Here’s a fresh slice of compatibility Hell. And I see that slice comes with a side of fruitcake, because the “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?” routine takes place over a Norwegian Christmas. Good God, Jul.
Thea (Ida Ursin-Holm) and Jashan (Kanan Gill) just got engaged. We know nothing about their relationship except for the fact that they got engaged. They seem compatible, right? I mean, just cuz she’s Norwegian and he’s Indian doesn’t mean they can’t be partners. But they’re probably going to have a few differences. And that’s where the cringe begins.
The two live in El Lay and communicate in English (their commonality), but decide to spend Christmas at the wintry house where Thea grew up. This house is an hour outside Oslo. Part of the “fun” here is all the crazy crap Norwegians get up to during their 90 minutes of daily sunlight in late December. This includes “Teeny Tiny Christmas,” hanging flags on the Christmas tree, and ice bathing. You may decide for yourself how much of this Yule tolerate. I’d need a bet, a dare, and a fair amount of alcohol to do the ice bath.
Part of the not-so-fun is how Jashan ruins -quite literally- everything. This is one of those films you want -to stop half-way through because the cringe level reaches breaking point. It’s one thing if Jashan insists upon “surprise” cooking. (Although adding Indian-level spices to standard Norwegian palates is something close to cruel and unusual punishment.) I mean, here you can actually argue that Jashan is trying to fit in and because his hosts have been so generous, he wanted to give back a little. These thoughts are completely misplaced and horribly miscalculated, sure, but one could argue it. However, Jashan being too loud in church and marring a child’s solo performance with noise pollution is just wrong.
Oh, but Jashan isn’t alone. Thea’s mom Sanne-Lise (Marit Andreassen) is a bit on the racist side and keeps calling
the boyfriend “Shazam.” And there’s also the whole “boyfriend” thing … Thea is reluctant to announce their engagement status thus leaving their couplehood in awkward limbo, especially as the horrible week progresses. This leaves the door open in the mind of the neighbor, who happens to be Thea’s ex. Well, isn’t that ducky.
I suppose I can at least be happy there was not candle headwear in this film.
Among the massive snowbank of problems with Christmas as Usual is not-so-much that it hates its characters as we haven’t been properly introduced to them. The conflict in every scene could be alleviated with some simple communication, but that seems a foreign concept. And because we were never introduced to the pre-fiancé/fiancée version of this couple, we have no idea whether or not this communication style is an aberration. Should Thea and Jashan actually be a couple? Is this just the Christmas blues? Who can say? All I know is that despite lovely snowy expanses and quaint Norway Jul-isms, this film contained a ton of cringe and real unresolved questions as to the nature of the couple. Hence I can only recommend this film to people who wish to learn something about how Norwegians may or may not celebrate the holiday.
There once was a man named Jashan
Whi went to Norway to get Christmas on
This Indian fellow
Ignored his mellow
And left the locals looking quite wan
Rated TV-14, 88 Minutes
Director: Petter Holmsen
Writer: Petter Holmsen
Genre: Hey, your Christmas is wack!
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Native Norwegians, I hope?
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: “Fake it until you make it”
