Christmas with a Capital C

Last updated
Christmas with a Capital C
Christmas with a Capital C.jpg
Directed byHelmut Schleppi
Written byAndrea Gyertson Nasfell
Starring Ted McGinley
Daniel Baldwin
Nancy Stafford
Brad Stine
Music by Edwin Wendler
Release date
  • December 5, 2010 (2010-12-05)
Running time
81 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Christmas with a Capital C is a 2010 American Christian comedy-drama direct-to-DVD film directed by Helmut Schleppi. The film's plot was based on a song of the same name by Christian band Go Fish, whose name was inspired by one of actor Brad Stine's stand-up comedy routines. It centers on what, in recent years, has been dubbed the "War on Christmas" in the United States.

Contents

Plot

Christmas has always been an exceptional time of love and tradition in the small town of Trapper Falls, Alaska. Hometown of Mayor Dan Reed (Ted McGinley) looks forward to each year with enthusiasm to all the events, friends and family that fill this special season. Together with his brother Greg (Brad Stine), they dedicate time away from their adventure tour company to drape the town is Christmas cheer. When Dan's old high school rival Mitch Bright (Daniel Baldwin), a mean-spirited and embittered militant atheist returns home after 20 years, Dan is immediately suspicious. Mitch is a highly successful big city lawyer who has never wanted anything to do with Trapper Falls. The rivalry re-ignites when the frustrated Mitch takes offense to what he sees as the town's violation of his rights. Mitch wants the Nativity scene removed from the front of City hall and the word Christmas switched to Happy Holidays on all signs. Fifty years of tradition are now challenged not by an outsider, but a former member of the community. As the conflict escalates, it goes beyond one person's opinion but magnifies into an entire town problem when Mitch enters into the mayoral race to have Dan replaced.

In the heat of the legal battle and facing certain defeat, Dan's wife Kristen (Nancy Stafford) and their daughter Makayla (Francesca Derosa), wanting to show what she believes to be the true meaning of Christmas, are inspired to launch a "Christmas with a Capital C" campaign as an effort to keep the town together. In doing so they discover the secret behind Mitch's return: he is looking for love and acceptance, but can't find it in the world of high-flown success.

Cast

Release

Originally, the Pureflix Entertainment website accepted pre-sale orders for the film in late 2010, with an original DVD release date of November 2, 2010. Without explanation, the pre-order link was removed sometime in the fall. On November 22, 2010, the Gospel Music Channel announced that it would air the film during the 2010 Christmas season. [1] The film broadcast several times from December 5, 2010 until December 25, 2010. [2] The film was also shown in select theaters and churches. [3] Pureflix later updated their website to set the DVD release for November 8, 2011, eventually revising that date to November 1, 2011.

Reception

Prior to the film's release, the film's trailer sparked ridicule and criticism on several blogs, news sites, and discussion forums including the British comedy panel show 8 out of 10 Cats . The Portland Mercury and others characterized the trailer as "anti-atheist". [4] Some reviewers have pointed to similarities with the Grinch tale. [5] The film itself was mostly reviewed by Christian organizations such as the Dove Foundation, which reviewed it favorably. [6] The film won the Faith & Freedom Award for Television at the 2011 Movieguide Awards.

Log lines

In Pureflix's promotional materials, the film's title is often accompanied by the log line, "Putting Christ Back in Christmas". GMCTV, in their promotional materials, opted for the log line, "The Reason for the Season". [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John C. McGinley</span> American actor

John Christopher McGinley is an American actor. His best known roles include Perry Cox in Scrubs, Bob Slydell in Office Space, Captain Hendrix in The Rock, Sergeant Red O'Neill in Oliver Stone's Platoon, Marv in Stone's Wall Street, FBI agent Ben Harp in Point Break, and the serial killer Edgler Foreman Vess in the TV miniseries of Intensity, based on the novel by Dean Koontz.

