2012 kiddie flick Christmas Oranges is a perfectly fine, if uneventful period piece with decent performances from a pleasant young cast. Baille Michelle Johnson is a pre-teen named Rose, an orphan in wartime 1910s America. After spending her early years in an awesome orphanage where she could run free and play with her besties, the poor lass is suddenly shipped off to a much harsher home after an influenza outbreak wipes out all her pals. Sheesh!
Rose is stuck in the orphanage run by strict Mr Crampton (Edward Hermann) who’s a
hardass, a stickler for petty rules and prone to locking kids in the attic. These methods don’t work too well, as many of his wards are real assholes, particularly the antagonistic Celeste (Sydney Peebler) who bullies our spirited heroine. Luckily, she’s smart enough to outfox the bullies and pick up a few new mates in the process.
Today was Amelia’s first day at her new nursery, so this one affects me more than maybe it normally might. Kids can be so mean, saying and doing nasty stuff that can stay with you for life. Fortunately, Amelia did great and has already made loads of new pals, which is a massive relief. Phew.
Anyway, Rose ends up inadvertently breaking the rules, gets scolded for it and some of her new allies come to her aid to make sure she’s ok. It’s quite sweet, though the film doesn’t feel all that different from any number of period orphanage films. It’s nothing spectacular and doesn’t really get Christmassy until around halfway through. For a kids’ film it’s also very slow and measured, which I guess is a nice change of pace from most of the hyperactive garbage Youtube normally rams down your throat. With all the gloom, death and the shadow of war hanging over things the film is a little depressing, though bright performances from the vivacious young cast help keep things buoyant.
The film’s title is a reference to the orphanage’s annual tradition whereby each child is gifted an orange on Christmas Eve by Crampton’s much cooler, chirpier brother. This simple gift helps bring so much joy to these kids and it really brings home how commercialised and crazy the season has become. There’s no fancy Xboxes or Ipads for these sprogs - they’re ecstatic just to get a yummy bit of fruit. It certainly makes you think. To be fair, though, I think Amelia might kick my ass if all she got this year was a clementine.
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