Christmas is anything but ordinary when three bickering siblings from a newly blended household cannot see eye to eye. The youngest one, while completing his annual science project, accidentally calls upon the spirit of Christmas. They wake up to find themselves having switched bodies, unable to change back until they learn to spend the holidays together as a loving family.

KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Tiana S. comments, “The “switch-mas” spirit is in the air with the new film, A Family Matters Christmas! It’s a fun family film that forces you to think about the true meaning of Christmas and shows just how important it is for family to come together and get along.” Mikella G. adds, “This film is truly an enjoyable viewing experience…I really enjoyed the plot; the concept of the characters swapping bodies is really cute, and definitely creates a fun twist for a Christmas movie.” Kendall B. adds, “The message of A Family Matters Christmas is that family is important, whether you are related by blood or not. Throughout the film, Brandon has a hard time learning to love his new siblings, but the body switch really helps him realize what family means.” SaniyaRain F. wraps it up with, “A Family Matters Christmas is a family-friendly, comedic, lesson-learning film that includes a bit of romance. The film is also great to watch if you are, like me, a fan of Christmas miracle stories.” See their full reviews below.

A Family Matters Christmas By Tiana S., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 12

The “switch-mas” spirit is in the air with the new film, A Family Matters Christmas! It’s a fun family film that forces you to think about the true meaning of Christmas and shows just how important it is for family to come together and get along.

A Family Matters Christmas follows siblings, Aiden (Randy Vince III), Emily (Cheyanne Cummings), and their soon-to-be brother, Brandon (Chase X. Drewery), whose parents are looking forward to getting married and spending their first family holiday together. However, the sibling’s constant bickering threatens to make Christmas not-so-merry. Aiden creates an experiment to bring his family together, but with a little “help” from the “forgotten Christmas Spirit,” Alternis (Stephen Fisher), his spell causes the three siblings to switch bodies. They must work together to learn the true meaning of family to break the spell and switch bodies back before Christmas morning.

The main characters are Aiden, Emily and Brandon. I love how much each sibling changes the other sibling’s life, just by switching bodies. My favorite part was seeing the sacrifices each sibling makes for the sibling whose body they took over. It forces each one to experience life as that sibling, and even helps them. For example, since Emily is more outspoken, while she is in Aiden’s body, she is able to stand up for him against bullies at school — something Aiden would never do himself. The “switch” really creates some hilarious moments, like when Brandon is in Emily’s body and get a dose of what it is like to be a girl. The film is so entertaining, that you forget it starts off as a story being read about the characters’ journey. This is a storyline that some people will say has been made before and, while that’s true, what’s important is the message behind it; plus it is entertaining.

A Family Matters Christmas shows us that family really does matter and that it’s possible to get along if you take the time to get to know one another. While you may not always agree with your siblings or be best friends, it’s still good to create some kind of bond with them. Parents should look out for adult drinking and some slightly intimate parts.

I give A Family Matters Christmas 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 12 to18, plus adults. A Family Matters Christmas releases on Digital and DVD November 8, 2022.

A Family Matters Christmas By Mikella G, KIDS FIRST!, Film Critic, age 16

A Family Matters Christmas is a fun, enjoyable film that really puts you in the Christmas spirit. It teaches an important lesson, while delivering a cute and interesting storyline.

A Family Matters Christmas follows the lives of three siblings living in a newly blended household. They are all struggling to adapt to their new family, especially during the holidays and this causes them to fight all of the time. However, when the youngest sibling Aiden, (Randy Vince Iii) starts to read fairy tales about Christmas legends who haunt siblings who can’t get along, he realizes that they need to stop the bickering. Unfortunately, it’s a little too late and their household is greeted with a special elf who causes all three of them to swap bodies. Now, the siblings must learn to tolerate and help each other, or else they will be stuck inside these different identities forever.

