Netflix And Chill: Ballad Of A Small Player (2025)

I don't want to be rude about Colin Farrell, someone I have loved onscreen more and more with every step he moved away from typical blockbuster lead roles, but I am more impressed with his role in Ballad Of A Small Player for his ability to portray what, at times, would seem to be a past incarnation of himself. Farrell has been sober for many years now, and massive congratulations to him for that, but he's been very open about the many wild nights in his past. I wondered if he was experiencing déjà vu here whenever his character would wake up groggy and anxious after some time spent spending too much money and drinking too much alcohol. I mention this not just because of the behaviour displayed onscreen. It's the tone. Ballad Of A Small Player is all about a man who believes that one lucky break is just around the corner, yet also knows that he is being driven by desperate addictive impulses that could just as easily lead to him dying before he gets the chance to see any uptick in his fortunes.

Farrell is Lord Doyle, if we're to believe how he presents himself. He's a gambler who enjoys placing large bets and living the high life. He's had a recent run of bad luck though, which forces those around him to place a timeline on some debts. Doyle encounters kindness and generosity from Dao Ming (Fala Chen), but he has to make a decision on whether to accept her help to move away from his life of gambling or to make use of her kindness to facilitate his path to that one big win he can sense heading his way. It doesn't help that he's also being watched by Blithe (Tilda Swinton), someone who has been tasked with tracking him down and reclaiming some major past debt.

Adapted into screenplay form from Lawrence Osborne's novel by Rowan Joffe, Ballad Of A Small Player actually has a lot in common with one or two other gambling films I could mention, but just mentioning those might allow you to start predicting how things will end for the main character. So I'm not going to do that. There's a whole lot of anxiety running throughout the film, and even any unexpected victories in the casinos feel fragile and temporary, considering the nature of the main character. 

Director Edward Berger is three for three when it comes to the features that he's helmed over the past five years, and I'm keen to see if he can keep up this hot streak to put himself in contention for the director with the most consistently superb output throughout this decade. While it's ultimately a slightly lesser film than his previous two outings, being an inessential character piece, as opposed to a rumination on the hell of war or a murder mystery aiming to shake the pillars of Catholicism, Berger treats it with no less care. This is grandiose, operatic even, and every viewer is masterfully taken through a variety of ups and downs as if attached by a safety wire to some member of Cirque du Soleil.

Despite the occasional (apparent) lapse in his upper-class British accent, and nothing here is without an explanation, Farrell is superb in the lead role, all flop-sweat and faux-graciousness as he keeps looking around his environment for various escape routes and gambling opportunities. He's the star, and his charisma is put to great use throughout. It's impressive that Chen makes such a strong impression, considering how often she has to share the screen with Farrell while she's the calming presence to his manic aura. Swinton gives one of her fine supporting turns, and is especially delightful in the third act, and both Deanie Ip and Alex Jennings are worth mentioning as individuals who may succeed in tempting Farrell's character to make the one bet that finally destroys him.

I enjoyed this, I was stressed out by it, and I am conflicted by the ending, which is actually a better outcome than the one I expected. It's a small-scale and low-key film that feels huge and bombastic. It taps into that rollercoaster of highs and lows that I am sure every gambler knows is the rhythm of their life, for better or worse.

8/10

If you have enjoyed this, or any other, review on the blog then do consider the following ways to show your appreciation. A subscription/follow costs nothing.
It also costs nothing to like/subscribe to the YouTube channel attached to the podcast I am part of - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCErkxBO0xds5qd_rhjFgDmA
Or you may have a couple of quid to throw at me, in Ko-fi form - https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews
Or Amazon is nice at this time of year - https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/Y1ZUCB13HLJD?ref_=wl_share 

Prime Time: Your Christmas Or Mine 2 (2022)

I enjoyed Your Christmas Or Mine? and I have to start this review by stating that I quite enjoyed Your Christmas Or Mine 2. It’s not as good as the first movie though, despite getting so many people to reprise their roles, both behind and in front of the camera. There’s a very specific reason for that, a notable flaw that becomes clear as things move into the third act, but I will get back to that momentarily.

The plot is simple enough. James (Asa Butterfield) and Hayley (Cora Kirk) are setting off on another Christmas holiday, but this time they intend to remain together. And their respective families are joining them. Unfortunately, a slight mix-up at their destination leads to Hayley and her family ending up in a super-lush and expensive hotel while James and his family end up in what amounts to little more than a large shed. This isn’t enough to sustain the whole movie though, and it’s only the first half of the movie that keeps the two families separate. The rest plays out with a number of misunderstandings, personality clashes, and talk of people living in different worlds. Can James and Hayley soldier through another holiday mishap, or will this be enough to make them call it quits?

Director Jim O’Hanlon once again does well in terms of the straightforward visuals onscreen here, and in the way that he allows every member of the large ensemble cast to capitalize on at least one moment that allows them to shine. There’s nothing spectacular or unexpected here, but it has a fluidity and polish that many other non-theatrical Christmas movies lack.

Writer Tom Parry, on the other hand, seems to stumble slightly. He’s able to come up with some fun moments for the supporting cast, but there are times when it feels as if one or two people are being written in a way that serves the plot, as opposed to feeling natural and in line with how they have previously behaved.

