Arthur Christmas

Right now you can watch Arthur Christmas in the UK on Sky Go and Now TV Cinema — and it is funnier than its reputation suggests. It knows exactly what kind of film it is from the opening scene, and never loses that thread. With 1,649 viewer ratings on TMDB, this is not a title flying under the radar. James McAvoy sets the tone, and the rest of the cast matches it scene for scene. Put it on tonight on Sky Go and see for yourself.

Arthur Christmas arrived without much fanfare and built its audience the hard way — through word of mouth. Sharp writing and a well-matched ensemble are what separate Arthur Christmas from the crowd. For hundreds of years, the Claus family has delegated the title "Santa" to a chosen few of its members, which can be passed down upon retirement. Each Christmas, Santa and his vast army of highly trained elves produce gifts and distribute them around the world in a one-night high-tech operation. However, when one of 600 million children to receive a gift from Santa on Christmas Eve is missed, it is deemed ‘acceptable’ to all but one—Arthur Claus, the current Santa’s misfit son deemed ineligible for the title, who executes an unauthorised rookie mission to get the last present halfway around the globe before dawn on Christmas morning. James McAvoy and Hugh Laurie lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 2011. Arthur Christmas earns its laughs from character rather than situation, which is why it does not wear thin the way pure farce tends to. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

Comedy fans looking for a reliably funny watch will find it in Arthur Christmas. It stands on its own even without an obvious comparison point. Best experienced as a single, sustained watch from start to finish. James McAvoy's comic timing carries it through its weaker moments. The kind of comedy you recommend to someone who claims they do not watch much.