A review by Robert Long II ©2010

Ariana Almajan – Lily Balescu
Bridget Devlin Burke – Emmy Towne
Danny Gavigan – Rick Towne
Vicki Hartford – Beverly Towne
Jim Murphy – Martin Towne
Demetrius Parker – Darryl Cunningham
Jenna St. John – Grace Towne

A film by Francis Abbey
Genre: Independent Comedy

COLOR 78 MIN. 1.78:1 WIDESCREEN

PLOT: On the day after Christmas, Emmy Towne (Bridget Devlin Burke) brings her boyfriend, Darryl (Demetrius Parker), home to meet her family. Having already struck out twice when introducing a new boyfriend to the rest of the Towne clan, Emmy is terrified of Darryl becoming casualty number three. For Emmy and Darryl’s relationship to escape intact, Darryl will have to survive Emmy’s know-it-all mother, Beverly (Vicki Hartford), her clueless father, Martin (Jim Murphy), her deviant sister, Grace (Jenna St. John), and her miscreant brother, Rick (Danny Gavigan). And then there’s the tiny little matter of Darryl being black. This movie is the “Guess Who is Coming to Dinner” for the next century.

I don’t get too many independent comedies. It is always a treat when they are good and well done. BOXING DAY is one of those movies. Everyone in the cast is hilarious to watch. This film falls somewhere between a romantic and a screwball comedy. Once Darryl is introduced to Emmy’s parent, the “political correctness” of the situation goes into overdrive. Emmy’s parents are clearly uncomfortable with the color of Darryl’s skin and the hypocrisy runs fast and furious. Grace (Jenna St. John) the rebellious daughter doesn’t make things any easier, and when Rick (Danny Gavigan) shows up, all hell breaks loose. Emmy starts coming apart at the seams. Even calm, cool, collected Darryl reaches his breaking point as the household goes from holiday festivities to a trip to the loony bin.

Writer and director Francis Abbey has a winner on his hands with BOXING DAY. The cast is uniformly great and actress Vicki Hartford won an award for the portrayal of her character. The production value for this movie is great. While there are only a few exterior and interior locations, the cast and crew make the most of them. The lighting and camera work are done professionally and look great. I can’t think of anything that needs to be improved upon, although I will tell you that the jingle “It’s Boxing Day” will get stuck in your head for HOURS.

DVD includes:
-Cast & Crew Commentaries
-Audience Reaction Track
-Outtakes
-Trailer
-“Videopolis” A Ten Sundays short film

My Final Rating: 8 out of 10 Boxing Gloves. Ten Sunday Films have some good looking films over at their website, featuring a variety of genres (quite a bit of horror too). By clicking on the image below it will take you to the BOXING DAY page on their site. If you enjoy good comedy this movie comes highly recommended, and may even become a holiday tradition among you and your friends!