<i>Car 54, Where Are You?</i> American television series 1961–63

Car 54, Where Are You? is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 1961 to April 1963. Filmed in black and white, the series starred Joe E. Ross as Gunther Toody and Fred Gwynne as Francis Muldoon, two mismatched New York City police officers who patrol the fictional 53rd precinct in The Bronx. Car 54 was their patrol car.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kristen Bell</span> American actress (born 1980)

Kristen Anne Bell is an American actress. She began her acting career starring in stage productions, while attending the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. She made her Broadway stage debut as Becky Thatcher in the comedy musical The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and appeared in a Broadway revival of The Crucible the following year. She later appeared in the action thriller film Spartan (2004) and received praise for her performance in the television drama film Gracie's Choice (2004).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grinch</span> Fictional character created by Dr. Seuss

The Grinch is a fictional character created by children's author and cartoonist Dr. Seuss. He is best known as the main character of the 1957 children's book How the Grinch Stole Christmas! He has been portrayed and voiced by many actors, including Boris Karloff, Hans Conried, Bob Holt, Walter Matthau, Anthony Asbury, Jim Carrey, Rik Mayall, Benedict Cumberbatch, Matthew Morrison, David Howard Thornton, and James Austin Johnson.

Caroline Williams is an American actress and producer. She is best known for her role as Stretch in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre film series. Her other film roles include Alamo Bay (1985), The Legend of Billie Jean (1985), Stepfather II (1989), Days of Thunder (1990), Leprechaun 3 (1995), How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), Halloween II (2009), and Hatchet III (2013). Williams has made guest appearances on several television series such as Hunter (1987), Murder, She Wrote (1992), ER (1996), Suddenly Susan (1996), Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (1997), The District (2003), and Grey's Anatomy (2010).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kristen Wiig</span> American actress and comedian (born 1973)

Kristen Carroll Wiig is an American actress, comedian, screenwriter and producer. First breaking through as a performer with the Los Angeles comedy troupe The Groundlings, Wiig achieved stardom during her seven-season tenure on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 2005 to 2012.

<i>How the Grinch Stole Christmas</i> (2000 film) 2000 Christmas film by Ron Howard

How the Grinch Stole Christmas is a 2000 American Christmas fantasy comedy film directed by Ron Howard, who also produced with Brian Grazer, from a screenplay written by Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman. The film was based on Dr. Seuss's 1957 children's book of the same name, as the first Dr. Seuss book to be adapted into a full-length feature film and the first of only two live-action Dr. Seuss films. This was also the second adaptation of the book.

<i>How the Grinch Stole Christmas!</i> (TV special) 1966 American animated television special based on the book by Dr. Seuss

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! is a 1966 American animated television special, directed and co-produced by Chuck Jones. Based on the 1957 children's book of the same name by Dr. Seuss, the special features the voice of Boris Karloff as the Grinch. It tells the story of the Grinch, who tries to ruin Christmas for the townsfolk of Whoville below his mountain hideaway.

<i>The Haunting Hour: Dont Think About It</i> 2007 American film

R. L. Stine's The Haunting Hour: Don't Think About It is a 2007 American children's horror film based on the children's book of the same name by R. L. Stine. The film was directed by Alex Zamm, written by Dan Angel and Billy Brown, and stars Emily Osment, Cody Linley, Brittany Curran, and Tobin Bell. It was released direct-to-DVD. The plot follows a goth girl named Cassie moving into a new town and fascinated by the occult. At a mysterious Halloween store, the store owner insists on selling her an old book. Stuck with her brother Max on Halloween night, she reads the book to him, despite the book's warnings not to read it out loud or think about its monster. After the monster comes to life and captures Max, Cassie, with help from her friend, must save Max and defeat the monster before their parents return from a Halloween party.

George DelHoyo, also known as George Deloy, is a Uruguayan-born American actor.

Unstable Fables is a trilogy of animated films produced by The Jim Henson Company in association with Flame Ventures, Prana Studios, and The Weinstein Company. The direct-to-DVD feature-length films were distributed by Genius Products.

Straight No Chaser (SNC) is a professional American a cappella group that originated in 1996 at Indiana University. Originally a student group at Indiana University, they recorded a video in 1998 of a comical version of "The 12 Days of Christmas". The founding members all graduated, to be replaced by other students, in 1999. In 2007, the 1998 video went viral on YouTube, and subsequently led to a reunion of the founding members and a five-album record deal with Atlantic Records in 2008. The YouTube video has been viewed over 24 million times.

<i>Yogi Bear</i> (film) 2010 film by Eric Brevig

Yogi Bear is a 2010 American 3D live-action/animated comedy film directed by Eric Brevig and written by Brad Copeland, Joshua Sternin and Jennifer Ventimilia. Based on the Hanna-Barbera animated television series The Yogi Bear Show, the film stars Anna Faris, Tom Cavanagh, T.J. Miller, Nate Corddry and Andrew Daly, alongside the voices of Dan Aykroyd and Justin Timberlake. The film centers on Ranger Smith as he teams up with his girlfriend Rachel Johnson, Yogi Bear, and Boo-Boo Bear to stop their home, Jellystone Park, from being logged. Production on the film took place in New Zealand in October 2008.

