8-Bit Christmas is a Christmas comedy film starring Neil Patrick Harris, based on the novel of the same name by Kevin Jakubowski, who also wrote the screenplay and executive-produced. It premiered on HBO Max on November 24, 2021. It was released on DVD on October 18, 2022, and made its televised premiere on TBS on November 25, 2023.
Synopsis[]
Jake Doyle recounts to his young cell phone-obsessed daughter, Annie, how, as a child in the late 1980s, he got his first Nintendo Entertainment System. The film is told in flashbacks as Jake recalls the memory of that Christmas season when all he wanted was the game console.
Timothy Keane, the richest kid in the grade, is the only kid in town with the new Nintendo console and all of the latest accessories. Every day, Jake and his friends gather with the rest of the school outside of Timmy's house where he chooses ten kids to play in his basement. Timmy even ends up getting the NES Power Glove, only to discover that the product is a bit of a joke.
Tired of pandering to Timmy for access to the coveted NES, Jake dreams of getting his own system for Christmas and approaches his distracted mom and forever DIYing dad about getting one for the holidays, only to be shut down on the basis that video games are bad for your brain and he should play outside more.
Jake's quest for an NES intensifies after Timmy angrily destroys his TV after losing a game and gets them all banned by his parents. Hearing the first prize of a school fundraiser for selling the most Christmas wreaths will be an NES, Jake and his friends compete to sell the most wreaths and win the system.
Jake endures the humiliation of wearing girl boots, shoveling dog poop, and family shopping trips to the mall. His sister has her own desired toy, a Cabbage Patch Kids doll, and Jake agrees to drop hints on her behalf, and even accompany his father to a back alley deal to buy one of the sold out dolls, in exchange for tips on selling wreaths in the old folks' home.
The wreath sales ends up being a dead end, after Timmy's father convinced the troop leaders on the evils of video games. The children decide to take matters into their own hands, pool their money, and buy a system to share. Without a ride to the mall, they concoct an elaborate plan to sneak away during the school field trip to make the purchase. Jake manages to evade parents, who are protesting video games in front of the game store, to buy the NES and run back to the bus, only for the game system to be crushed by the school bus. A kind adult who sends Jake back to his field trip advises him to focus less on the presents, and more on the season of giving.
Christmas day comes, and Jake does not receive an NES. Instead, his father surprises Jake with a backyard tree fort he made himself with trap doors, ladders, and lights. Jake never got an NES for Christmas, but the tree fort and his father's love for him was the better gift.
Back in the present, adult Jake tells his daughter that he eventually bought his own NES after working all summer to earn one, and shows her the tree fort, which remains standing, reminiscing about all of the good memories made, and the adventures he had because of his father's gift.
Songs[]
| Title | Performed by |
|---|---|
| "It's a Marshmallow World" | Darlene Love |
| "Paperboy Theme" | Hal Canon [uncredited] Earl Vickers [uncredited] |
| "Waiting for Your Phone Call" | Anoraak |
| "Days of Glory" | Jesse Gnaedinger |
| "Jingle Bells" | Patti Page |
| "Silent Night" | Mai Tai Orchestra |
| "Die Young" | Black Sabbath |
| "Holding Out for a Hero" | Bonnie Tyler |
| "Turn Me Loose" | Loverboy |
| "Obsession" | Animotion |
| "Town Called Malice" | The Jam |
| "Boogie Woogie Santa Claus" | Mabel Scott |
| "Peg" | Steely Dan |
| "Jolly Old St. Nicholas" | |
| "Rampage Theme" | Michael Bartlow [uncredited] |
| "Train to Win" | John Pickup |
| "Let's Get On with It" | Clarence Murray |
| "Cook Book" from Operation: Rabbit | Carl W. Stalling [composer] |
| "Tell No Lies" | Spoons |
| "Sleigh Ride" | The Ronettes |
| "Santa Got Stuck in the Chimney" | The Hutchinson Sunbeams |
Score album[]
WaterTower Music released a digital album of Joseph Trapanese's full score on November 19, 2021, five days before the movie's release. The track listing was as follows:
| # | Composition | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Introduction" | 0:40 |
| 2 | "Main Title Theme" | 3:13 |
| 3 | "The Nintendo" | 1:03 |
| 4 | "Saturday Mornings" | 1:16 |
| 5 | "Katie's Boots" | 0:48 |
| 6 | "Build Up Hand Strength" | 0:39 |
| 7 | "Farmer" | 0:49 |
| 8 | "Dog Poop" | 1:36 |
| 9 | "Allies" | 1:00 |
| 10 | "Under Nintendo's Spell" | 3:15 |
| 11 | "What's a Wreath?" | 1:48 |
| 12 | "Scout Ritual" | 3:35 |
| 13 | "Story Continued" | 1:30 |
| 14 | "The Plan" | 2:20 |
| 15 | "Tao of Connor" | 2:25 |
| 16 | "A Little Bit of Hope" | 1:03 |
| 17 | "Final Boss" | 5:22 |
| 18 | "I Always Have a Good Christmas" | 4:46 |
| 19 | "Finale" | 3:27 |
Availability[]
The cover to the DVD release.
