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Catherine Deneuve, Jean-Paul Roussillon, Anne Consigny, Mathieu Amalric, Melvil Poupaud ... see more see more... , Hippolyte Girardot , Emmanuelle Devos , Chiara Mastroianni , Laurent Capelluto , Emile Berling , Thomas Obled , Clément Obled , Françoise Bertin , Samir Guesmi , Azize Kabouche

The devastating reverberations of a profound tragedy echo through generations of a long-suffering French family in this emotional family drama from director Arnaud Desplechin. When Abel and his wife, ... read more read more...Junon, started a family, it seemed like the seeds of true happiness had been planted. But while their daughter, Elizabeth, was healthy from the day she was born, things quickly turned dark when her brother Joseph was diagnosed with a rare and deadly genetic condition. Joseph's only hope for survival was a bone marrow transplant, but Abel, Junon, and Elizabeth were all incompatible. In one last, desperate chance to save their son's life, Abel and Junon conceived a third child. But not even little Henri could save his ailing brother's life. Joseph died at the age of seven, and neither his siblings nor his parents have ever found the strength to recover. Years later, family relations have deteriorated beyond the point of repair; the tensions between family matriarch Elizabeth and her cynical brother Henri finally culminating in a violent confrontation in which Elizabeth banishes her alcoholic brother and refuses him further contact with his troubled adolescent nephew, Paul. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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64% liked it

22,854 ratings

Critics

87% liked it

114 critics

Unrated, 2 hr. 30 min.

Directed by: Arnaud Desplechin

Release Date: November 14, 2008

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DVD Release Date: November 10, 2009

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Stats: 726 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (726)

  • bbcfloridabound
    December 10, 2010
    bbcfloridabound
    Movie 22 is from the Criterion Collection, right away by being in the Criterion Collection you know the movie is going to be a little strange and it is, about a very dysfunctional family who reunites at Christmas time, Mom is sick with cancer and needs a marrow transplant and of ... read morecourse the hated son is the only compatible donor. If your into Indie films then you will enjoy this if your idea of a great film is something with Will Farrell in it (Elf) then this is not for you. 4 Stars
  • romy861
    March 22, 2010
    romy861
    This is a really well made film with an excellent cast. It is, however, extremely long at around 2 and a half hours, and while interesting, not a whole lot gets resolved. It kind of reminded me of "The family Stone", in French, and with less likeable characters. The people in ... read morethis are all extremely flawed and it's a lot to sit there and try and understand some of the motivations.
    I must admit it did not drag out or feel over long despite it's length, and though I would have liked a few more answers to some things, perhaps it was just not important in the long run.
  • tsigur
    December 18, 2009
    tsigur
    This movie is not for everyone. I'll put it this way, if you thought Magnolia was way too over the top and pretensious, then you will hate this movie from the first frame and should probably just turn it off because it doesn't slow down from it's manic pace one bit. Even to me, t... read morehere are some stylistic choices that Arnaud Desplechian uses that I found myself rolling my eyes over, but what made me really enjoy this film was the acting and the writing, which I think are some the best I have seen this year. The entire cast is great and each one of them (even the naturalistic kids) give fantastic performances. It's like a Cassavettes film, but stylized and probably one of the most dysfuctional families ever put on film (they are dysfuctional to the point of being confusing in certain parts of the film). Again, not for everyone, but I liked it a lot and thought the ending was beautiful. It's like a soap opera on coke.
  • gor41
    June 2, 2009
    gor41
    French family drama with strong performances but rather too much abstract philosophizing and strange continental angst for me.
  • RCCLBC
    December 17, 2008
    RCCLBC
    Great acting (I'd pay to watch Deneuve read from the phone book) and an interesting story.

    But ultimately it was just too convoluted and left too many unanswered questions for my taste.

