Summary
With a clunky storyline, and a basic Christmas theme and message, this film is easily one to miss this festive season.
We review the Netflix film Delivery by Christmas (2022), which does not contain spoilers.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year when even the most badly acted, simply written, and cheesy films fill our hearts with warmth and joy. Delivery by Christmas is a Polish romantic comedy film set to get you into the Christmas spirit with its quirky characters and cheesy Christmas tropes. However, by the end, I was left more somber than in the Christmas spirit as the film misses comedic marks and doesn’t push the romance enough.
Directed by Aleksandra Kulakowska and Maciej Prykowski, the film has a big cast and stars Tomasz Schuchardt, Lukasz Simlat, Miroslaw Baka, Dorota Kolak, Piotr Pacek, Zdzislaw Wardejn, Maria Maj, Monika Frajczyk, Marek Kalita, Justyna Karlowska, Barbara Kurzaj, Malgorzata Hajewska, Franciszek Krupowicz, Zuzanna Pulawska, Lukasz Gawronski, and Radoslaw Rozniecki. All of them deserve credit as the acting throughout is pretty decent, there’s good chemistry between the characters, and they tell the story with an honest approach.
The story surrounds Maria, a delivery driver, trying to get all her deliveries done before Christmas so she can spend it with her son Maks. However, a spiteful coworker sabotages her deliveries, mixing them all up and causing chaos. She must race to return the presents to their intended recipients. On the way, she meets Krzysztof, a businessman who wants to propose but needs to get his engagement ring from his grandfather and instructs Maria to do so, this now gets mixed up in the madness, and he ends up joining her on her journey. In their adventure, they fight, make up, and become friends, and you can see a romance building, but it’s softly played out.
The film is a little slow in pace, as a lot of it is done inside a car, so nothing much happens dramatically to build suspense or severely get in their way. We get to see little mini subplots throughout of the people that have been affected by the misgivings and received the wrong gifts, but these aren’t as funny as I think they were intended or could have been, and can be a little too serious for a Christmas film. The storyline also does two or three flashbacks, which didn’t work for me. It made the film feel clunky and was a bit confusing.
What makes a Christmas movie is the message it sends. It should have a clear, concise message for its audiences. This film missed that mark a little, as the ending was simple and plain. I think the main message is about new beginnings and that misunderstandings can lead to better things.
While this film follows a slightly predictable storyline and includes lots of classic Christmas tropes, such as redemption, family, hope, and Christmas cheer, it still has a charm that makes it a nice watch. It could be a simple holiday film to watch.
What did you think of the Netflix film Delivery by Christmas (2022)? Comment below.
