“8-Bit Christmas” is a 2021 HBO direct release. It came to me via a recommendation from a friend and fellow Generation Xer. The story, written by Kevin Jakubowski and directed by Michael Dowse is a dream for any 80s nostalgia junkie. That it takes place at Christmas only adds to the enjoyment of watching.
Jake Doyle (Neil Patrick Harris) serves as narrator. His young daughter (Sophia Reid-Gantzert) is obsessed with getting the latest iPhone. “When I was a kid,” he explains, “I wanted a Nintendo for Christmas worse than you want a phone.” Jake recounts the story, taking his daughter and the viewer back to December of 1988.
Young Jake (Winslow Fegley) is a typical kid from the same era as me. He loves sports, brandishing a Bears cap and Blackhawk posters. He has a pesky little sister and typical loving but clueless parents (June Diane Raphael and Steve Zahn).
Jake spends his days avoiding nerds and bullies, hanging around with his group of friends. Jake and his gang become invested in obtaining a Super Nintendo Entertainment System, taking to exaggerated means to acquire one.
Talkin’ bout My Generation
I grew up on video game consoles. My older brothers had an Atari and ColecoVision that I used to love playing. Then I got a Sega, Sega Genesis, PlayStation 1-4 etc. Nothing was and is more fun than the old video games. They lacked the graphics, deep stories, and multiplayer options of today. And yet, my friends and I got thousands of hours of enjoyment out of them.
Director Michael Dowse takes us back to the late 1980s seamlessly. The clothes aren’t outlandish as they can be in throwback movies. Rather, people are dressed as they would have been at the time. It’s not like they’re trying to emulate the era, he’s showing us what it was like.
There’s a rich kid in the neighborhood that has all the latest and greatest toys. He holds hysterical auditions to select a handful of classmates to come to his house for the day. Several scenes take place inside the shopping mall. The kids wait excitedly by the radio as the announcer reads a list of school closings during a snowstorm. Old gaming sound effects pop in and out of scenes. When adult Jake is showing his daughter the Nintendo system, he blows on the cartridge before inserting it. “I don’t know why.” He explains. “Dust?”
Great Casting
Winslow Fegley is the star of the film. He portrays the character of Young Jake well. He’s a normal 11-year-old who wants the latest video game console. To his parents, its expensive and something that may warp his brain. To him, its everything in the world. And he doesn’t care how he’s going to get it.
Another great and subtle facet is the relationship Jake has with his father. Steve Zahn (Reality Bites, SubUrbia) is masterful in the role. He’s goofy in a dad-joke way. He worships his tools and has the mindset of why pay for something if I can fix it myself. It reminded me of my father and his basement workshop.
And my favorite bully is back. I loved the performance of Cyrus Arnold in “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone.” Arnold returns as Josh Jagorski, a cartoonish school bully that will have you laughing with every scene he is in.
“8-Bit Christmas” is a modern holiday classic. It’s funny, touching, and full of nostalgia, no matter what age you are now or when you grew up.
