The Man Who Invented Christmas tells the story of how one of the greatest novelists of all time, Charles Dickens,  came to create the quintessential holiday story: “A Christmas Carol.”  It is one of my favorite films of the year and here’s a list explaining why.

1. It’s Refreshingly Inventive. When you watch the trailer of this movie (I’ve embedded it below), you’ll notice that it uses an unconventional way to show how Dickens came up with the idea for his story: he actually sees the characters he has created and takes them along with him to aid in creating his story.  I’m not sure if this is actually how Dickens did it, but it’s a marvelous way to tell this story.

2. Dan Stevens’ portrayal of Charles Dickens is brilliant. Dan Stevens is a great actor, although since his turn on Downton Abbey I haven’t really seen him in a role that showcases his talent (I absolutely despised the new Beauty and the Beast and his portrayal of the Beast).  However, his take on Charles Dickens is quirky yet nuanced and completely embodied the character.

3. It’s historically informative. I didn’t know any of the history behind the creation of the beloved novel, and this movie’s narrative educates the audience about how it happened and its effect on British society.  I did some research after my viewing and found out that the historical details about how celebrating Christmas had fallen out of favor with British society and that Dickens single-handedly reviving it are completely true.

4. It’s hysterically funny. I wasn’t expecting the film to be as laugh-out-loud funny as it was.  Both my wife and I were in tears in certain scenes. The writing is very clever and I would say it’s probably my favorite script of the year if I were to vote today.

5. It’s moving and inspiring. The movie’s themes are quite deep and I was quite moved in the end.

I really recommend this movie, especially to those who have an affinity to Charles Dickens’ revolutionary story.  It’s a moving, funny, refreshingly inventive piece of storytelling.