Tinsel Town 2025 Movie Review
Tinsel Town operates on a premise pulled from a hat of random movie tropes. A washed-up Hollywood action star gets tricked into performing in a British pantomime (which, upon Googling, is a generic type of family play). It sounds like a recipe for disaster or at least a very lazy comedy. Yet somehow, this film manages to avoid the cynicism you might expect. There is a genuine sense of joy and excitement running through the entire production that makes it hard to resist.
Kiefer Sutherland stars as Brad Mac, a smug and successful actor known for a schlocky action franchise called Killing Time (he’s already filming the seventh installment at the start). He’s a bit of an asshole, the kind of guy who believes his own hype until the industry decides it’s done with him. Through a series of contractual mishaps and misunderstandings, he finds himself in the small English town of Stoneford. He thinks he’s there to perform serious Shakespeare, but he has actually been cast as “Buttons” in a local production of Cinderella.
The humor in Tinsel Town comes almost entirely from Brad being a fish out of water. The film wisely avoids making him do too much physical comedy or pratfalls. Instead, it mines laughs from his sheer confusion. He treats this low-stakes community theater with the same brooding intensity he would apply to disarming a nuclear bomb. Sutherland is fantastic in the role. He plays Brad with a straight face, which makes the absurdity around him even funnier. It’s weirdly contradictory to see an action guy in this setting, and Sutherland leans into that friction perfectly.
Often in movies like this, the locals are portrayed as ridiculous caricatures or annoying obstacles for the protagonist to overcome. Tinsel Town takes a different approach. The troupe of actors Brad joins is actually a decent group of people. They are eccentric, sure, but they are treated with affection rather than mockery. This allows for a lot of overall chemistry to develop between Brad and the rest of the cast, which becomes the film’s strongest asset.
The supporting cast is rather good across the board. Mawaan Rizwan is a standout as Nigel, the local driver and everyman who becomes Brad’s unlikely guide. Lucien Laviscount and Savannah Lee-Smith, playing the panto’s Prince Charming and Cinderella respectively, bring a sweet sincerity to the proceedings. Even Rebel Wilson, who plays the choreographer Jill, is solid. She tones down some of her usual shtick to fit into the ensemble, and it works.
The film follows some of the normal beats you would expect from a holiday redemption story. Brad grows from a curmudgeonly asshole into somebody great, learning to appreciate the community he initially looked down upon. While the narrative path is familiar, the execution feels fresh because of the pervasive sense of joy. It weirdly avoids too much of the antagonism a character like Brad would normally bring to a story like this. He isn’t actively sabotaging things for long, and his turn toward goodness feels earned rather than forced.
There is a subplot involving Brad reconnecting with his estranged daughter, Emma. The emotional stuff here is alright. It’s not super compelling, to be honest, and it hits the requisite sentimental notes without really digging too deep. However, it does bring a nice little touch to things, grounding Brad’s character in something real even when he’s wearing a ridiculous costume. It serves its purpose without dragging down the pacing of the more comedic elements.
Ultimately, Tinsel Town succeeds because it commits to its own silliness with a big heart. It’s not trying to be high art. It’s trying to be a fun, festive crowd-pleaser, and it succeeds. Seeing Kiefer Sutherland embrace the madness of a British play is a unique delight, playing to Sutherland’s charm while also embracing the simplicity of the premise. It’s a film that leaves you with a smile on your face, which is really all you can ask for from a Christmas movie.
