Female Friday

It’s Christmas, Carol is a 2012 A Christmas Carol adaptation produced for The Hallmark Channel in the U.S.  This is only the second time I’ve put it on the annual blog. It’s Christmas, Carol belongs to the increasing number of adaptations with a female lead. It’s one of two female versions that plays with the title by naming the female lead’s “Carol.”

Carol Huffman (Emmanuelle Vaugier) is a ruthless business woman running a top publishing company.  Her employees hate her and wish the company was still run they way it used to be by its deceased founder, Eve Miller (Carrie Fisher). She insists they come into work on Christmas Day.

At a Christmas Eve publishing party, Carol runs into her old boyfriend who also happens to be an author.  While in the ladies’ room, Carol is visited by the ghost of Eve Miller, her former boss and founder of the business.

As this adaptation’s version of Jacob Marley, Eve appears to show Carol how she’s lost her way. A twist with Eve is that she is not a suffering, wandering spirit to warn Carol against a similar fate. Reminiscent of some of the silent movie versions of ACC, Eve takes on all the roles of past, present, and future spirits.  Carol is taken by her to the various timelines to learn her needed lessons.

Another original take is Carol is shown her elder self in a happy future life. She then shown a bad future. Each is presented as an alternate of what could be. The choice is up to Carol.

The is generally a sentimental, feel-good adaptation with some genuine comedic moments inserted throughout.  It’s a middle-of-the-road but watchable version.