(courtesy IMDb (c) Netflix)
If you’re a Christmas-aholic or a Christmas tragic or whatever term of festive devotion is near and dear to your tinsel-filled heart, you might find it odd, nay perplexing, that anyone might not love the most wonderful time of the year quite like you do.
After all, how can someone not adore all the peace and goodwill or the twinkling lights or the decked halls or the myriad of other seasonal wonders that make December a deliciously wondrous diversion from the blandness of the other nine months?
Well, if you watch 1000km From Christmas (A mil kilómetros de la Navidad), a comedy-rich rom-com at heart set just before and during the twelve days of Christmas in the Spanish town of Valverde, you will come to appreciate why it is that someone would rather fly to Cuba for the big day than be with friends and family (hence the title which denotes the minimum distance that you need to be away from all the festivities).
Raúl (Tamar Novas) is the protagonist of 1000km From Christmas, someone who is so convinced that all the bad things in life happen to him at Christmas, from his parents’ divorced to his beloved dog’s death (during a Christmas parade no less) and sadly much, much more in a parade of terrible incidents that’s as funny, if not more, than it’s heart-wrenching, that he gets as far away from the celebration as he can.
Leaving aside the fact that Cuba likely goes full festive now anyway, 1000km From Christmas has a lot of very Grinchy fun with the fact that Raúl not only doesn’t like Christmas but that, so poisoned by that one time of the year, he doesn’t much of anything or anybody.
An auditor, because of course all repressed, buttoned-down unsmiling people must be in some branch of accountancy, he’s getting ready to leave Madrid for Cuba, leaving office Christmas parties early and ignoring calls from his pleading mother to visit him, relieved that his blighted life will be free from one more indignity being visited upon him.
But then, naturally enough, one last audit must be carried out, high in the snowy mountains outside of Madrid in a town that, wouldn’t you know it, goes all in and all out for Christmas, its streets bedecked with lights, and its townspeople getting ready to stage what they hope will be a Guinness World Records-sized nativity.
The person in charge of this Raúl-irritating festive extravaganza is Paula (Andrea Ros), an irrepressible type-A who runs every committee and is involved in every activity going in Valverde.
It’s hard to say what it is she’s compensating for, but she’s unable to not be involved in something and after she and Raúl meet in a Manager-destroying moment – not the auditor Grinch’s fault; he drives down the wrong street on his way into town and bang, manger begone! – and they call each other “idiot” and asshole”, you know they are destined to fall quickly and heavily into Scrooge heart-busting love.
But not before many an obstacle is thrown in their way, Raúl discovers the true meaning of Christmas – and provides us with many an entertaining flashback into he hates the season SO MUCH -and saves the town from an evil plot, masterminded by the pantomime-level bad guy, Pablo/Mateo (Peter Vives), who is, not surprisingly keen to not only enrich himself but to capture Paula’s heart.
He’ll not do that of course since Raúl has captured Paula’s heart and he won’t succeed in his evil plans but not before 1000km From Christmas enthusiastically and unironically embraces all kinds of wacky Christmas hilarity on its way to its pre-destined but enormously fun ending where the most wonderful time of the year is affirmed once again as a time when all the good and magical things happen.
In its pursuit of this far-from-subtle messaging – not a criticism; what kind of Christmas movie goes for nuance and oblique references? Watching these movies we want everything wreathed in layers of tinsel, hung with baubles and strewn with red and green lights so numerous you can see them blinking from space – 1000km From Christmas goes even more all out than Paula to indulge in some seriously romantic festive silliness and heartfelt fun.
It gives us many a slapstick scene – want Raúl to fall into a sugary vat at the local fudge factory? You’ve got it! How about sending Raúl tumbling down a snowy slope into a freezing bank of the white stuff? Your festive will be done! – and it has two married townspeople called, wait for it, María José (Mar del Hoyo) and José María (Raúl Jiménez), a character-naming choice that reflects the film’s gleeful embrace of every sight gag and wacky seasonal trope going.
The thing is that because 1000km From Christmas leans into it with every last ounce of festive bonhomie and devotion, and Novas as Raúl has the time of his life as a man who hates then sort of hates then loves Christmas, and the people of Valverde and life and naturally Paula because love is all around us in a Christmas film (wait, that’s another movie; no bother, the idea is the same), you buy every last preposterously festive moment.
The ending in particular which makes a less than subtle reference to the jolly man in red is gloriously and marvellously over the top, and you buy it all without an ounce of buyer’s regret because 1000km From Christmas is so devoted to its redemptive tale, so convinced of the rightness of its seasonal messaging and so committed to the fun and emotional weight contained within that you can begrudge it one moment of its goodhearted Christmas story.
It may not necessarily convince all the Grinches and Scrooges out there to take part in nativity plays or to forgo Cuba for the delights of Spanish mountain towns rapturously in love with Christmas, but will entertain, amuse and delight you, and may even leave you a tad more festive, and when it comes to films like 1000km From Christmas, what more can you ask for (well, true love, but hey you get that too).