Kelsey (Felisha Cooper) is finishing off the preparations for her Christmas get-together when her sister Nora (Exzinia Scott) arrives with her fiancé Liam (Ernest Pierce). Before long there’s another knock on the door and Kelsey is surprised to see her old childhood friend Ethan (Johnny Ramey), who was invited by Nora. After being joined by next-door neighbour Lori (Erica Duke) and friend Dan (James Zimbardi), the six friends sit down to play ’12 Games of Christmas’, a board game sent by Kelsey and Nora’s aunt. As they begin playing, they find themselves transported into the board game and they must work together to find their way back home.
While still being a romantic drama, ’12 Games of Christmas’ tries something a little different than the rest of the Great American Family holiday movie slate. The plot mixes elements of fantasy with drama as Kelsey and her friends play through a series of games in a bid to understand what’s really important in life and get themselves home. Along the way, Kelsey starts to realise that her reconnection with Ethan may be more than just rekindling an old friendship. It’s not just Kelsey that goes on a journey though, all of the other people at her Christmas gathering do too.
Running through the film are a series of lessons about life that apply not only to Christmas but the whole year round. Great American Family has always put traditional values at the heart of its story-telling and that’s very much on show here. In a world where Christmas has become overly commercialised, it’s easy to forget what the true meaning of the season is. The characters in ’12 Games of Christmas’ get a reminder of what’s important and it’s a nice reminder for viewers as we fast approach Christmas Day.
A solid ensemble cast helps to really sell the central themes of ’12 Games of Christmas’. The six lead actors work well together, with Felisha Cooper and Johnny Ramey in particular shining across the film’s run-time. They are believable as a group of friends, and the chemistry is definitely there between Cooper and Ramey as Kelsey and Ethan. The actors are pretty game for the story they’re telling too, which will help you immerse yourself in a tale that borders on the magical.
’12 Games of Christmas’ tries to do something different and for that it must be given credit. While it definitely feels inspired by the likes of ‘Jumanji’, the film leans into the more traditional side of Christmas, upholding old-fashioned values and emphasising that Christmas is about much more than just giving and receiving presents. If you’re looking for something that’s a little fresher this season, and not just a rehash of what you’ve seen before, ’12 Games of Christmas’ could well be the film for you.
Cast: Felisha Cooper, Johnny Ramey, Exzinia Scott, Ernest Pierce, James Zimbardi, Erica Duke Director: Anthony C. Ferrante Writer: Anna Rasmussen Certificate: Unrated Duration: 86 mins Released by: Great American Family Release date: 17th December 2023
Find out more about ’12 Games of Christmas’ at https://www.greatamericanfamily.com/movie/12-games-of-christmas/.
