'TIS THE SEASON, INDEED.Byline: David Kronke Television Critic The Christmas TV movie march continues. Tonight's NBC's ``The Year Without a Santa Claus'' rails amusingly against the commercialization of the holiday, an admittedly tired subject. It opens with Santa (John Goodman), weighed down by an oily publicist (Chris Kattan) and a fashion consultant (``Queer Eye for the Straight Guy's'' Carson Kressley), attending the SantaCo Expo, where elves peddle their new toy lines (one proffers a line of Goth action figures). Santa despairs that he's merely become a corporate ``TDP TDP (thymidine diphosphate): see thymine. : Toy Delivery Platform'' and laments, ``I don't fit in This season 9 episode of the MTV series True Life features three individuals who do not fit in. Stevie, a 16-year-old high school student from Westminster, Colorado (A middle class suburb of Denver), has a love for the New York Dolls, a glam-rock band. anymore.'' Which sets his faithful elves Jingle (``My Name Is Earl's'' Ethan Suplee) and Jangle (``Undercover Brother's'' Eddie Griffin) to find a child who understands the true meaning of Christmas. The kid they find pines for quality time with his dad, a workaholic work·a·hol·ic n. One who has a compulsive and unrelenting need to work. politician. While there's some funny stuff here, there's also a bizarre kitchen-sink approach to the material, with myriad celebrity cameos (including, from left field, Dr. Laura Schlessinger) and a weather-related musical number performed by Harvey Fierstein, Michael McKean and a coterie of femme femme adj. Slang Exhibiting stereotypical or exaggerated feminine traits. Used especially of lesbians and gay men. n. 1. Slang One who is femme. 2. Informal A woman or girl. dancers. Though the film attacks holiday commercialism with a cynical wit, it ultimately becomes a part of what it attacks. Its efforts to seem vaguely cutting-edge ensures that it won't likely be a perennial holiday favorite. It'll air the same time as Lifetime's ``A Christmas Wedding,'' a dispiriting dis·pir·it tr.v. dis·pir·it·ed, dis·pir·it·ing, dis·pir·its To lower in or deprive of spirit; dishearten. See Synonyms at discourage. [di(s)- + spirit.] Adj. affair about a couple's disastrous wedding day (it just happens to be Christmas but, as structured, the film could've been cranked out as ``An Arbor Day Wedding''). Sarah Paulson (``Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip'') stars as Emily, who, after meeting dreamboat dream·boat n. 1. A person considered exceptionally good-looking and sexually attractive. 2. A luxurious, well-designed automobile or other vehicle. Ben (``Ugly Betty's'' Eric Mabius), decides to get married on Christmas Day. Her lummox of a boss (a nuance-free Dean Cain), however, induces her to spend the weeks leading up to her nuptials working round-the-clock on a business deal far removed from her family and friends. The requisite disasters threaten to prevent the wedding from occurring at all (Ben is forced into serving as her surrogate at her bachelorette party). Paulson and Mabius - playing the exact opposite of his character on ``Ugly Betty'' - are charming enough, but the proceedings are utterly synthetic, horribly contrived and reliant upon burp burp n. Noisy expulsion of gas from the stomach through the mouth. v. 1. To expel gas from the stomach through the mouth. 2. To cause a baby to expel gas from the stomach, as by patting the back after feeding. jokes and a plot twist involving a biker who just happens to know the arcane flight schedules of every airport in the country. Finally, ABC ABC in full American Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. television network. It began when the expanding national radio network NBC split into the separate Red and Blue networks in 1928. Family's ``Christmas Do-Over,'' somewhat mercifully, avoids the issue of workaholism. Unfortunately, it's a thoroughgoing thor·ough·go·ing adj. 1. Very thorough; complete: thoroughgoing research. 2. Unmitigated; unqualified: a thoroughgoing villain. rip-off of the movie ``Groundhog Day,'' starring Jay Mohr as Kevin, a sardonic jerk who must relive a particularly uncomfortable Christmas Day until he finally figures out how not to be quite so much of a jerk, which is apparently all it takes to win back his ex-wife Jill (Daphne Zuniga) from a far kinder, if milquetoast milque·toast n. One who has a meek, timid, unassertive nature. [After Caspar Milquetoast, a comic-strip character created by Harold Tucker Webster (1885-1952). , suitor SUITOR. One who is a party to a suit or action in court. One who is a party to an action. In its ancient sense, suitor meant one Who was bound to attend the county court, also, one who formed part of the secta. (q.v.) . As Kevin relives Christmas over and over (actually, it's probably a sensation not unlike being subjected to lame holiday films throughout the month of December), the wacky slapstick slapstick Comedy characterized by broad humour, absurd situations, and vigorous, often violent action. It took its name from a paddlelike device, probably introduced by 16th-century commedia dell'arte troupes, that produced a resounding whack when one comic actor used it to gets ratcheted up until the moment where the screenplay begins calling for the requisite earnestness. Somewhere in between, however, the film's editing makes the middle bit muddled. Even the filmmakers don't seem quite sure if you should root for Kevin to steal Jill's heart or just learn to be a nicer guy. But that's the thing about holiday movies these days: They've confused happy endings with emotional uplift; exploring the ``reason for the season'' has become a completely foreign concept. David Kronke, (818) 713-3638 david.kronke@dailynews.com THE YEAR WITHOUT A SANTA CLAUS - Two and one half stars What: Sick of holiday commercialism, Santa (John Goodman) calls it quits for a year; it takes an all-star cast to change his mind. Where: NBC NBC in full National Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. commercial broadcasting company. It was formed in 1926 by RCA Corp., General Electric Co. (GE), and Westinghouse and was the first U.S. company to operate a broadcast network. (Channel 4). When: 9 tonight. In a nutshell: Frantic, with some funny moments. A CHRISTMAS WEDDING - One and one half stars What: A couple's holiday wedding doesn't turn out as planned. Where: Lifetime. When: 9 tonight. In a nutshell: Not much hilarity ensues. CHRISTMAS DO-OVER - Two stars What: Jay Mohr stars as a guy whose ``Groundhog Day'' scenario occurs on Christmas. Where: ABC Family. When: 8 p.m. Saturday. In a nutshell: Vaguely amusing if terribly inconsistent. CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1) At left, Eddie Griffin, John Goodman, Delta Burke, Ethan Suplee and Chris Kattan deal with a crisis of faith in NBC's ``The Year Without a Santa Claus.'' (2) Below, Sarah Paulson and Eric Mabius try to get married on the all-important day in Lifetime's ``A Christmas Wedding.'' (3) After Christmas Day keeps repeating itself, Jay Mohr (left, with Michael J. Gaeta) discovers he has some serious changes to make in his life in ABC Family's ``Christmas Do-Over.'' |
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