'A Christmas Tale' review

Catherine Deneuve (Credit: Jean-Claude Lother/IFC)

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Several decades after the death of the eldest child, a family struggles to cope with the past and get along in the present. Great performances come from Catherine Deneuve and Jean-Paul Roussillon as mom Junon and dad Abel, and Mathieu Almaric (“Quantum of Solace,” “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”) as the clan's most difficult offspring.

The buzz: The latest from French director/co-writer Arnaud Desplechin ("Kings and Queen") was in competition at this year's Cannes Film Festival and runs 150 minutes. So we've gotta think this is a deeper, more rewarding Christmas story than, say, "Fred Claus."

The verdict: This is one long, sometimes redundant tale, but it's a beautiful, classy movie without any interest in the usual holiday fakery. While some mystifying behavior turns the story into something we observe rather than grow personally invested in, these are real people with real problems, and "A Christmas Tale" allows us to experience their full, complicated lives. The flick's got as much emotional baggage as any soap opera but not an ounce of melodrama, exploring the cuts and letting us understand the scars.

Did you know? Abel's grandchildren ask, "Why are you old when your wife is young?" See how many Hollywood stars you can think of that should expect that question.

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