Today I notice that advent calendars and decorations are starting to appear in shops and desperate emails are starting to trickle in from restaurants imploring me to “Book now” for my “festive party night!” As usual, it feels far too soon for this stuff, though it does make my festive movie quest feel slightly less odd and is a sign that the finish line, though still far off, is at least in sight. I’ve been enjoying all this but the fact that the thought of it being over fills me with joy is perhaps a big indication that you can definitely have too much of a good thing.
My happiness doesn’t last long as my next film is 2012’s Last Ounce of Courage, another one of those misjudged ‘War on Christmas’ movies made by white Christians who feel their freedoms are under attack by sinister forces who seek to ‘remove’ Christ from Christmas. Directors Darrel Campbell and Kevin McAfee make some interesting points but go about it in such a clumsy, dishonest way that all arguments are essentially rendered null and void.
Having spent time in the states at Christmas, I agree it is noticeable that a lot of yuletide commercials, greetings cards, signage and slogans seem to scarcely make a mention of Jesus or even the word ‘Christmas’. To me, this seems like more of an effort to sell more Christmas stuff to non-Christians. I firmly believe that this is really just a little to do with promoting equality and a big bit to do with making money rather than being a conscious effort to silence fervent believers of Christ.
A key scene in this film even acknowledges that there is no law against putting up Christmas decorations, religious symbols, Nativity displays and such on your own land. But you know those persecuted white Christians. They need more.
So, this misguided if well-meaning piece of propaganda follows the wonderfully named Bob Revere (Marshall Teague), a small town mayor who is also the pharmacist, motorcycle-riding patriot and a combat veteran which means he demands respect, dammit. Bob's boy perished in a war 14 years ago and he's understandably pissed off about it, so when his grandson comes back into his life, it reopens old wounds, causing him to question what he's really doing to make a difference in America. This is problematic, as Bob is one of those characters who uses the death of a loved one as justification to do what he damn well pleases because he's hurting. His feelings are that his son died defending American freedom but The Man is taking that freedom away by making people say "Happy Holidays", rather than "Merry Christmas" and must be stopped.
Bob begins a brave quest to try and put the 'Christ' back into Christmas but is thwarted at every turn by Fred Williamson’s ACLU type guy who is one of the few black characters in town and is portrayed as being worse than Darth Vader.
My main problem with this one is that it portrays a version of the world that just doesn't exist. In this kooky parallel universe, teenagers claim to have no idea who Jesus is, a school Nativity production substitutes aliens for angels and Bob's grandson is reprimanded for taking a bible to school. It's impossible to take seriously. There are stars and stripes everywhere and I don't believe I've ever heard the word 'freedom' used so much since the 2014 Scottish Independence Referendum.
A prime example of this insanity comes at the climax as Bob's grandson forces the school Nativity audience to watch a video of his dad being killed in combat, which apparently makes everyone realise Bob was right all along. At one point Bob even drags a cross and later talks to an angel in prison who assures him God’s on his side and he should keep fighting the good fight.
The film's argument that the government is attacking your freedom because you can't say or do what you please is incredibly unsubtle and preaching to the choir. I get that it must be difficult for a lot of Christians to see a lot of traditions altering or fading away but reactionary movies like this where 90% of the goodies are blonde-haired, blue-eyed good ol' boys and the 'angel' looks like Willie Nelson just make you look silly.
The fact that these movies always seem to flop doesn't stop them trying to make them and I guess audiences might pay more attention if they weren't so poorly made and direly written. The film is also bookended by two lengthy, rambling quotes from Ronald Reagan about freedom that don't actually say anything about Christmas. Donald Trump would most probably lap this crap up. I do not.
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