2 Movies Like Christmas ...Again?! (2021)

Staff & contributors

, 2023

Dogleg is quite an unusual debut. For starters, the film doesn’t take one straightforward narrative– it shifts into various side stories, from a search for a fiancée's dog conducted via hoverboard, to a period blood spell casted on a Colorado farm, to a crew member being approached rather strangely by two women, to Al’s disastrous shoot, with each section led by a different lead. It is also certainly strange to insert commentary about the film within the film itself, with the lead, and writer-director Al Warren doing the commenting. But this metanarrative is certainly interesting, and funny, and takes unexpected, remarkable turns for a debut feature.

Genre: Comedy

Actor: Al Warren, Angela Trimbur, Bridey Elliott, Chad Damiani, Courtney Pauroso, David Aaron Baker, DeMorge Brown, Dylan Redford, Ella Smith, Jamie Granato, Kristoffer Borgli, Nick Pinkerton, Sally Mullins

Director: Al Warren

Though it tries to root itself in the relatable situation of comparing oneself to others amid the often forced positivity of the Christmas season, Best. Christmas. Ever!'s disparate parts are so carelessly thrown together that it's hard to take any of it seriously. Potential conflicts in the marriages of its two central couples are tonally incompatible with the film's corny humor and a Miracle on 34th Street-esque subplot about the adults' children trying to prove that Santa is real. This is a totally mixed stew of Christmas movie tropes without rhyme or reason, which would have had a chance to at least be campy if its actors weren't phoning it in either.

Genre: Comedy, Family

Actor: Abby Villasmil, Allan Groves, Brandy Norwood, Camille Cadarette, Chase Ramsey, Heather Graham, Janet Lo, Jason Biggs, Madison Skye Validum, Matt Cedeño, Paul Kiernan, Wyatt Hunt

Director: Mary Lambert

Rating: PG