REVIEW: ‘Tinsel Town’ Has Fun While Throwing Everything At The Board

Tinsel Town almost has it all: a failing action star, British pantomime (sorry, Yanks, but you’re going to get a crash course here), drunken antics, parental drama, and then some. Directed by Chris Foggin and with a screenplay written by Frazer Flintham, Adam Brown, Piers Ashworth, and Jake Brunger, this latest entry in the ever-growing holiday movie genre throws in everything but the kitchen sink. Yet, somehow, it works, and it’s great fun when it stays on course in pursuit of panto!

Hollywood action movie veteran Brad Mac (Kiefer Sutherland) is on his way out in Tinsel Town. The action franchise he’s known for, “Killing Time,” is on its last legs, and Brad’s reputation isn’t helping any. Known for his crappy attitude and his refusal to do his own stunts, the work has dried up for this once epic movie star.

A tense standoff with his agent shows that the only offer he’s got left on the table is to fly out to the UK for a theatrical contract. Sounds simple enough on paper, and for Brad, he immediately has visions of Shakespearean grandeur. 

Unfortunately (and hilariously enough), one flight, taxi ride, and nap later, Brad learns that he is not, in fact, going to be performing Shakespeare. No, he’s been whisked off to the small Northern town of Stoneford, where he will be performing in a British pantomime show rendition of Cinderella. Needless to say, he’s not terribly pleased, and his castmates quickly lose faith in his capabilities after a few fumbled attempts at rehearsing. 

Brad is in for a reckoning in Tinsel Town, but his rehabilitation is well worth it.

A disgruntled older man losing sight of what’s really important around him is nothing particularly new in storytelling, particularly once the holidays get involved. Ask Charles Dickens. With the end of the year comes reflection, and sometimes that reflection isn’t great. As the man with everything to lose, Brad is forced to reconcile with his many failures, including his failure to be the father his daughter, Emma (Matilda Firth), needs.

The journey to this reconciliation in Tinsel Town often has Brad being pulled in all sorts of directions in the plot. From alleyway fights to heart-to-hearts with a panto legend (played beautifully by theatrical royalty himself, Derek Jacobi) to a dramatic court scene, there’s a lot pulling focus. While arguably essential to Brad’s overall development and third-act revelations, the drama surrounding his tackling live theatre, and pantomime at that, is enough to pull attention without the additional plot trimmings.

Regarding the pantomime portion of the plot, it is so lovely to see a wide array of veteran British performers on stage here in Tinsel Town. It’s almost a who’s who of theatrical delights. Maria Friedman as Brenda is a goshdarn delight, with her thumb on the comedic pulse when needed to lighten the mood. You can feel the slow-growing exasperation rolling off of Meera Syal‘s Cassandra, who has the onerous task of directing Cinderella, and trying to manage all the conflicting personalities and talent levels behind the scenes.

Surprisingly, Rebel Wilson is notably subdued as the serious, no-nonsense Jill.

Most surprising is Rebel Wilson in Tinsel Town. Anyone familiar with Wilson’s work would come to expect her trademark comedy, equipped with awkward comedy and grandiose bodily humor. Yet in this holiday film, she is notably subdued, with Jill being rather no-nonsense in both her stage management duties and motherhood. While the performance itself is a bit stiff at times, it’s an intriguing direction for the performer that I’d like to see more of. 

Pulling everything together is Kiefer Sutherland, whose Brad operates not only as the straight man in the most comedic moments, but also as the audience surrogate into this new, wild world of British pantomime. As a role, Brad is easily one of those who could turn in a wink-wink-nudge-nudge sort of performance, but Sutherland forgoes that innate sensibility. Instead, Sutherland tackles the approach with serious earnestness that respects the audience while also never shying away from taking the piss out of himself in the process. 

It’s what makes Tinsel Town a delight, even when varying plot elements battle it out for dominance. Sutherland’s embrace of Brad and everything that is thrown in his way is handled with care, whilst Foggin and the cast keep things light and fun. Ultimately, all of this culminates in a film that wears its heart on its sleeve and—hopefully—will spark an interest and curiosity in exploring British pantomime for many in the future. 

Tinsel Town is in theaters and available now on VOD.

Read more of our holiday movie coverage