Christmas Above the Clouds
Writers: Christine Garver, Stephanie Jackson; adapted from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Director: Peter Benson
Cast: Erin Krakow, Tyler Hynes, Emily Tennant, Faith Wright, Matthew Clarke, Christine Chatelain, Gabrielle Rose, Garfield Wilson
Erin Krakow (Santa Tell Me) plays Ella Neezer — yes, Ella Neezer — the CEO of a travel company who just wants to skip Christmas entirely. Fortunately for her, she's figured out a way to do just that: book a flight from NYC to Australia on Christmas Eve and, voila, you'll arrive down under on Dec. 26th. Unfortunately for her underlings, they have to have an entirely new marketing plan knocked out by the time Ella lands in Australia. And it's even worse for her assistant Bobbi Cratchit (Holiday Hotline's Emily Tennant), who has to accompany Ella on this daylong journey in coach, away from her sick son.
Ella is in for a surprise, though — and not just in the form of dead people reentering her life. She has a very alive surprise waiting for her across the aisle in first class: her ex Jake (Tyler Hynes). Okay, and then all the ghosts show up and things get super Dickensian over the Pacific Ocean.
Home for the Holidays: Uh, anywhere but, please! Ella is the "Grind Culture Queen of NYC" and, having lived in NYC for, 19 years, I know the type. For Ella to be their queen? I'd pray to never end up on her payroll.
'Twas the Night Before this Movie: As we find out, Ella's mentor Marlene Jacobson died on Christmas Eve — and that's not the worst thing that Ella's gone through on the night before Christmas.
They Brought Presence: Give it up for Matthew Clarke (#Xmas), who pulls double duty as the pilot/Ghost of Christmas Present. This is traditionally the jolly and jovial ghost, and oh wow does Clarke go all out with an exaggerated Australian accent. The key here is, Clarke manages to play an over-the-top character that stays funny and is never annoying. You love to see such big, broad characters in a Hallmark movie.
Ho Ho Ho: Christine Garver and Stephanie Jackson really packed in the punchlines. Two of my fave jokes:
- "Must be something wrong with that champagne." "Well, duh, it's Prosecco."
- "I'm literally caught dead in something I wouldn't be caught dead in!"
Garver and Jackson were the writers behind last year's Trivia at St. Nick's, a movie that overall fell short for me but earned high marks in "merriment" (a.k.a. comedy). I'm happy to see that this duo was given a high profile and high concept Hallmark movie, and that they were able to bring their comedic voice to it. Great script.
Exactly As Advertised: No, it's not. I mean, it was literally advertised as a Christmas Carol riff, but I don't watch Hallmark's ads. Strictly going by the movie's title, yeah, it is a Christmas above the clouds, but the crucial word "Carol" is nowhere to be found. I will admit, not knowing anything about this movie made me buckle up when I saw Charles Dickens' name in the opening credits.
I think it's safe to say that we as a society are good when it comes to Christmas Carol parodies, pastiches, tributes, riffs, and ripoffs. We especially don't need more of them starring a high-powered SheEO who learns the meaning of Christmas. Been there, done that, diva. So, do we need Christmas Above the Clouds? No. A Christmas Carol, but as told through flight attendant specifics, is such a bizarre idea, I don't know how this movie got made.
But I'm glad it did.
This premise is so wacky, and the clash of genres gives this movie a degree of difficulty that's also above the clouds. It's A Christmas Carol told through air travel tropes, mashed up with a traditional Hallmark holiday romcom. That's so much! Why would a writer do that to themselves?!
That's why I'm in such awe of Christine Garver and Stephanie Jackson. They managed to work in every one of Dickens' details (like how Ella keeps the office freezing cold), worked in so many fantastic airline details (oh my god, that perky AF flight attendant), and wove in a romantic through line that's among the best I've seen in recent years. There is so much going on here, but it more than makes sense.
This is due in large part to Erin Krakow, who might just be the best all around actress in the Hallmark constellation of stars. She manages to play Ella as ruthless and cruel in a way that never negates her tender moments. And when we meet young Ella — also played by Erin who somehow looks 10 years younger??? — her entire trajectory, from wide-eyed and wistful to worried and wiked, becomes crystal clear.
The only fault I have with the movie is one that I have with a lot of Hallmark movies and A Christmas Carol: it runs out of steam in the home stretch. That's partly because the Ghost of Christmas Future portion is always the dullest part of the story (IMO). And due to Hallmark's precisely timed act breaks, we're left with a long stretch post-denouement that feels like going through the motions of, well, performing A Christmas Carol.
But that's a nitpick. An outstanding, surprisingly original take on literally the most tired Christmas story around is hard to pull off, and Christmas Above the Clouds does it.
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