Ah, Hollywood strikes again, giving us a “Christmas” movie that appears to be about everything except Christmas. Netflix’s new animated film, That’s Christmas, seems more interested in ticking every box on the woke agenda than actually celebrating the holiday it claims to honor. From mocking the nativity to cracking ill-advised jokes about abortion, it’s yet another example of Tinseltown’s inability to leave a sacred tradition untouched.
Let’s start with the basics: the movie, directed by Love Actually’s Richard Curtis, features a group of kids putting on a Christmas play that’s supposedly fresh and modern. Out with the three wise men and in with three wise women. Gone are the animals in the manger; now, the shepherds are herding vegetables because nothing says “Silent Night” like a kale salad. And don’t forget the “strictly vegetarian, multi-cultural fun fest” angle, complete with a few nods to climate change. Because clearly, when celebrating the birth of Jesus, the first thing on everyone’s mind is whether or not the donkey has gone vegan.
“He [Jesus] wouldn’t have wanted us to do the same boring Christmas story year and year, right parents?” the child asked in the scene. “He’d want a strictly vegetarian, multi-cultural fun fest with lots of pop songs and stuff about climate change.”
But the real eyebrow-raiser is the scene involving Mary, played by a child carrying a watermelon stand-in for baby Jesus. In what might be one of the most tone-deaf attempts at humor ever, the character performs Madonna’s Papa Don’t Preach, a song about a teen deciding not to have an abortion. Let’s pause for a second to appreciate just how baffling that choice is. This is a Christmas movie, supposedly for families, and they’ve managed to shoehorn in a reference to abortion. Subtle, Netflix. Really subtle.
The cringe doesn’t stop there. During the performance, the watermelon “baby Jesus” is accidentally dropped, splattering its insides everywhere. If the goal was shock value, mission accomplished—but at what cost? The nativity scene is one of the most cherished and sacred elements of the Christmas story, yet it’s reduced here to slapstick and a bizarre attempt at satire. One parent in the film even comments afterward, “I don’t think Jesus and jokes go together, dear.” For once, a line in a Netflix production might actually reflect reality.
I can’t believe what I just watched.
Netflix’s children’s film “That Christmas” makes a complete mockery of the Nativity.
*Mary contemplates abortion
*There are 3 wise “women”
*Joseph is played by a girl
*The scene ends in mock blood splatter when the “baby Jesus” is… pic.twitter.com/8rMbpbzOfC— The Based Mother (née Elena) (@TheBasedMother) December 10, 2024
Unsurprisingly, the reviews are a mixed bag. On Rotten Tomatoes, some viewers have called out the movie’s lack of kid-friendly appeal and criticized it as little more than a “box-ticking exercise.” Others lament the choppy editing and forgettable storyline, which, let’s be honest, are small complaints compared to the movie’s complete dismissal of its supposed subject matter. Even the audience it seems to be pandering to—progressives obsessed with “reinventing” everything—doesn’t appear to be impressed.
Another person wrote, “Really poor. It was just a box ticking exercise, we got Santa in there, naughty kid who really is nice, bumbling idiot dads, trunchbull who is nice really, kids left to fend for themselves, etc I think there wasn’t enough made of the main characters of Danny & Sam it seemed a little strained for flow. Certainly my kids weren’t overly impressed. I don’t think it will be one we watch again next year.”
Here’s the thing: Christmas is one of the most universally celebrated holidays in the world, and its message of hope, redemption, and love transcends political or cultural divides. Yet Hollywood can’t seem to resist the urge to twist it into something unrecognizable. Instead of honoring tradition or even creating something genuinely heartfelt, That’s Christmas feels like a cheap, agenda-driven attempt to virtue signal while alienating anyone who actually cares about the holiday.
If Netflix and Richard Curtis wanted to make a modern Christmas movie, they could have found plenty of ways to do so without resorting to this kind of mockery. Instead, they’ve delivered a film that not only misses the mark but actively insults the core values of the season. For families looking for something to watch this year, here’s some advice: skip That’s Christmas and stick with the classics. At least It’s a Wonderful Life and A Charlie Brown Christmas still respect what the holiday is all about.
