Now available on Amazon, Apple TV+ and AMC+ after a select theatrical run, “Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point” is, according to its official plot description: the tale of “a rambunctious extended family” who “descends upon their small Long Island hometown for the holidays.”
However, “before the evening is over, two teenage cousins (Matilda Fleming and Francesca Scorsese) take advantage of the chaos to sneak out into the wintry night and make the holiday their own.”
The Smithtown-shot and inspired, quirky and offbeat “two-for-one” special that Variety called “an instant holiday classic” has another major outlet to thank for keeping the holiday cheer rolling.
Described by writer-director Tyler Taormina (“Ham on Rye,” “Happer’s Comet”) as a “warm hug on a cold night,” The New Yorker critic Richard Brody said the following in his No. 2 entry in his 2024 top films ranking:
“...the clichéd premise of a memory-rich family drama set during the holidays yields a comprehensively original film. Its mosaic-like structure and epigrammatic dialogue are propulsive, its characterizations high-relief yet finely etched, its performances prickly yet tenderly observed, and its over-all style as colorfully enticing as it is subtly ambivalent.”
“Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point” is only surpassed by the post-Holocaust historical epic, “The Brutalist,” starring Adrien Brody, in The New Yorker’s latest yearly ranking.
After world-premiering at the second-to-none in prestige Cannes Film Festival in France, the highest scaled effort from rising indie sensation Taormina and his Omnes Films collective—who also plugged the men’s league baseball dramedy “Eephus” in Cannes—has inspired a flurry of comparisons to the cinematic language and style of industry giants.
“Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point” was marketed as the first 20 minutes of the John Hughes-penned “Home Alone” meets the hangout aesthetic of Richard Linklater’s “Dazed and Confused.” Other Hughes and Linklater offerings like “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” and “Boyhood” also come to mind for many professional critics and online commenters—the latter also being an IFC-distributed film.
Additional notable directors Taormina has earned comparison per his merry ensemble commitments as a grand scheme weaver, intimate proclivities as an individual scene constructor, and deftness in meticulous soundtrack selection throughout, include: Robert Altman, Wes Anderson, Ingmar Bergman, John Cassavetes, Terence Davies, The Safdie Brothers, and Martin Scorsese.
“Anora” director Sean Baker also serves as one of the many “Miller’s Point” champions.
Notable local locations to look out for include the old St. James Dairy Barn—now Red Acre Farms; the Nesconset Plaza, Cella Bagels of Selden, and additional familiar sights all along Smithtown and Selden’s Main Streets.
The low-key–nay, high-key— trippy “Firetruck Parade” scene in particular, shot in contended collaboration with the Smithtown Fire Department, featured so many extras that if you look close enough, you just may recognize somebody you know.
“Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point” stars: Matilda Fleming, Ben Shenkman, Maria Dizzia, Lev Cameron, Gregg Turkington, Francesca Scorsese, Sawyer Spielberg, and Michael Cera (also a producer); and an eclectic cavalcade of mostly local hires making their big-screen debut or earning their big break in a film with annual revisitation in its make-up and forecast.
As of Dec. 3rd, “Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point” can be rented or purchased on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV+. It is also available to stream on AMC+. Keep a lookout for additional in-theater screenings in and around NYC.