‘Kirk Cameron’s Saving Christmas’ Debuts With Scathing Reviews

Kirk Cameron’s Saving Christmas debuted over the weekend with scathing reviews. Despite making an estimated $1 million at the box office, the critics were not impressed.

The limited-release holiday film was featured in select theaters beginning November 14. The cast includes Kirk Cameron, his sister Bridgette, and Darren Doane. Although Kirk is a seasoned actor who found early success playing Mike Seaver on Growing Pains, his latest project is being called “one of the least artful holiday films ever made.”

Kirk Cameron’s Saving Christmas begins at the home of his sister, where the family meets for their annual Christmas celebration. Although the rest of the family has embraced the holiday, Kirk’s brother-in-law Christian is being a “Scrooge.”

Christian is dismayed, as he “simply wants to celebrate the savior’s birth without the distractions of everything else.” Kirk spends a majority of the film convincing Christian that “everything involved with the Christmas celebration is paying homage to the birth of Jesus, Santa Claus, the carols, and the tree.”

In an interview with Breathecast, Cameron discusses his point of view.

“It’s not sinful to have a Christmas tree… while Christmas trees are not in the Bible per-say you do find God making trees… filling trees with fruit… putting lights on the branches… he gives gifts to his children at the base of trees.”

Many Christmas traditions have been criticized, as they originated in the Pagan culture. However, Cameron has a different point of view. In his opinion, modern Christmas traditions are clearly present in the Christian Bible.

“Cedars of Lebanon are highlighted in Scripture and Jesus was crucified on a tree and we always say nothing but the blood of Jesus. Where do we find it? At the base of the cross. Gift giving, tree decorating, and singing songs are all things that are ultimately based and rooted in the scriptures.”

Although he clearly had good intentions, Kirk Cameron’s Saving Christmas missed its mark. Bill Zwecker, with Chicago Sun-Times, said “even devout born-again Christians will find this hard to stomach.”

The film’s message will certainly remain a point of controversy. However, Zwecker’s criticism has more to do with the film’s “clumsy” nature and “overlong” monologues than its content.

Zwecker is not alone in his criticism of the holiday film. Kirk Cameron’s Saving Christmas is currently rated 10 percent on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer and and a 2.6 out of 10 stars on IMDb.

[Image via Risen Magazine]