The movie will be released on DVD on October 18, 2022.
Trivia[]
- Despite the NES being the focus of the movie, none of the games seen in it are ones developed by Nintendo.
Cast[]
| Actor/actress | Character |
|---|---|
| Winslow Fegley | Jake Doyle (Young) |
| Neil Patrick Harris | Jake Doyle (Adult) |
| Steve Zahn | John Doyle |
| June Diane Raphael | Kathy Doyle |
| Bellaluna Resnick | Lizzy Doyle |
| Sophia Reid-Gantzert | Annie Doyle |
| Che Tafari | Mikey Trotter |
| Santino Barnard | Evan Olsen |
| Max Malas | Jeff Farmer |
| Brielle Rankins | Tammy Hodges |
| Braelyn Rankins | Teddy Hodges |
| Cyrus Arnold | Josh Jagorski |
| Chandler Dean | Timmy Keane |
| Jacob Laval | Conor Stump |
| Katia Smith | Tiffany Keane |
| Tom Rooney | Dr. Timothy Keane Sr. |
| David Cross | Dealer |
| Kathryn Greenwood | Mrs. Hugo |
| Louise Nicol | Miss Sherman |
| Erica Levene | Mrs. Trotter |
| David MacInnis | Mr. Halberg |
| Monica Dottor | Mrs. Keane |
| Jordan Oladimeji | Boy #1 (Toy Aisle) |
| William Poulin | Grumpy Wreath Man |
| Sofie Michal Maiuri | Katie Sorrentino |
| Alex Spencer | Officer Masejewski |
| James McDougall | Santa Claus |
| Michael Dyson | Old Janitor |
| Dan Darin-Zanco | School Bus Driver |
| Gordon Fulton | Old Man with Dentures |
| Jackson Reid Maya Misaljevic |
Kids (Bus) |
| Danielle Bourgon | Reporter |
| Petergail Williams | Clerk (Cosmetics) |
| Kevin Dennis | Weatherman |
| Miles Kerim | Frankie Wattendorf |
| Luca Doulgeris | Charlie Doyle |
| Mike Wilmot | Coach Wallach |
| Jose Arias | Annoying Elf Caroler |
| Christy Bruce | Katie Doyle |
| Dwight Ireland | News Anchor |
| Amanda Smith | Old Woman in Blue |
| Agi Gallus | Timmy's Grandmother |
| Smillie Buckland | Old Man |
| Peter Deiwick | Dad #1 (PTA) |
| Lorna Wilson | Old Woman (Cosmetics) |
| Christopher Marren (voice) | Toy Aisle Robot |
| Brenda Somers | Old Woman |
| Tinsel | Lacy |
| Blaze | Elwood |
Videos[]
External links[]
- 8-Bit Christmas at the Internet Movie Database
- 8-Bit Christmas at Allmovie
- 8-Bit Christmas at TV Tropes
- 8-Bit Christmas at Rotten Tomatoes
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