Kirk suffers worst at the hands of Parry, and the grand finale relies on her being a bit less reasonable and willing to listen. She still remains a character you root for, but that is more thanks to her onscreen glow than it is thanks to the script. The same can be said of Angela Griffin (returning as Hayley’s mother), who is given a moment or two when she reacts to someone irritating her with a sharpness and anger that feels at least slightly misdirected. Butterfield gets to be a bit awkward and nervy again, and his character doesn’t seem to change much, which leads to him having a much easier task. Elsewhere, Daniel Mays, Alex Jennings, David Bradley, and Natalie Gumede help to add the most humour to the film, with newcomer Jane Krakowski also a welcome addition, and a running joke about her best-selling book creating exponentially more giggles every time it is mentioned. Ram John Holder (Hayley’s granddad) has some wise words at the right time, and the two youngest characters once again amuse themselves while the adults go through their different dramas. I suppose I should also mention Rhea Norwood as Bea aka Plot Obstacle B.

Skiing mishaps, a goat to be wary of, thoughtful Christmas gifts, an evening of excessive alcohol intake, and more fun elements guarantee that most people will at least enjoy this. It just doesn’t quite add up to a wholly satisfying picture though, and I think many looking for the right balance of Christmasiness, comedy, and romance will end up revisiting the first movie again before this one. 

6/10

If you have enjoyed this, or any other, review on the blog then do consider the following ways to show your appreciation. A subscription/follow costs nothing.
It also costs nothing to like/subscribe to the YouTube channel attached to the podcast I am part of - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCErkxBO0xds5qd_rhjFgDmA
Or you may have a couple of quid to throw at me, in Ko-fi form - https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews
Or Amazon is nice at this time of year - https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/Y1ZUCB13HLJD?ref_=wl_share

Prime Time: Your Christmas Or Mine? (2022)

Hayley (Cora Kirk) and James (Asa Butterfield) are a young couple in love. They have been dating for a couple of months, but have to separate for the Christmas holidays. Hayley is heading to see her family (including her grandparents, some young, lively, brothers, an aunt embracing the her potential cougar status, and her mum and dad, played by Angela Griffin and Daniel Mays). James will be reuniting with his father (Alex Jennings). Except he won’t, because he decides to leave his train and join Hayley . . . who had decided to leave her train and join James. The two end up with very different experiences, and also learn about the secrets they have been withholding from their families, as well as one another, while lessons are learned and the weather keeps disrupting plans for them to get to their respective homes.

Your Christmas Or Mine? is a lot of fun, benefiting from a better budget and cast than most, but still resolutely selling itself as a typical Christmas film in many ways. There’s a lot of snow, you have at least one fun montage, different people share their different holiday traditions, and, most importantly, some people end the film in a radically different place from where they started. There’s at least one grumpy “Scrooge” who doesn’t embrace the spirit of the season, and one dead parent who plays a defining role in the lives of some of the main characters.

There are also some big chuckles here. Nothing that will necessarily top any “greatest comedy of all time” lists, but writer Tom Parry allows a number of abrupt and cheeky moments that may occasionally make you choke slightly on your mince pie and cocoa as you enjoy a well-placed insult, surprise, or implied naughtiness. Everything stays fairly family-friendly, but Parry knows exactly how far he can go with the warm banter and rude words.

Director Jim O’Hanlon is equally assured, and it shows how well both writer and director have honed their craft over the years spent working on a wide variety of TV projects. O’Hanlon paces everything perfectly, using the obvious transitions and manipulative shot choices to play viewers like a fiddle, and the effective score by Paul Saunderson only assists with the emotional manipulation. Did I know how everything would play out? Yes. Were one or two small surprises enough to keep me even more engaged during the 95-minute runtime? Yes. Did I still get a lump in my throat at various times during the third act, despite knowing where this was all going? I couldn’t possibly confirm or deny that.

Butterfield and Kirk are a winning combination in the lead roles, even if the former still needs to somehow stop his big eyes seeming to take up half the screen. Although I am not familiar with Kirk, I hope to see her in more movie roles soon. She has an easygoing likability and works best when her character is allowed to remain cheery and optimistic. Griffin and Mays also work very well together, having a lovely chemistry onscreen that makes them feel like a genuine married couple, warts and all. Jennings has to be the stiff-lipped and grim character, certainly for most of his screentime, and he does very well in that role. In fact, his delivery of lines that show him teetering on the edge of being more emotional ended up moving me more because of his refusal to ever fully show any “weakness”. There are also enjoyable performances from Harriet Walter, Natalie Gumede, June Watson, Ram John Holder, Lucien Laviscount, David Bradley, and Mark Heap, as well as Aston Wray and Harris Kiiza, playing those aforementioned young brothers.

Probably due to be viewed as just as disposable, ultimately, as many other films made for the Christmas TV schedules, Your Christmas Or Mine? deserves a bit more attention and appreciation. It may work with a familiar template, but it’s certainly miles away from, and much better than, the kind of thing we see rolling off the Christmas movie production line at this time of year. If my final rating doesn’t seem to reflect that, it’s worth noting that I am actually rating it AS a movie, and not just as a Christmas movie.

7/10

If you have enjoyed this, or any other, review on the blog then do consider the following ways to show your appreciation. A subscription/follow costs nothing.
It also costs nothing to like/subscribe to the YouTube channel attached to the podcast I am part of - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCErkxBO0xds5qd_rhjFgDmA
Or you may have a couple of quid to throw at me, in Ko-fi form - https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews