Overview
A family reunion reveals deep-seated secrets and tensions, all under the guise of holiday cheer.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- acerbic
- melancholic
- witty
- holiday viewing
- winter evening
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a sharp, involving black comedy whose chaotic family gathering is sustained by an impressive ensemble cast.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The Vuillard gathering turns cruel words, drunken toasts, quarrels, and bad behavior into sustained blackly comic friction.
Elizabeth's banishment of Henri and the family's accumulated secrets shape every interaction at Christmas.
Junon's need for a compatible bone marrow donor brings the scattered Vuillard family back together.
The film incorporates bursts of old movies, lines from books, half-remembered conversations, and multiple family perspectives.
Films like A Christmas Tale, and why
The Royal Tenenbaums
sharp dysfunctional-family comedy, Christmas gathering, emotional volatility, and ensemble performances
The Family Stone
bittersweet holiday family drama centered on estrangement, old wounds, and intimate domestic conflict
The Return of the Prodigal Son
French ensemble family drama combining caustic humor, buried resentments, and reconciliation pressures
The Ice Storm
emotionally expansive family gathering shaped by illness, secrets, and complex sibling relationships
Movie Details
- Director
- Arnaud Desplechin
- Release Date
- 2008-05-21
- Runtime
- 152 min
- Rating
- 6.8 / 10 (178)
Cast
- Catherine Deneuve
- Jean-Paul Roussillon
- Anne Consigny
- Mathieu Amalric
- Chiara Mastroianni
- Melvil Poupaud
- Emmanuelle Devos
- Hippolyte Girardot
- Laurent Capelluto
- Émile Berling
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, Sundance Now
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is A Christmas Tale about?
- A caustically funny French Christmas reunion turns a bone marrow crisis into a volatile reckoning with family estrangement, illness, and obligation.
- What is A Christmas Tale like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of A Christmas Tale as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is A Christmas Tale violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in A Christmas Tale as mild.
- What did critics think of A Christmas Tale?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a sharp, involving black comedy whose chaotic family gathering is sustained by an impressive ensemble cast.
- Which films are like A Christmas Tale?
- Films with a similar feel include The Royal Tenenbaums, The Family Stone, The Return of the Prodigal Son, and The Ice Storm.
- How long is A Christmas Tale?
- A Christmas Tale runs 152 minutes.
- Where can I watch A Christmas Tale?
- In United States, A Christmas Tale streams on Philo, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, Sundance Now.
