David Jenkins

This is a good film that could have been very good, even great, with a little more attention paid to the pacing.

Refn’s ultra-principled approach to his craft does not involve fluffing the fandom – rather it aims to furtively draw them into his quixotic cinephile playground, and sometimes leave them stranded.

In all, it’s a massively impressive and effective film, but maybe one that appears so much better because the bar for this type of work is so low.

It’s a charming outing, albeit one that never quite justifies its existence beyond being an easy go-to for parents during the school holidays.

This is a film that feels like its every frame, every nuance, every tension-filled line of dialogue has been pored over in the search for precision, and while it may look and feel like a fairly conventional tale of frayed lives and dysfunction, it’s anything but.

It offers some sage insights into the changing cultural tides and the shift towards more egalitarian parenting methods as the parents discover that the best way to bust young Vincent into line is to simply listen to him.

With its moving musical interludes, comic patter and outrageously chic production design, Bitter Christmas is another dazzling, late-period jewel.

Much of it means well, but very little actually lands in an impactful way.

Banderas is MVP here, and has quietly blossomed into one of the most entertaining and thoughtful actors of his generation. And yet it all feels a little slight, and maybe has more in common with the Jackson movie than initially thought, in that its characterisation feels quite separate from the outspoken, charismatic, wise, troubled personality that was later seared into the public consciousness.

It’s certainly a work that requires a low tolerance for excitement, as the story doesn’t end so much as it enters into a predictable slow fade.