Saving Christmas

Saving Christmas

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Darren Doane
Produced by
  • Raphi Henly
  • David Shannon
  • Darren Doane
  • Amanda Rosser
Written by
  • Darren Doane
  • Cheston Hervey
Starring
  • Kirk Cameron
  • Darren Doane
  • Bridgette Ridenour
  • David Shannon
  • Raphi Henley
  • Ben Kientz
Music by Brian Popkin
Cinematography Andy Patch
Edited by Postmill Factory
Production
company
  • Camfam Studios
  • Provident Films
Distributed by Samuel Goldwyn Films
Release dates
  • November 14, 2014
Running time
 80 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Box office $2.8 million[1]

Saving Christmas (sometimes referred to as Kirk Cameron's Saving Christmas) is a 2014 American faith-based comedy film directed by Darren Doane and written by Doane and Cheston Hervey. Starring Kirk Cameron, Doane, Bridgette Ridenour, David Shannon, Raphi Henly, and Ben Kientz, the film was released by Samuel Goldwyn Films on November 14, 2014 for a two-week limited engagement.[2][3]

Saving Christmas combines a comedic narrative with educational elements, in order to "put Christ back in Christmas".[4][5]

Plot

After explaining why he loves everything about Christmas, Kirk takes his brother-in-law, Christian, on a tour to convince him that various popular elements of Christmas are biblical. The two then return home for the remainder of the family Christmas party.

Cast

Origins of Christmas

In The Christian Post, an Evangelical Christian newspaper, Emma Koonse wrote, "[Kirk Cameron] dismisses theories that Christmas is derived in the pagan celebration of Winter Solstice in Saving Christmas, offering viewers a Biblical reference to items such as the Christmas tree instead. Furthermore, the film reveals Cameron's take on Santa Claus, the three wise men, and why Christmas is celebrated on Dec. 25 each year... Although Cameron attempts to defend Christmas traditions in Saving Christmas, many Christians remain divided over what the Bible says about celebrating Christ's birth as well as where the varied Christmas traditions originated and what the customs mean in reference to Jesus."[6]

Release

Box office

Saving Christmas debuted on 410 screens on November 14, 2014. For the weekend, the film came in 15th place with ticket sales of $992,087, with a per screen average of $2,420. In its two-week run, the film grossed $2.8 million at the box office.[1]

Critical reception

The film was heavily panned by critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 0%, based on 12 reviews, with an average rating of 1.9/10.[7] On Metacritic, the film has a rating of 18 out of 100, based on 9 critics, indicating "overwhelming dislike".[8] New York Times film critic Ben Kenigsberg said that Cameron's acting "sounds so forced you half-expect the camera to pull back to reveal hostage takers".[9]

On November 20, Cameron responded to the negative reviews by posting on his Facebook page.[10] He wrote, "Help me storm the gates of Rotten Tomatoes. All of you who love Saving Christmas – go rate it at Rotten Tomatoes right now and send the message to all the critics that WE decide what movies we want our families to see."[11] The attempt resulted in a severe backlash in which Internet users traveled to the Rotten Tomatoes page and condemned the film.[12]

Three weeks after its release, the film gained additional notoriety when it became the lowest rated film on Internet Movie Database's bottom 100 list.[13][14] Cameron later responded to the low rating, claiming that it was due to "haters and atheists" who started a campaign on Reddit to purposely lower the film's ratings.[15][16]

Awards and nominations

Association Year Category Nominee(s) Result Ref(s)
Golden Raspberry Awards 2015 Worst Picture Won [17][18]
Worst Actor Kirk Cameron Won
Worst Supporting Actress Bridgette Cameron Ridenour Nominated
Worst Director Darren Doane Nominated
Worst Screenplay Darren Doane and Cheston Harvey Won
Worst Screen Combo Kirk Cameron and his ego Won

Soundtrack album

Saving Christmas
Soundtrack album by various artists
Released October 27, 2014
Genre Christmas
Label Reunion

A soundtrack album was released on October 27, 2014 by Reunion Records.[19]

  1. "Joy" – 1 Girl Nation
  2. "Christmas Time Again" – Steven Curtis Chapman
  3. "Saving Christmas" – Building 429
  4. "Let Us Adore" – Jason Crabb
  5. "O Holy Night" – Kerrie Roberts
  6. "Away in a Manger" – Casting Crowns
  7. "Deck the Halls" – Tenth Avenue North
  8. "O Little Town of Bethlehem" – Rebecca St. James
  9. "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" – Matt Maher
  10. "O come, O come, Emmanuel" – Rhett Walker Band

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Kirk Cameron's Saving Christmas". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
  2. ↑ Siegemund-Broka, Austin (August 27, 2014). "Kirk Cameron's Faith-Based Saving Christmas Picked Up for Limited Release". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  3. ↑ Gilman, Greg (August 28, 2014). "Kirk Cameron Is Saving Christmas in New Trailer". TheWrap. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  4. ↑ Hallowell, Billy (August 27, 2014). "Hollywood Actor Says His New Movie Will Hammer Political Correctness and Frustrate Atheist Activists". TheBlaze. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  5. ↑ O'Neal, Sean (August 28, 2014). "Kirk Cameron to Make Christmas Safe for Christians". The A.V. Club. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  6. ↑ Koonse, Emma (November 12, 2014). "Kirk Cameron Hopes Audiences 'Throw Both Arms Around Their Christmas Tree' After Watching Saving Christmas; Challenges Pagan Ownership of Holiday", The Christian Post. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Kirk Cameron's Saving Christmas". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Kirk Cameron's Saving Christmas". Metacritic. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
  9. ↑ Kenigsberg, Ben (November 13, 2014). "To Save Us All From Satan's Power", The New York Times. Retrieved December 28, 2014.
  10. ↑ Gettys,Travis (November 21, 2014). "Kirk Cameron Is Begging Fans to Help Boost His Movie's Putrid Rating on Rotten Tomatoes". The Raw Story. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
  11. ↑ Koonse, Emma (November 21, 2014). "Kirk Cameron Urges Fans to Improve Saving Christmas Rating, 'Help Me Storm the Gates of Rotten Tomatoes'". The Christian Post. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Kirk Cameron Tried To Cheat Rotten Tomatoes, It Did Not Go Well". CinemaBlend. November 25, 2014. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  13. ↑ Kaufman, Scott (December 5, 2014). "The People Have Spoken! Kirk Cameron's Saving Christmas Is IMDB's Worst Film of All Time". The Raw Story. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
  14. ↑ Mauney, Matt (December 5, 2014). "Kirk Cameron's Saving Christmas Officially Worst Movie in IMDb History". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
  15. ↑ Holley, Peter (December 8, 2014). "Kirk Cameron Says Kirk Cameron's Saving Christmas Is the Target of an Atheist Conspiracy". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  16. ↑ O'Neal, Sean (December 5, 2014). "Kirk Cameron Is Crucified at the Hands of IMDb Users, Rises with Jesus Coffee". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  17. ↑ "RAZZIES® Celebrate 35 Years of Worst Achievements in Film with Inclusive Nominee List ...and New "Redeemer" Award". Golden Raspberry Award Foundation. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  18. ↑ King, Susan (February 21, 2015). "Kirk Cameron's Saving Christmas Dominates the 35th Razzie Awards", Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
  19. ↑ "Kirk Cameron's Saving Christmas Soundtrack Details", Film Music Reporter. Retrieved February 13, 2015.

External links