Shane Conto
What do people love more than holiday movies? Holiday movies filled to the brim with nostalgia, that’s what! What decade do plenty of people have a strange fascination with? The 1980’s. Is it the synthesizer work on so many of the scores? Is it consumerism? Is it the “Flock of Seagulls” hairdos? Well…two out of three of those apply to HBO Max/Binge’s latest holiday flick, 8-Bit Christmas.
What makes the experience of watching this new holiday film so nostalgic? The whole vibe to the film just screams 1980’s (all the way down to the endless synthesizer work for the score). There is a general sense of nostalgia built into the narrative since Neil Patrick Harris is recounting his own story of growing up as a pre-teen. He remembers plenty of fun details about child life in the late 80’s and really how different it is from today. But let’s all be clear; they TOTALLY wore helmets and safety glasses. The whole entire narrative brings back memories as our lead tries his best to find himself a Nintendo Entertainment System. I spent many hours in my life playing a variety of Nintendo platforms and I could understand his desire.
The story is quite relatable…but is it too familiar? This is one of those films where you will know each beat along the way. Is that necessarily a bad thing? Not quite but it does make it harder to invest in a story that is so predictable, and you know how it will end. I do have to say that 8-Bit Christmas does have a few small-scale surprises up its sleeves. These surprises open the film to some genuine heart that I thought it would be devoid of based purely on the terrible trailers. The genuine themes about fatherhood are poignant enough to leave the film off with an emotional connection.
But it is not all fun and joy, right? There are moments where the screenplay prefers to focus on silly and ludicrous gags that just don’t land how you would hope. Neil Patrick Harris’ narration and general storytelling does salvage quite a few moments like this making him the real MVP on this film. Winslow Fegley is also strong enough to help anchor this flick. Many of the characters are written with few nuances and depth leaving some to be desired on this flick. There are a few supporting performances that provide some solid entertainment (Steve Zahn and David Cross).
Are you looking for some Christmas cheer to enjoy on streaming? HBO Max/Binge just might be your place then because 8-Bit Christmas delivers some of those goods. This is by no means an instant classic, but it is enough fun and enjoyment for the whole family.
