If Robert Altman had made a Christmas movie, it might be something like Christmas Eve at Miller's Point, only it would almost certainly be much better. This film left me completely bewildered. It has energy and seems enthusiastically made. That said, it lacks the elements we typically expect from a movie. Perhaps that was the point? I still don't get it, even if it was.
A large family gathers at their ancestral home for Christmas Eve. Most don't know that the house is being sold because the elderly matriarch can no longer live there alone. Obviously, that's not a plot; it's a situation. Approximately two dozen characters participate in that situation. We don't learn much about their relationships. We don't even know most of their names. You might recognize some of the actors. Elsie Fisher (Eighth Grade) is in the cast, as is Francesca, Martin Scorsese's daughter. Michael Cera has a small supporting role as a police officer.
Director: Tyler Taormina
Writers: Eric Berger, Tyler Taormina, Kevin Anton
Stars: Matilda Fleming, Maria Dizzia, Ben Shenkman
That's where things get confusing. Director Tyler Taormina effectively recreates the chaos of arriving at a family gathering, where snippets of conversations are overheard as you move from room to room. Scenes often last only a few seconds and aren't connected to an overarching narrative. Occasionally, you might glimpse a character's personal problem, though none of them are ever developed. The most obvious drama occurs when the teenagers sneak off to try and get beer in a neighboring town.
Christmas Eve at Miller's Point is a collection of undefined characters in a nonexistent story. Honestly, I've been to family gatherings that resembled this movie exactly. That's fine in real life. However, when we go to the movies, we arrive with the implicit understanding that we will meet new people and understand their dilemmas. We expect a beginning, a middle, and an end that naturally intertwine. This film offers none of that. It's nearly two hours of random behavior without a greater purpose.
That's a long time to get practically nothing. To compensate for the lack of a formal plot, Christmas at Miller's Point relies on an excessive number of musical montages featuring old songs, which isn't enough to save it. To be fair, the film certainly makes you feel like you've attended a noisy family gathering, especially because of the overwhelming urge it gives you to leave, go home, and take an ibuprofen for the pounding headache it causes.
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