A new animated Christmas film starring Dundee actor Brian Cox has received mixed reviews after being released on Netflix.
The Succession star provides the voice of Santa in That Christmas, which came out on Netflix on December 4.
In the film, the fictional Suffolk town of Wellington-on-Sea is hit by a snow storm – which separates the children from their parents and forces them to change their Christmas plans.
The movie was co-written by Richard Curtis, whose other hits include Love Actually.
Is Brian Cox film That Christmas a ‘heart-warming’ comedy according to reviews?
Netflix describes the movie as a “heart-warming comedy” – but not everyone agrees.
That Christmas has attracted a score of 59% based on critics’ reviews on website Rotten Tomatoes but ranks higher (75%) based on audience reviews.
One reviewer described the film as “wish-list thin”.
Another reviewer said it had “its heart in the right place”, but that “unfortunately, it’s all a bit of a bore”.
While another suggested that it had wrongly calculated its target audience, adding that if it had achieved this “the end result might not have been so grating”.
Some comments were more complimentary though, with one reviewer praising it as “big-hearted” and as a “gift well worth unwrapping”.
Another commented that it “belongs on Santa’s nice list”.
And two reviewers argued it was “a sweet little Christmas movie” and “a charming festive treat”.
Meanwhile, the leading film website IMDB rates That Christmas at 6.8 out of 10 stars based on viewers’ reactions.
The Courier has taken a look at eight films and TV shows shot in Dundee – including Succession, starring Cox.
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