The Christmas Chronicles

The Christmas Chronicles has quietly become one of the more dependable comedies currently available in Australia on Netflix, and in the US on Netflix. It knows exactly what kind of film it is from the opening scene, and never loses that thread. With 2,403 viewer ratings on TMDB, this is not a title flying under the radar. Watch it for Darby Camp — stay for everyone else around them. Put it on tonight on Netflix and see for yourself.

Part of the current wave of titles people are actually watching, The Christmas Chronicles earns its spot. The Christmas Chronicles gets the fundamentals right first, then finds room to get weird with it. Siblings Kate and Teddy try to prove Santa Claus is real, but when they accidentally cause his sleigh to crash, they have to save Christmas. Darby Camp and Judah Lewis lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 2018. The timing in The Christmas Chronicles is precise enough that even the throwaway lines land on a second watch. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

Comedy fans looking for a reliably funny watch will find it in The Christmas Chronicles. It stands on its own even without an obvious comparison point. It is a manageable watch, easy to fit into a single evening. Darby Camp is funny in a way that holds up on rewatch. Put it on when you need something guaranteed to land.