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Un-Christmasing a Christmas Movie

Posted by Christmas Movie Critic in Christmas Movies

Last Christmas we endured the absurd, nearly obligatory annual release of a Christmas-themed farce titled Unaccompanied Minors. Following a now tired formula of kids-left-behind at Christmas, Unaccompanied Minors tells the story of a group of kids who cause havoc at a snowed-in airport on Christmas Eve.

This gem was released by Warner Brothers on DVD this week.

Last year at this time, as previews of the movie were shown promising the arrival of a “sensational bound-to-be-classic holiday movie event”, we were led to believe by the film’s marketers that Unaccompanied Minors was a Christmas movie. But this year, they take a whole new angle with the release of the movie on DVD:

Christmas has nothing to do with it.

There are no elements of Christmas anywhere on the movie box. No trees, lights or cute little snowmen. What was once a “bound-to-be-holiday-classic” on the big screen is completely forgotten on the DVD release.

Why remove the Christmas from a Christmas movie? Especially in a movie as bad as this one where Christmas was the only thing it had going for it?

We’re guessing that it has a little something to do with money. Releasing a Christmas movie for distribution in the heat of summer isn’t exactly a brilliant stroke of business genius. Yes, those of us who are year round Christmas nuts would gladly buy a Christmas movie and watch it right now. But for the common Christmas enthusiast August isn’t exactly peak season.

But comedy — so-called in this case — sells year round. And Christmas takes a back seat to comedy.