''8-Bit Christmas'' is a 2021 American
Christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...
comedy film
A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...
directed by
Michael Dowse
Michael Dowse (born April 19, 1973) is a Canadian director.
Life and career
Born in London, Ontario, to Irish parents, he was trained as a film editor. His first full-length movie, ''FUBAR'' was shot on a digital camera with a tiny budget, but w ...
, from a screenplay by Kevin Jakubowski based upon his novel of the same name. It stars
Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris (born June 15, 1973) is an American actor, singer, writer, producer, and television host. Primarily known for his comedic television roles and dramatic and musical stage roles, he has received multiple accolades throughout ...
,
Winslow Fegley
Winslow Burke Fegley (born January 23, 2009) is an American child actor. He has starred in the films '' Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made'' (2020), ''Nightbooks'', '' 8-Bit Christmas'' (both 2021), and '' Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile'' (2022).
Life a ...
,
June Diane Raphael
June Diane Raphael ( ; born January 4, 1980) is an American actress, comedian, and screenwriter. She has starred in TV comedy programs ''Burning Love'', Adult Swim's '' NTSF:SD:SUV::'', and ''Grace and Frankie''. Notable film work includes support ...
,
David Cross
David Cross (born April 4, 1964) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, director, and writer known for his stand-up performances, the HBO sketch comedy series ''Mr. Show'' (1995–1998), and his role as Tobias Fünke in the Fox/Netflix sitcom ...
, and
Steve Zahn
Steven James Zahn (; born November 13, 1967) is an American actor and comedian. His film roles include ''Reality Bites'' (1994), ''That Thing You Do!'' (1996), ''Stuart Little'' (1999), '' Shattered Glass'' (2003), ''Sahara'' (2005), '' Chicken Li ...
. The film was released on November 24, 2021, on
HBO Max
HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Netw ...
, receiving generally favorable reviews from critics.
Plot
Jake Doyle (Neil Patrick Harris) recounts to his young cell phone obsessed daughter, Annie, how, as a child in the late 1980s, he got his first
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in America ...
. The movie is told in flashbacks as Jake recalls the memory of that Christmas season when all he wanted was the game console.
Timothy Keane, the richest kid in the grade, is the only kid in town with the new Nintendo entertainment system and all the latest accessories. Every day, Jake and his friends gather with the rest of the school outside of Timmy's house, where he chooses ten kids to play in his basement. Timmy even ends up getting the NES
Power Glove
The Power Glove is a controller accessory for the Nintendo Entertainment System. The Power Glove gained public attention due to its early virtual reality mechanics and significant marketing. However, its two games did not sell well, as it was ...
, only to discover that the product is a bit of a joke.
Tired of pandering to Timmy for access to the coveted Nintendo, Jake dreams of getting his own system for Christmas and approaches his distracted mom and forever
DIY
"Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the method of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as behaviors where "individuals use raw and sem ...
ing dad about getting one for the holidays, only to be shut down on the basis that video games are bad for your brain, and he should play outside more.
Jake's quest for a Nintendo intensifies after Timmy angrily destroys his TV after losing a game, seriously injuring his family's dog. Hearing the first prize of a Scout fundraiser for selling the most Christmas wreaths will be a Nintendo, Jake and his friends compete to sell the most wreaths and win the system.
Jake endures the humiliation of wearing girl boots, shoveling dog poop, and family shopping trips to the mall. His sister has her own desired toy, a
Cabbage Patch Kids
Cabbage Patch Kids are a line of cloth dolls with plastic heads first produced by Coleco Industries in 1982. They were inspired by the Little People soft sculptured dolls sold by Xavier Roberts as collectibles. The brand was renamed 'Cabbage ...
doll, and Jake agrees to drop hints on her behalf, and even accompany his father to a back alley deal to buy one of the sold out dolls, in exchange for tips on selling wreaths in the old folks' home.