<i>Sarahs Choice</i> 2009 American drama film

Sarah's Choice is a 2009 American direct-to-video Christian drama film directed by Chad Kapper. The film was the first lead film role for contemporary Christian singer-songwriter Rebecca St. James as the title character, along with Andrea Logan White and Dick Van Patten. Christian comedian Brad Stine also appears in the film, along with Charlene Tilton and Staci Keanan. It was released to DVD on November 1, 2009, and was aired on February 27, 2010, on the Trinity Broadcasting Network.

<i>The Dilemma</i> 2011 film by Ron Howard

The Dilemma is a 2011 American comedy-drama film directed by Ron Howard, written by Allan Loeb and starring Vince Vaughn and Kevin James. The film follows savvy businessman Ronny (Vaughn) and genius engineer Nick (James), who are best friends and partners in an auto design firm. They are pursuing a project to make their firm famous. Ronny sees Nick's wife Geneva kissing another man. Ronny seeks out answers and has to figure out how to tell Nick about what he saw while working with him to complete their critical presentation.

The Bolt Who Screwed Christmas is an independent animated short film and a parody of How the Grinch Stole Christmas! written and directed by John Wardlaw and animated by Andy Angrand. The film features the final performance of actor Jonathan Harris and co-stars Tress MacNeille. The film also features an original score by Gary Stockdale and music by director John Wardlaw's band, Anti-m.

<i>Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album</i> Soundtrack album by the cast of the American television series Glee

Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album is the fourth soundtrack album by the cast of the American musical television series Glee, produced by Ryan Murphy and Adam Anders. The album was released digitally on November 9, 2010, with physical copies available from November 16, 2010. It accompanies the second season episode "A Very Glee Christmas", which aired on December 7, 2010. Dante Di Loreto and Brad Falchuk serve as the album's executive producers. The album debuted at the top position of the Billboard Soundtracks chart, and peaked at number three on the Billboard 200. Songs from the album also landed on various different record charts across the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brad Stine</span> American stand-up comedian, actor, and author

Brad Stine is an American actor, author, and comedian. Stine first gained notability in the early 2000s when he was identified as a conservative Christian on his debut album, Put a Helmet On!

<i>The Grinch</i> (film) 2018 animated film by Scott Mosier and Yarrow Cheney

The Grinch, also known as Dr. Seuss' The Grinch, is a 2018 American animated Christmas comedy film produced by Illumination and distributed by Universal Pictures. The third screen adaptation of Dr. Seuss' 1957 book How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, following the 1966 television special and the 2000 live-action feature-length film, the film is Illumination's second Dr. Seuss film adaptation, after The Lorax in 2012. The plot follows the Grinch and his pet dog Max who plan to stop Whoville's Christmas celebration by stealing all the town's decorations and gifts.

<i>Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween</i> 2018 film by Ari Sandel

Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween is a 2018 American horror comedy film directed by Ari Sandel and written by Rob Lieber from a story by Lieber and Darren Lemke. A stand-alone sequel to 2015's Goosebumps, it is based on the children's horror book series of the same name by R. L. Stine. The new cast consists of Wendi McLendon-Covey, Madison Iseman, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Caleel Harris, Chris Parnell, and Ken Jeong. The plot follows two young boys who accidentally release the monsters from the Goosebumps franchise in their town after opening an unpublished Goosebumps manuscript titled Haunted Halloween, causing a wave of destruction on Halloween night.

References

  1. ↑ Announcement on GMCTV's website Archived 2011-03-08 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ↑ Programming schedule on GMCTV Archived 2011-11-23 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ↑ Church Showings – Christmas with a Capital C Archived September 22, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ↑ "Portland Mercury on the movie's trailer". Archived from the original on 2010-12-29. Retrieved 2011-01-10.
  5. ↑ "Similarities with the Grinch tale". Archived from the original on 2010-09-23. Retrieved 2011-01-10.
  6. ↑ "Dove Foundation Review". Archived from the original on 2011-07-20. Retrieved 2011-01-10.
  7. ↑ Different log line on GMCTV advertising Archived 2011-11-23 at the Wayback Machine
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.