"Feelgood Christmas romcoms are like school nativity plays: you can forgive a lot in return for a toasty warm festive glow. The Secret Santa Project, based on a book by Tracy Bloom and set in a London council's accounting department, manages a brief flicker of cosy charm in places but in truth it's bit of a Christmas clunker. Like Richard Curtis's Love Actually this is a film with a handful of interwoven storylines."
"Samantha Giles plays Diane, the grinchy head of accounts who in the tradition of London romcoms walks to work over Westminster bridge past Big Ben; she would love to see Christmas cancelled and save the council a few pounds. Her husband Leon (Mark Williams) is a panto director, and Diane suspects he's got a thing going on with Snow White."
"At work, Diane's number two Jerry (Barrie Ryan English) has fallen for a man he met in a coffee shop. Perky graduate trainee Jolene (Myla Carmen) attempts to sprinkle Christmas joy with her plan for secret Santa exchanging acts of kindness instead of less-than-a-fiver novelty socks. The best performance is from ex-EastEnders actor Charlie Brooks as Stacey, a single mum whose new boyfriend is clearly a total douche."
The Secret Santa Project follows staff in a London council accounting department whose lives intersect around a scheme to swap acts of kindness for Secret Santa. Diane, the grinchy head of accounts, resents Christmas and suspects her panto-director husband of infidelity. Jerry, her deputy, falls for a man he meets in a coffee shop. Graduate trainee Jolene promotes festive cheer with her kindness-based Secret Santa. Stacey, a single mother, confronts a disappointing new boyfriend. The film captures long-standing office dynamics and small charms. The interwoven storylines often resolve clumsily, producing unearned happy endings and an overall feel of a middling holiday romcom.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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