I do like dark/bleak comedies, but this just takes too long and does not have enough to tell. Don't get it twisted, this is not a family picture nor your typical Christmas movie, which I all knew going in and you should too. The story does not just happen to be around Christmas time though, it's supposed to be that way, to show us what happens behind close doors and the other side of Christmas (see also Neighbors and their "way" of celebrating).The humor is not lost to me, but the message is not sufficient enough to warrant the running time. There are a lot of long pauses that are supposed to enhance the "message", but only succeed in stopping the movie in its tracks. The performances are good enough, but the characters do not have much to say other than the central message. A few nice set pieces (see Neighbors) are not enough to help elevate this. There are worse movies, but this misses out on a couple of things too

This movie is jast all wrong. It has an ongoing countdown to Christmas day but we don't even get to see what happens on Christmas day! In fact we don't get to see what happens with other important factors in the film. The turning point of the story. The death; has no resolution! They know who done it early on in the movie but at the end of the movie it's said there are no leads! Also the moments that are intended to be shocking or surprising are obvious taking away the excitement from them. And her behavior which I assume is supposed to be the most intriguing part of the movie is quite understandable.This said, the main character's acting is impressive and likable. And after about an hour I was drawn to her and the story. But it just seems so badly thought out. Thrown together without being fully thought out. There are so many pointless parts of the movie. Really. The most pointless to me is the two times we watch her sit on the toilet! really. Yuk. All in all it did intrigue me enough to disappoint me so it's not all bad but I just wish someone had corrected this story before it was released.

Well yes, once again we see that seconds do indeed count when editing a film, don't they? And more are definitely not always better. This movie could well be used in film school to illustrate exactly that point. A scene of someone lying on a couch farting and then sniffing could maybe, maybe be amusing for two or three seconds, but add just one or two or (NO!) three or four more beats and the drag factor just multiplies agonizingly. She stands on a meaningless beach, and we must sit and watch her stand on that beach. Over and over again she cries while sitting on a toilet, and there we are stuck in the airless bathroom with her, endlessly and pointlessly observing until we realize that the great thing about the old days of VHS was that the fast forward button was always right there so very close and ready in our grip. One important point I would like to make is that this is NOT a family Christmas movie, despite the title and some reviewers calling it a dark comedy. It involves death and drugs and porn and alcohol abuse and pathetically, childishly, boringly simulated sex. I have the strong suspicion that no one involved in this project has ever had an actual orgasm. And that includes the caterers and the key grips, dammit. And there's even an orgy in the movie! Don't get your hopes up about that, its about as erotic and intimate as an SNL skit, without any musical guest to look forward to. One last point for yall film school kids... dialog is a really, really good thing. And it costs nothing. Most of the conversations in this movie are three or four sentences long and the last one is usually "Me too" or "I know". And then we are left staring at a dining table or a mall or one more too long time at the reliably blank and dazed actress's face. And we certainly know just how she feels. Or rather, doesn't feel. And what oh what is the deal with so many directors feeling the need to show people throwing up? With actual material seen coming out of their mouths? Is there supposed to be something interesting or real or daring about that? Enough! I seem to see it all the time and there is simply not. Three vomits in one movie is prove that the storytellers really had nothing whatsoever better to say. A man does die unexpectedly early in this film, and as time went on I noticed myself experiencing a certain gut response to his quick exit and I just now realized what that feeling actually was... envy. NOBODY has enough time to watch this movie. Quadriplegics don't have that kind of time on their hands.

The obscene and mundane nature of this film will throw some people off, but dark comedies aren't suppose to avoid disturbances, drabness, or oddity. The Director, Zach Clark, manages to convey great emotion in everyday occurrences, sometimes without dialogue, which is quite a feat. He does it in a different type of Christmas movie that is centered around a tragedy, but which has a humorous touch that keeps it entertaining, and that conveys ideas with a real heart. Though Anna Margaret Hollyman isn't well-known, she does a great job anchoring the film as a character who desperately wants it to feel like Christmas despite being overcome with grief. If you enjoy dark humor and don't need a movie to lecture you, or be overly puritanical, I highly recommend White Reindeer. It is a low-budget classic.