classicsoncall Review of Pottersville

Pottersville (2017)

"Hope isn't always the most realistic thing but it tends to make the world a better place."

[6/10 · 19 January 2021]

The title of the film, which is also the name of the town in which the story takes place, immediately brought to mind the 1946 Christmas classic, "It's a Wonderful Life". That's because the town of Bedford Falls where that story took place, was reimagined as Pottersville during the alternate reality in which Jimmy Stewart's character had never been born. I don't know that I'd classify this as a Christmas movie per se, although there are enough scenes in which Christmas trees, holiday decorations and good old Christmas spirit abide to provide a nice, family friendly viewing experience for those who would like to catch something a little offbeat. I do think Michael Shannon would have been better served as the principal character if he managed a smile every now and then. He looked so much like a younger David Letterman that it kept me distracted somewhat. His employee Parker (Judy Greer) did seem like a better match for him than wife Connie (Christina Hendricks), so their getting together at the end of the picture was somewhat expected, especially after all the hijinks involved with the Bigfoot sighting and the attendant uproar created when 'Monster Finder' TV rolled into town. Their media celebrity Brock Masterson (Thomas Lennon) was a bit hard to take for this viewer, and it was satisfying to see him sent packing when all the dust settled. Anyway, now that I've thought about it while writing this review, I'm going to include "Pottersvile" in my list of Christmas movies I've watched and reviewed here on IMDb. It's at least as Christmasy as "Santa Claus Conquered the Martians" and with it's current IMDb rating, it's at least twice as good.