Aah, Christmas... a time for giving and receiving – and, in the case of film companies, a time for offloading any old rubbish onto unsuspecting filmgoers, so long as it’s got ‘Christmas’ in the title. From Northern Ireland comes this seasonal stinker, in which snowbound parents end up having their daughter in a local barn. Turns out that little Noelle may have miraculous powers, since she can make grumpy adults play nice. But having toyed with that notion, this shambling movie turns attention to its turgid main plot about the village pottery factory being bought by developers with secret plans for demolition. Predictably, Noelle (now school age) and her chums have something to say about it.
‘A Christmas Star’ struggles with the basics of credibility, insulting us with unspeakably bad dialogue and delivering clunky performances by the shovelful. Pierce Brosnan (the developers’ boss) and Liam Neeson (a local radio DJ) add goodwill, but this dismal film is enough to put a dampener on your Christmas before it’s even started. One to bring out the inner Scrooge in all of us.