The wreath sales end up being a dead end, after Timmy's father convinced the community to ban video games. The children decide to take matters into their own hands, selling baseball cards (including a rare
Bill Ripken card) to pool their money, and buy a system to share. Without a ride to the mall, they concoct an elaborate plan to sneak away during the school field trip to make the purchase. Jake manages to evade parents, who are protesting video games in front of the game store, to buy the Nintendo and run back to the bus, only for the game system to be crushed by the school bus. A kind adult who sends Jake back to his field trip advises him to focus less on the presents, and more on the season of giving.
Christmas Day comes, and Jake does not receive a Nintendo. Instead, his father surprises Jake with a backyard tree fort he made himself with a trap door, ladders, and lights. Jake never got a Nintendo for Christmas, but the tree fort and his father's love for him was the better gift.
Adult Jake tells his daughter he eventually bought his own Nintendo after working all summer to earn one, and shows her the tree fort, which remains standing, reminiscing about all the good memories made, and the adventures he had because of his father's gift.
Cast
*
Winslow Fegley
Winslow Burke Fegley (born January 23, 2009) is an American child actor. He has starred in the films '' Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made'' (2020), ''Nightbooks'', '' 8-Bit Christmas'' (both 2021), and '' Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile'' (2022).
Life a ...
as Young Jake Doyle
**
Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris (born June 15, 1973) is an American actor, singer, writer, producer, and television host. Primarily known for his comedic television roles and dramatic and musical stage roles, he has received multiple accolades throughout ...
as Adult Jake Doyle
* Sophia Reid-Gantzert as Annie Doyle, Jake's daughter
*
June Diane Raphael
June Diane Raphael ( ; born January 4, 1980) is an American actress, comedian, and screenwriter. She has starred in TV comedy programs ''Burning Love'', Adult Swim's '' NTSF:SD:SUV::'', and ''Grace and Frankie''. Notable film work includes support ...
as Kathy Doyle, Jake's mother
*
Steve Zahn
Steven James Zahn (; born November 13, 1967) is an American actor and comedian. His film roles include ''Reality Bites'' (1994), ''That Thing You Do!'' (1996), ''Stuart Little'' (1999), '' Shattered Glass'' (2003), ''Sahara'' (2005), '' Chicken Li ...
as John Doyle, Jake's father
* Bellaluna Resnick as Lizzy Doyle, Jake's sister
* Che Tafari as Mikey Trotter, one of young Jake's friends
* Santino Barnard as Evan Olsen, one of young Jake's friends who is allergic to bees and
SpaghettiOs
SpaghettiOs is an American brand of canned ring-shaped pasta pieces that are always in tomato sauce. It is marketed to parents as "less messy" than regular spaghetti. More than 150 million cans of SpaghettiOs are sold each year. They are sold in ...
* Max Malas as Jeff Farmer, a kid in Jake's circle but not one of his friends and a pathological liar
* Brielle Rankins as Tammy Hodges, one of young Jake's friends who collects baseball cards, she is also Teddy's twin sister
*
Cyrus Arnold
Cyrus Arnold (born January 2, 2003) is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Kenny Yankovitch in ''Mr. Harrigan's Phone'', Derek Zoolander Jr. in '' Zoolander 2'', BJ Malloy in ''Sam & Cat'', and Josh Jagorski in the New Line Cinema/ ...
as Josh Jagorski, an oversized school bully
* Braelyn Rankins as Teddy Hodges, one of young Jake's friends and Tammy's twin brother
* Chandler Dean as Timmy Keane, a narcissistic rich kid who owns a Nintendo (NES) system and likes showing-off
* Katia Smith as Tiffany Keane, Timmy's sister
* Tom Rooney as Dr. Timothy Keane Sr., Timmy's father who is an anti-video game advocate
*
David Cross
David Cross (born April 4, 1964) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, director, and writer known for his stand-up performances, the HBO sketch comedy series ''Mr. Show'' (1995–1998), and his role as Tobias Fünke in the Fox/Netflix sitcom ...
as Dealer
Production
In March 2021, it was announced
Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris (born June 15, 1973) is an American actor, singer, writer, producer, and television host. Primarily known for his comedic television roles and dramatic and musical stage roles, he has received multiple accolades throughout ...
