Hallmark Remakes Dickens with IT’S CHRISTMAS, CAROL

Every year at the holidays, we get a remake of the Charles Dickens classic [easyazon-link asin=”1781390681″]A Christmas Carol[/easyazon-link]. It’s practically a tradition in its own right at this point. This has never been my favorite Christmas tale, but inevitably I watch the latest incarnation to see how it stacks up. This year The Hallmark Channel gets in the game with the cleverly titled It’s Christmas, Carol, starring Carrie Fisher, Carson Kressley, and Emmanuelle Vaguier.

This latest reinvention has Vaguier playing Carol, owner of a publishing company who views books as commodities, rather than food for the soul. Fisher is Eve, the company’s late owner and Carol’s mentor, who returns as the ghost to usher us all through glimpses of Carol’s life past, present, and future. Kressley is one of Carol’s very disgruntled employees who bands together with a couple of other women to stage a revolt and open their own publishing company.

If you’re familiar with the original, then that’s about all the information you need for this remake. Other than moving the action to a publishing company and making the protagonist a woman, it’s not particularly fresh or original. There is a nice payoff in the end when Carol makes the right choice for her future, but this is more of a “have it on in the background” movie than a “must see”. Pleasant enough, but not requiring much attention to get the gist of the story.

It’s Christmas, Carol premieres Sunday, November 18 at 8/7c on The Hallmark Channel.