Bad Tidings review: Lee Mack and Chris McCausland comedy is forgettable festive fare

2.0 out of 5 star rating

One-time Christmas television comedies sometimes struggle to meet expectations, making it challenging to predict their quality.

You could find delight in a movie titled Click & Collect – a heartwarming hour-long BBC production starring Stephen Merchant and Asim Chaudhry, who embark on a Christmas Eve road journey together. This festive gem has become a popular choice for yearly viewings.

Similarly, you could’ve watched The Heist Before Christmas, released by Sky last year. This movie presented an amusing premise featuring James Nesbitt and Timothy Spall as competing Santas, but it ultimately turned out to be a puzzling mess – a jumbled tone with one of the most inexplicable, non-festive endings ever.

Currently, Sky introduces a fresh element titled “Bad Tidings”. On the spectrum ranging from frosty enjoyment to catastrophic cinematic sledding accident, this new piece seems to find its balance in the middle ground.

The television series titled “Bad Tidings” features Lee Mack in the role of a troubled home security specialist. His character becomes increasingly obsessed with his visually impaired neighbor, Scott, portrayed by comedy star Chris McCausland, whom he suspects holds a grudge against him.

The rest of the street are enamoured with Scott, and intend to make him head of the Neighbourhood Watch, but Neil’s protestations mean they end up sharing the role.

On Christmas Eve, as Neil competitively outshines Scott’s Christmas light display, he accidentally causes a power outage throughout the neighborhood. With no electricity, residents are forced to celebrate Christmas elsewhere with family or friends. However, in their capacity as Neighborhood Watch volunteers, both Neil and Scott choose to remain behind, keeping watch over the silent street on this special night.

Initially, they assume the task will be simple, though somewhat bleak and dismal, yet they soon discover themselves joining forces and resisting against a notorious criminal clan, while making an attempt at a single night of burglary reminiscent of the Grinch’s antics.

If you find this explanation seems lengthy, that’s because it indeed is. The quick emergence of Neil and Scott’s competition sets the stage, but there’s a considerable journey ahead (with an unusual focus on a neighborhood watch group) before we reach the core content of the movie, which takes place on Christmas night.

It’s good to note that it’s less complex than “The Heist Before Christmas,” which is advantageous for the movie. When the action picks up, there’s no confusion about what’s happening, as many elements are familiar from previous versions we’ve seen.

The intruders in this story seem right at home in the world of Home Alone.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with these situations, quite the contrary – many aspects are indeed fortunate. They have stood the test of time, proving their effectiveness, and it’s not uncommon or unfair for a holiday television film to be somewhat predictable.

The issue lies in its lack of distinctiveness; there’s nothing especially catchy or striking, such as witty humor, memorable one-liners, or spectacular scenes. As a result, it seems rather dull and uninspired, giving off an impression that it’s merely going through the motions without much excitement.

Mack and McCausland strive to add energy to the situation, yet their shared dynamism has its limits in making things more vibrant.

In a humorous manner, it’s suggested that Mack’s character, Neil, might be experiencing some emotional turmoil or stress, as this seems to be the most plausible explanation for his unconventional actions and heightened irritability during the initial part of the movie.

In the sitcom “Not Going Out,” when Lee gets carried away in his conversations, it’s easy for us to relate because we’re familiar with his character. However, with Neil, there’s less connection, and his social discomfort tends to undermine the comedy.

McCausland steals many of the funniest lines, and his understated performance provides a nice contrast to Mack’s boldness. It’s in the brief exchanges of banter between them where the movie truly comes alive and shows its full potential.

As a movie buff, I’m not suggesting that the appearance of the villains isn’t welcome – quite the contrary, they enrich the storyline. Actors like Rebekah Staton and Ben Crompton bring their A-game, but it seems their exceptional talents are underutilized (similarly to Sarah Alexander, who barely gets a chance to shine as Neil’s Wife Laura). Nevertheless, they manage to deliver a few amusing scenes that are worth the watch.

Additionally, there are humorous instances of physical comedy, particularly Mack’s entertaining escapade featuring a series of steps.

But the best scenes are still to be found in the downtime between incursions with them, both from an emotional standpoint and a comedic one. One almost wonders what a scaled back version of Bad Tidings might look like – two warring neighbours, played by two high calibre comedians, forced to spend Christmas together. It might just have been a proper Yuletide treat.

Ultimately, there’s a dose of holiday amusement here, ideal for filling up about an hour and a half. It’s completely harmless, not controversial, and should manage to hold your family’s attention to some degree.

Given the impressive cast, it’s disappointing that the production seems so formulaic and unoriginal, lacking depth, and likely to fade from memory soon. It’s a far cry from a Click & Collect experience.

2024-12-22 10:34

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