This made-for-TV comedy by Richard Curtis, about a man called Bernard who at his lowest point (and at Christmas), finds and befriends a genie played by a high-profile comic actor, is very weird, has not always aged well, but it fundamentally works and is worth a watch. Alan Cumming is great, Lenny Henry is clearly having fun, and Rowan Atkinson is easy to hate. It’s a Christmas movie by way of the Book of Job, and works remarkably well despite the shoestring budget and despite being, well, a 1991 made-for-TV movie from the BBC.
Rank 44
Bernard and the Genie
Added 25 December 2024