This film is truly an enjoyable viewing experience. The cinematographic quality of this film really stands out — the camera work is very clear, and the colors jump. I really enjoyed the plot; the concept of the characters swapping bodies is really cute, and definitely creates a fun twist for a Christmas movie. It’s really interesting to see how they all work things out in the end. Plus, all three actors portray multiple personas in different bodies exceptionally well, as they show us how their switched character might react to a particular situation.

Additionally, the message of the film is really strong. It really emphasizes the importance of family, particularly around Christmas time, and reminds viewers how valuable our families are. This is an important highlight, especially for younger audiences, because it’s something that can sometimes be forgotten.

The message of A Family Matters Christmas is that family is very valuable, and you should always hold to them.

I give A Family Matters Christmas 3.5 out of 5 stars, and recommend it for ages 8 to 12, plus adults. It releases on VOD and DVD November 8, 2022.

A Family Matters Christmas By Kendall B., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, Age 12

A Family Matters Christmas is all about family and love; it’s the perfect movie to get you ready for the holiday season.

The storyline for A Family Matters Christmas is told by a grandma to her grandchildren. The story follows a boy named Aiden (Randy Vince III) and his sister Emily (Cheyenne Cummings) who are having a hard time getting along with their new step-brother, Brandon (Chase X Drewery). Ayden conducts a science experiment gone wrong and ends up summoning a Christmas spirit who makes him and his siblings switch places. They now must figure out how to walk in each other’s shoes, and how to switch back.

The plot of this film may seem kind of basic, but there are a lot of twists that turn the basic story into something more. I really love the cinematography — at the beginning, behind the opening credits, are some beautiful shots of the city which are just stunning. All the acting is outstanding and so is the script. I love the character of Grandma (Jo Marie Payton), because she’s really sassy; I love the way she teaches her grandchildren to be nicer to each other. Another great character is Aunt Tracy (Tamieka Chavis), who is quite feisty as well and has a very powerful personality. I especially love the character Alternis (Stephen Fischer), the Christmas spirit, because his eccentric and loud personality is very exciting and fun. My favorite part of the film is when the kids first change places and don’t know how to behave in each other’s bodies.

The message of A Family Matters Christmas is that family is important, whether you are related by blood or not. Throughout the film, Brandon has a hard time learning to love his new siblings, but the body switch really helps him realize what family means.

I give A Family Matters Christmas 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 5 to 12. This film releases on VOD and DVD November 8, 2022.

A Family Matters Christmas By SaniyaRain F., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 14

A Family Matters Christmas is a family-friendly, comedic, lesson-learning film that includes a bit of romance. The film is also great to watch if you are, like me, a fan of Christmas miracle stories. The film digs deep into the story of Alternis (Stephen Fischer), The Christmas Spirit who teaches lessons to all the kids who need them. Aiden (Randy Vince), a ten- year- old kid who is a science wizard, just wants his new family to be close for the New Year and the upcoming year. His older siblings, Emily (Cheyenne Cummings) and stepbrother Brandon (Chase Drewery) are not on the same page about anything and it makes everything worse, so as Aiden keeps experimenting with potions he gives up on the idea of making everything right but Alternis does not sit back and allow this to happen.

This movie has funny scenes and you never know what happens next; whenever Alternis makes an entrance, you always wonder where he is going to come from next. An important theme of the film is that family does matter and will always be there for you. At the very beginning you see the family’s drama and how most of them don’t connect with one another. It makes them depressed and, in the end, all the characters change as they connect with one another. Most of the CGI is not too impressive, although one nifty thing the editors use is a book image to segue between scenes. The music matches each scene very well especially during the dance scene.

The message of A Family Matters Christmas is to never lose sight of who your family is and always know they matter and will be there for you. There will be times when you don’t get along with them, but in the end they are the people who you can always count on to be there. We are also reminded to put ourselves into someone else’s shoes and see the situation from their point of view.

I give A Family Matters Christmas 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 8 to 18, plus adults. You can find it on VOD and DVD beginning November 8, 2022.