The Christmas Caper tells a story of boy and a girl, but that's where the similarities between this movie and any other you've seen ends. This movie is not your standard romantic comedy, nor a family drama with cardboard characters going through the motions of some Melrose or Judging Amy life struggle. This is a tour-de-force of acting and direction, that sets up characters that you both care about, the young sister Katherine (played by newcomer Ariel McCoy), and hate, like the evil older brother (played by perennial bad-boy Patrick McCoy). This time around Patrick shows his acting chops by stepping out from behind the band and his usual music-driven roles and dives into the "Grinch" role of our time, as Harry. When you combine this inspired performance with the fact that this is his first time behind the camera, AND directing, you can see why this movie really shines. If you see only one movie this holiday season, this is the one.
Katherine and "Grandma"
My viewing was the early show, so it wasn't a packed house, but the crowd really got into the action. The Grandma performance put in by Elaine McCoy was solid, but this isn't her best work. I don't think she liked playing the supporting role to Ariel, and seemed to want to take the character in a different direction than director McCoy. However, given the break-out success of this project, I'm guessing she'll be on the casting couch for Patrick again before this hits print.
Christmas Time has Come
Ariel's portrayal of Katherine, however, was spot-on, and leads our story down the problem-riddled road of Christmas gift buying. A less established director/producer may have gone for a more politically-correct story line, perhaps by calling it the "Annual Gift Caper", but this is one area where Mr. McCoy plays for the cheap sentimental attachment of the majority of US viewers. I personally feel this unnecessarily alienates the Jewish audience, and probably will force The Christmas Caper to be overlooked come awards time. I'd also like to mention here that the soundtrack to this movie is marvelous, with 2 versions of "Blue Christmas" being featured (without paying royalties for either), but the editing is a bit shoddy and sometimes it tramples on the voice track.
A Stunned Katherine
After the setup, we're wholly convinced that a 7-year-old girl can truly find the perfect gift and still find time to make cookies, but her brother is so woeful as to get a fruit of which is Grandma is allergic! This is the one real comedic setup of the angst-ridden tale, and provides a nice tension relief at the story's climax. The costumes and special effects are really top-notch for an indy film, and I personally love the "Red Ridinghood" homage that sells without going over the top with a "what big teeth you have" reference.
The gumshoe of the story is played by Dave McCoy, and he puts teeth into the role even though he's saddled with the trademark fedora. Thankfully in this world of oversold drugs and violence, Detective Dave is never seen brandishing a weapon, nor working a crack addict snitch to solve the case. As with most real crimes, if you just follow the facts, the case breaks open right before your eyes.
Detective Dave
Although there are some twists and turns in this flick, it is sort of kids stuff, and you'll probably guess the ending before the final scene, but I won't play the spoiler here. Suffice it to say, it's all in the family. One final note, it's nice to see that even with the budget that the studio gave Mr. McCoy to produce this film, he was able to show everyday people and values, and make it entertaining to boot.
The Accusations Fly!
5 stars!
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