8-Bit Christmas 2021
This is a cute, mostly lightweight Christmas movie in the tradition of A Christmas Story where a present day parent recounts a Christmas story from his childhood and is told mostly from the child's persepective. Neil Patrick Harris is the father, recounting his youth in the 1980's when he (and all of his friends) desperately wanted an 8-bit Nintendo gaming system for Christmas. It definitely has a made for TV feel to it, with mostly second tier stars and simplistic characters. Steve Zahn shows up in the past as Patrick's father and David Cross shows up as black market toy seller, but those are the only actors I recognized. I got a free copy of the movie from Microsoft Rewards as part of a Christmas promotion. This almost gets a B because I did like it, but it falls flat a little on direction and acting. The story itself seems pretty decent, has some twists and turns, and ultimately a nice message. The movie isn't bad at all, just not made that well.
Written: 04 Jan 2026