Have you seen Richard Curtis’s Christmas film yet? You know, the one with Bill Nighy’s character in boots and tiny pants? The one with the schoolboy that’s hellbent on winning his classmate’s heart? The one with the iconic and utterly revamped school nativity? The one with the sweeping ensemble cast and all the incredible interwoven stories about love at the most wonderful time of year?

No, not that Christmas film; I’m pretty sure that a lot of people, at this point, think Love Actually needs to get in the bin. Instead, I’m talking about… well, about That Christmas, which rocketed its way to the top of Netflix’s Top 10 list shortly after it debuted on the streaming platform this December.

I admit that, on paper, the similarities between the two films are striking. Whereas Love Actually dealt almost solely with lust and allegedly romantic love, though, Curtis has taken a welcome approach to the topic via his new animated tale about the inhabitants of Wellington-on-Sea and, in the process, has righted the many wrongs of his OG festive offering.

Watch the trailer for That Christmas now:

Before I get ahead of myself, though, it’s worth brushing up on why Love Actually has tumbled from its pedestal in the years since its release in 2003. Back then, many took it at face value; a feel-good festive romcom with multiple meet-cutes and kisses set to soaring musical overtures. Hugh Grant as an all-dancing, all-carolling, America-baiting prime minister. An inexplicably hilarious scene involving a papier-mâché octopus costume. A saccharine intro and outro set at the arrivals gate of London’s Heathrow airport. Emma Thompson in a fat suit sobbing about Alan Rickman’s infidelity as the mournful vocals of Joni Mitchell boom out all around her. Wait, what?

Yeah, when you look at it a little closer, Love Actually isn’t a feel-good festive romcom at all. In fact, it’s a toxic nightmare, not least of all because it features a storyline of a man filming a woman without her consent and keeping the footage for purposes unknown. It’s got infidelity, fat shaming, stalking (come the fuck on, Andrew Lincoln!), multiple instances of potential sexual harassment in the workforce, and a man who flies to the USA with no hotel booked and nothing but a backpack because a) no one in good old Blighty will shag him, and b) he’s convinced a cool American girl will welcome him into her bed immediately.

He’s utterly wrong about that, of course; three impossibly attractive women American whisk the gormless git away for a festive orgy… with an even hotter fourth woman joining the mix later. How festive!

It’s little wonder, then, that so many people hate Love Actually, actually. Even the younger characters of Curtis’s newest film aren’t fans, branding it the “boring old Christmas film” they’re forced to watch each year by their parents. So, yes, I was extremely sceptical when I decided to give That Christmas a whirl when it popped up as a recommended watch.

Reader, I’m so glad that I did. Because That Christmas might’ve been packaged up as a kids’ film, but it’s a genuinely beautiful story about the platonic love that blossoms between friends, sisters, families, neighbours and communities. About the importance of honouring old traditions, yes, but also welcoming in new ones. About grief, loss and loneliness. About forgiveness, too.

Also, that aforementioned plot about the lovesick schoolboy who dreams of winning his classmate’s heart? He might make a grand gesture to show his love, but – spoiler – it’s not for her; it’s for his hard-working mum. And if he did wind up declaring his feelings for that classmate on Christmas Day (I’m not saying he does, but it is, after all, a Richard Curtis film), he would do so respectfully and without, say, silently showing her photos of dead women as he blares out a CD of choral music. 

As if that weren’t enough, That Christmas offers up bodies of all shapes and sizes (the scene on the beach is beyond beautiful for this very reason), not to mention a stonkingly good cast; Fiona Shaw, Jodie Whittaker, Lolly Adefope, Sindhu Vee, Brian Cox, Alex Macqueen, Katherine Parkinson, Guz Khan, Rosie Cavaliero, Dermot O’Leary (yes, that one) and a whole host of rising young stars join Nighy in lending their voices to this lovely little story.

Essentially, it’s got the three esses you need from a good Christmas film: snow, stellar soundtrack, Santa Claus – along with everything we’ve ever wanted from a Curtis romcom, specifically deep and meaningful connections blended with just enough schmaltz and sugary syrup to have you crying into your Weetabix when you’re watching it on a whim one windy weekend morning.

It’s everything that Love Actually should have been. It’s everything that Curtis fans have ever wanted from him at this time of year… although, admittedly, a little more Hugh Grant and octopus-related humour wouldn’t go amiss. May it go down in history as a festive classic that stands the test of time; it is, in my opinion, Curtis’s ultimate redemption arc.

That Christmas is now streaming on Netflix.

Images: Netflix