,
Winslow Fegley
Winslow Burke Fegley (born January 23, 2009) is an American child actor. He has starred in the films '' Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made'' (2020), ''Nightbooks'', '' 8-Bit Christmas'' (both 2021), and '' Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile'' (2022).
Life a ...
,
June Diane Raphael
June Diane Raphael ( ; born January 4, 1980) is an American actress, comedian, and screenwriter. She has starred in TV comedy programs ''Burning Love'', Adult Swim's '' NTSF:SD:SUV::'', and ''Grace and Frankie''. Notable film work includes support ...
, and
Steve Zahn
Steven James Zahn (; born November 13, 1967) is an American actor and comedian. His film roles include ''Reality Bites'' (1994), ''That Thing You Do!'' (1996), ''Stuart Little'' (1999), '' Shattered Glass'' (2003), ''Sahara'' (2005), '' Chicken Li ...
had joined the cast of the film, with
Michael Dowse
Michael Dowse (born April 19, 1973) is a Canadian director.
Life and career
Born in London, Ontario, to Irish parents, he was trained as a film editor. His first full-length movie, ''FUBAR'' was shot on a digital camera with a tiny budget, but w ...
directing from a screenplay by its author and executive producer Kevin Jakubowski, which appeared on the
2019 Black List.
New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema is an American film production studio owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and is a film label of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye as an independent film distribution company; later becoming a film studio after acq ...
and Star Thrower Entertainment produced the film, with
HBO Max
HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Netw ...
distributing.
Principal photography began in March 2021, in
Toronto, Canada
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anchor ...
.
Release
The film was digitally released on November 24, 2021, on
HBO Max
HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Netw ...
. It was released on DVD on October 18, 2022.
Reception
On
review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
website
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, the film holds an approval rating of 84% based on 32 reviews, with an average rating of 7/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "For viewers seeking an undemanding and sweetly nostalgic ode to yuletide seasons past, ''8-Bit Christmas'' boots up without a glitch."
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 66 out of 100 based on five critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Nick Ordoña of the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'' praised the casting, directing, and Jakubowski's writing, summarizing: "It even earns its heart-tugging ending. In short, it's a surprise contender for Best Christmas Movie of the last several years." Calum Marsh of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' wrote: "When it isn't fawning over
roller rinks, ''
Goonies
''The Goonies'' is a 1985 American adventure comedy film co-produced and directed by Richard Donner from a screenplay by Chris Columbus, based on a story by Steven Spielberg. In the film, kids who live in the "Goon Docks" neighborhood of Asto ...
'' posters, and
Casio
is a Japanese multinational electronics manufacturing corporation headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Its products include calculators, mobile phones, digital cameras, electronic musical instruments, and analogue and digital watches. It ...
watches, ''8 Bit Christmas'' is a warm and refreshingly earnest holiday comedy."
See also
*
List of Christmas films
Many Christmas stories have been adapted to feature films and TV specials, and have been broadcast and repeated many times on television; since the popularization of home video in the 1980s, their many editions are sold and re-sold every year d ...
References
External links
''8-Bit Christmas''on
HBO Max
HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Netw ...
*
{{Max (streaming service)
American Christmas comedy films
Films shot in Toronto
HBO Max films
Warner Bros. films
New Line Cinema films
American children's comedy films
Films about video games
Films directed by Michael Dowse
Films set in 1988
Films scored by Joseph Trapanese
2021 comedy films
2021 films
2020s Christmas comedy films
2020s English-language films
Films set in Chicago
2020s American films