    Wanted to like it more then I did.
  • fb796967648
    December 12, 2008
    fb796967648
    This nearly-perfect film is one of the great surprises of the year. Strange, not for everybody, moody and beautifully acted, this not-at-all-American portrait of dysfunction won't leave your head for days. Thank goodness.
  • gator681
    November 30, 2008
    gator681
    [font=Century Gothic]In "A Christmas Tale," Junon(Catherine Deneuve), the wife of Abel(Jean-Paul Roussillon), a dye factory owner, is diagnosed with anemia. A blood marrow transplant is one of the only courses of treatment but it is just as risky.(I think I might have seen this ... read moreon an episode of "House.") Not making matters any better is that she has an especially rare blood type and family members would seem to be the only ones who can help. Of her three children, Henri(Mathieu Amalric) is a match but it is never that easy. To start, the only thing he has ever succeeded at is being the black sheep of the family. The eldest, Elizabeth(Anne Consigny), a successful playwright, bailed him out a few years back on the sole condition that he is banished from family functions. On the other hand, maybe they do not have to go with Henri since Elizabeth's son, Paull(Emile Berling), is also compatible but he just suffered a nervous breakdown at the same age his uncle Ivan(Melvil Poupaud) once did. Regardless, Henri is coming to Christmas, bringing along his girlfriend Faunia(Emmanuelle Devos).[/font]
    [font=Century Gothic][/font]
    [font=Century Gothic]"A Christmas Tale" is wonderfully acted by a great cast. However, it never moves that far beyond its character's disfunctions to establish a solid story despite its epic length. In its three ring circus, a subplot comes out of nowhere in one of the outer rings to compete for attention from the main players.[/font]
    [font=Century Gothic][/font]
    [font=Century Gothic]I know a family gathering on Christmas usually only serves to heighten tensions but that's not why this movie is set around that time of year. What it is mostly interested in is the notion of a savior, but on a much smaller scale than that of humanity. This goes back to Junon's first son, Joseph, who died of leukemia but no match could be found for him, not even Henri who was conceived as one. Now, everybody has a second chance, especially Henri who could be Junon's savior. And Henri could have his personal savior in Faunia. [/font]
  • fb20312798
    December 11, 2011
    fb20312798
    For all of its random and strange stylistic choices, a considerable lengthy running time, and general odd ball moments it achieves total immersion in its world for the audience. Its a rare film that allows one the opportunity to get to know a group of people slowly over the films... read more running time. Its a tale of a bizarre, totally fucked up family . . . but one that loves each other in spite of all the terrible things they have done.
  • lesleyanorton
    January 7, 2011
    lesleyanorton
    One of those films designed to make you feel better about your own Christmas gathering. A French family, headed by an affable yet inconsequential father and the kind of mother who shouldn't be allowed near anyone's children let alone her own, get together over the festive season ... read moreto exchange barbed words and manipulations. With lots of mock-meaningful exchanges, as is the way with lots of French films, it felt like a long two and a half hours. Though not as long as it would have felt if you'd actually lived in that house.
  • wbgoose13
    January 1, 2009
    wbgoose13
    A dense, involving look at a family reluctantly drawn together for the holidays (is there ever any other kind?).

View All Un Conte de Noël (A Christmas Tale) Reviews

Critic Reviews

Colin Covert
December 12, 2008
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

In this dark comedy everyone is at the end of someone else's strings. Full Review

Linda Barnard
December 5, 2008
Linda Barnard, Toronto Star

[It] will make anyone dreading the holidays with their family grateful for what strife they may face. It's nothing compared to what the Vuillard clan gets up to. Full Review

Richard Schickel
December 5, 2008
Richard Schickel, TIME Magazine

A triumph of willed optimism (or perhaps more accurately, of grudging good nature) over unhappy experiences... Full Review

Derek Elley
December 5, 2008
Derek Elley, Variety

Never devolves into a tedious two-and-a-half hours of self-examination. But it also never goes very far, either. Full Review

Andrea Gronvall
November 21, 2008
Andrea Gronvall, Chicago Reader

Characters occasionally address the camera, which helps disentangle the competing story lines of madness, adultery, and betrayal. Full Review

Ty Burr
November 21, 2008
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

To tweak Tolstoy: All happy families may be alike, but all unhappy-family movies are entertaining in their own ways. Full Review

Ann Hornaday
November 21, 2008
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post

Even though it's pretentious and overlong, A Christmas Tale is still maddeningly engaging, thanks in large part to its attractive and gifted cast. Full Review

Roger Ebert
November 21, 2008
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

A strangely encompassing collection of private moments among the members of a large family with a fraught history. Full Review

Steven Rea
November 20, 2008
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

Roiling with laughter, tears, drunken confessions, revelatory soliloquies, pain, sorrow, hospital visits, and various kinds of love, A Christmas Tale is a smart, sprawling, and sublimely entertaining ... Full Review

Michael Phillips
November 20, 2008
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune

It's a simple picture about complicated people, the members and sometime-combatants of the extended Vuillard family. Full Review

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