WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
Subduing the odds when they seem hopelessly stacked against you is never the ideal scenario. With it being so much easier to simply cave to what we believe is not able to be overcome, any opportunity to rise up, stand firm, and claim a victory likewise seems too elusive to grasp. But, when the right elements come together, and we find we’re far from alone in the desire to see the better angels prevail, there’s a newfound realization–we CAN and WILL prevail. For the blended Bennett/Song family, it is such a time as their local community center for at-risk kids becomes a target for ruthless businessman, Aiden (Corbin Bernsen) and his equally unprincipled accomplices, brother Paul (Fred Buchalter) and Paul’s fiancée Tessa (Kaiti Wallen). Soon, it’s up to Cole Bennett (Harley Wallen), his wife Susan Song (Aphrodite Nikolovski), uncle Adam Song (James Caverly), stepdaughter Pearl Song (Calhoun Koenig) and Grandpa Sam Bennett (Dennis Haskins) to rally a family and preserve not only their community center, but their bonds and Christmas holiday as well.
Next, my Mind:
Uncomplicated, straightforward, solidly dramatic, whimsically playful, and possessing an undeniably feel-good effort for the upcoming Christmas season with its ultimate messages of facing the trials life throws at you, keeping your head up, and finding the fortitude to vanquish anything that stands in your way through teamwork, kinship, and hope, this 117-minute indie feature from director/co-producer/actor Harley Wallen, writer/co-producer/executive producer Nancy Oeswein, and executive producers Thor Grandview, Annette Cama, and Bud Garfield shines brightly with refreshingly and “oh-so-needed-now” uplifting, carefree, and positive vibes relative to other films this critic has seen from Wallen & Co. like “Agramon’s Gate“, “Eternal Code“, and “Abstruse“. I truly believe that with its Hallmark Channel-style tone and execution, it makes for a film you can just sit back, settle in with, and appreciate for precisely what it’s intended to be, regardless of even knowing in advance how the narrative and events depicted should, or most likely will, end up from the start.
Furthermore, what I always consistently mention and laud about indie cinema is its ability to produce material overall that is not just entertaining, but usually highly relatable, grounded, and filled with reminders of elements in life that are very much worth applying to our actual lives. Here, there is once more no exception to this pattern, as the story centering on a large blended family’s adventures to save their local community center from the talons of a deeply (yet SO wonderfully, gleefully, love-to-hate) conscienceless, exploitive, virtually Scrooge-like businessman carries with it a kaleidoscope of thematic explorations ranging from the realities of this type of family set-up, dreams, friendships, life’s challenges, disappointments, victories, love, loss, the pain and gain 0f change, serving others above ourselves, a little teen romance for good measure, and the foundational meaning of the Holidays while also delving into greed, racism/bigotry, affairs, and coming to the realization of what’s important in life that supersedes material wealth and selfish ambition. In many respects, it maintains an underlying “A Christmas Carol” aura.
Likewise throw in some comical facets and additional lessons in reunions, forgiveness/reconciliation, and how sometimes things are not always as they appear and you’ve honestly got a well-rounded, completely family-friendly film that elicits the kind of sentiment and joyful feelings you wish (or, frankly, SHOULD wish) to have during the Holiday time, but even more so during the crazed actuality we’re all experiencing currently thanks to a 2020 taken away by a certain, annoyingly intrusive virus-that-shall-not-be-named and associated pandemic. We very much require something that at least allows us to escape from it all, even if just for a few hours, and this film does fit the bill nicely, with a diverse myriad of engaging, pleasingly memorable, and enjoyable characters bringing us as the viewer along for the ride, leading to a finale that, admittedly, was fully predictable–but who cares?? It doesn’t distract or take away from the core heart and spirit the film offers. Visually smooth and producing multiple original musical numbers performed by cast members, it really is a total package of jolly-ness to absorb.
Bernsen is at his purposefully, lovably, veteran character-actor best, fully in the “hammy villian” zone, exuding the necessary, full-on, intentionally exaggerated arrogance required to play the role of Aiden, a cold-hearted, money-driven, morally compromised businessman whose sole focus is to grab ownership of the Bennett/Song family’s town’s community center in order to roll over the building in the name of commercialism and overt avarice. Showing no sense of acknowledging the human factors involved who will pay the price for his glory, it soon becomes a much bigger and potentially far less profitable fight against one family’s ultimately stout-hearted intent to keep things just as they should be. Bernsen has always played this type of character with, as hinted at earlier, a ire-inspiring glee that such a character should evoke, and there’s no doubt you are both laughing and yelling at Aiden each time he’s on screen, a total credit to the ongoing excellence that is constantly delivered with raw passion and talent by Bernsen.
Fellow acting veteran Haskins brings his indelibly affable demeanor to bear again, this time as the family Grandfather, Sam, who becomes the cornerstone of the family’s choosing to stand up against Aiden, inspiring them to come together as a unified front and to instill the needed encouragement that they CAN win out. Harley Wallen leaves behind the often “tough guy” persona to take on an effective, apropos “everyman” role as Cole, a father whose having to deal with both an aspiring performer stepdaughter and a pregnant wife he’s attempting to keep from going insane with notions about the baby. Nikolovski is perfect as Cole’s wife Susan, a woman caught in the hormonal shifts of the pregnancy who’s also facing the absence of her beloved daughter and another who she doesn’t wish to “lose”. Koenig trades in a more recently–monstrous–presence (see “Agramon’s Gate!) for a beautifully innocent one as Pearl, Cole’s stepdaughter whose aspirations to be a pro musician yield frustration and opportunity during the family crisis. Kaiti Wallen exudes an almost quiet menace yet deer-in-the-headlights manner as Tessa, Paul’s fiancée and Aiden’s conspirator in possibly more ways than one.
Caverly does a fantastic job through both drama and humor in his role as a family uncle, Adam, whose stalwart and heartfelt efforts as a teacher to kids at the community center bring key factors to trying to save the facility. Buchalter plays Aiden’s more-a-doormat-than-anything brother Paul with just the right level of impact to first hate but then sympathize with character. Primary supporting roles are legion, including Bryce Xavier as teen music sensation Logan French, Victoria Mullen as Susan’s rather “off” mother Martha, Morgan Nimmo, Evan Keoshian, Dennis Marin, Aleksandra Luca, Da’Mya Gogoua, Joseph Ouellette, Janellyn Woo, Lucas Yessayan, La’Kenya Howard-Luster, Arielle Olkhovsky, Maya Patel, Rees Curran, and Cayleigh Brown as Bennett/Song siblings. Additional primary and supporting appearances are made (but not even CLOSE to limited to) Angelina Danielle Cama, Vickie Lynn Smith, Chevonne Wilson, Kyle Patrick, Skylar Mayton, Phillip Shaun DeVone, Kimberly Cruchon Brooks, Colleen Gentry, Shirley Moon Koebbe, Denise Emilia Sandulescu, Shelby Bradley, Bennie Taylor, Lauren Carlini, Marie Muhammad, and Jordan Prisby. ALL others, truly, KUDOS to you, too!!
So, in total, “A Bennett Song Holiday” stands as a testament to the value of hard work, perseverance, family, happiness, giving, peace, and conquering the seemingly impossible while also showcasing the spirit of the Christmas season and all it entails with a wholly embraceable sense of restful hope and comfort that is in such dire need in this current year and, we ideally hope, well beyond.
As always this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
