempted hilarity ensues from a cast stuffed with offbeat characters all getting together for Colombia’s yuletide ‘Little Candles’ celebration.
It’s the sort of comedy that raises mild titters but never reaches the level of hilarity it’s aiming for. It’s an overstuffed mess and not particularly funny either. The ending is a bit of a head-scratcher and, to top it all off, the whole thing is narrated by the family cat. This one does not leave much of an impression and leaves me thinking maybe there’s a reason Colombia is not well known for its comedy. I’m hoping there’s not too many of these quirky foreign festive comedies left to watch on Netflix, as they have been decidedly hit-and–miss.
Comments