Bernard & the Genie: Take a peek

One of my favorite holiday movies for the past several years has been Bernard & the Genie. It stars Lenny Henry (as the Genie) and Alan Cumming as Bernard Bottle. The overall story is a familiar one.

A man is down on his luck. In this case he's really down on his luck. He finds an old lamp and polishes it. Poof! A genie appears to grant him wishes. Often the genie has as much of a story as the man, himself has and that's true in this film.

It's a charming and funny movie written by prolific British comedy writer Richard Curtis who also penned Four Weddings and a Funeral.

Bernard and the Genie is a 'feel-good' film for the whole family. Rowan Atkinson, perhaps better known as Mr. Bean, plays a somewhat unsavory character as Bernard's boss. The genie and Bernard are able to help one another at Christmastime.
 

Curtis wrote and directed Love Actually which has a great big cast and is another fun holiday film. He's also well known for other films and his part in writing the show, Blackadder.