But there is far too much to enjoy in this ensemble romcom to write it off – namely Emma Thompson’s extraordinary, rightly revered performance as the wronged wife of Alan Rickman. We’ve all read that Jezebel article by now, and know that Love Actually is flawed as hell. Read more: Best Christmas films on Netflix Who’d have thought that one of the best interpretations of Charles Dickens’s festive fable would come courtesy of a bunch of wise-cracking puppets? In his role as Ebeneezer Scrooge, Michael Caine vowed to act “like I’m working with the Royal Shakespeare Company”, whatever ridiculous antics were happening around him. Keeping the morals of the original story the Muppet’s add a touch of light-hearted frivolity to an enjoyable family film. The Muppet Christmas Carol (U), 4.35-6.15pm, C4 Michael Caine stars in the Muppet’s take on Dickens’ tale. The film has its detractors – for some, the comic farce leans too far towards genuine emotional trauma – but in the long, slow struggle to make the yuletide a little bit more gay, it’s a great place to start. Starring Kristen Stewart as Abby, a kind-hearted Christmas-sceptic who must pretend to be straight when her closeted girlfriend (Makcenzie Davis) brings her home for the holidays, the film broke streaming records when it premiered on Hulu – the silver lining of its Coronavirus-scuppered cinema release.
Speaking of heteronorm-nativity, a glossy, mainstream Christmas romcom with a queer couple at its centre was long overdue – and boy did writer-director Clea DuVall deliver with Happiest Season. And so Todd Haynes’s Carol, a beautifully shot adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s 1952 novel in which department store worker Therese (Rooney Mara) falls in love with a mysterious older woman (Cate Blanchett) in the run up to Christmas, is a welcome break from heteronorm-nativity. Even Love Actually filmed a queer storyline among its 524 interweaving plots, before deciding it should be cut from the film, leaving that “Colin goes to America” abomination intact. When it comes to Christmas films, there is no shortage of love and romance – but it’s all overwhelmingly straight. Affairs of the heart: Rooney Mara, left, and Cate Blanchett as lovers Therese and Carol in the adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s novel
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