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Original painted Christmas scene, from the Cine Claus illustration set

Not really, no · 2017

Pottersville

15/100Festive FactorWhy it scores 15 ↓
UK certificate 1284 min
Comedy

Michael Shannon stumbling about in a home-made ape suit is a stronger premise than most Christmas comedies…

Plan this film night ↓Can the kids watch? ↓
Explore this film 5 sections

The CineClaus Christmas score

Festive Factor

A different kind of Christmas.

Original painted Christmas scene, from the Cine Claus illustration set

A little magic in the making.

Five ingredients make the Festive Factor.
Open an ingredient to find out more.

Christmas in the storySet dressing.5/30

What we ask: Take Christmas out. Does the plot survive? Worth up to 30 of the 100 points.

A world dressed for ChristmasVisibly Christmas for a scene or two.0/20

What we ask: How much of the running time is visibly Christmas? Worth up to 20 of the 100 points.

The little seasonal details1 of the 10 kinds of Christmas icon we count turn up on screen.2/15

What we ask: How many kinds of Christmas icon turn up on screen: trees, lights, snow, carols and the rest? Worth up to 15 of the 100 points.

A Christmas heartHow far the ending rests on goodwill, family and belief: incidentally.5/20

What we ask: Does the ending depend on what Christmas means: goodwill, family, redemption, belief? Worth up to 20 of the 100 points.

A returning traditionNiche at Christmas (under 25,000).3/15

What we ask: Is it actually watched at Christmas in the UK? Worth up to 15 of the 100 points.

67/100

Cosiness Rating Rating

Mostly warm in tone. Mild threat. A happy ending.

How we score →
What do these scores mean?

Festive Factor measures how Christmassy a film is. Five ingredients add up to 100: story (30), setting (20), seasonal details (15), emotional heart (20) and returning tradition (15).

Cosiness is a separate score for warmth of tone, sense of safety, visual comfort, a reassuring ending and how easily you can settle into it.

How the Festive Factor works →
The story

About Pottersville

In a struggling snowbound town at Christmas, a kindly general-store owner discovers his marriage is falling apart, gets drunk and stumbles through the night in a home-made ape costume. Footage of the stagger is taken as proof of Bigfoot, tourists and a television monster hunter pour in, and the town's fortunes revive, leaving him to decide whether to keep the hoax going or own up.

The CineClaus verdict

Michael Shannon stumbling about in a home-made ape suit is a stronger premise than most Christmas comedies get, and he plays it completely straight, which is where the laughs come from. Around him the film is thinner than its cast. The Capra borrowing is more title than heart, and the monster-hunting satire settles for easy targets.

Ian McShane and Ron Perlman lift every scene they turn up in. The season is mostly snow on the ground. One for collectors of odd seasonal curios rather than a Christmas Eve fixture.

The family desk

Can the kids watch?

12

Our take: rated 12 by the BBFC, so it suits teenagers far better than small children, with suggestive material and drug references along the way.

Content advice & accessibility
Our age guidance
Editorial, separate from the official 12 certificate, and never looser than it.
The people behind the film

Cast and crew

The faces in front of the camera, and the people who brought the story to life.

Main cast

In billing order
Michael Shannon in a grey denim jacket, looking down, with a crowd behind him at a film festival.Michael Shannonas Maynard
Red-haired woman in black-framed glasses and a patterned black dress, glancing sideways at an event backdrop.Christina Hendricks
Judy Greer smiling at a panel microphone, shoulder-length fair hair, wearing a red ribbed top.Judy Greer
Ron Perlman with grey hair and beard, sunglasses on his head, in a dark shirt against a pale blue backdrop.Ron Perlman
Ian McShane
Thomas Lennon

Behind the camera

Directed by
Seth Henrikson
Photo credits

Portraits via Wikimedia Commons, each under its own licence, approved for this page by a person. Sources and full photographer credits:

Michael Shannon · John Bauld from Toronto, Canada · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY 2.0 (opens in a new tab).

Christina Hendricks · Eva Rinaldi · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY-SA 2.0 (opens in a new tab).

Judy Greer · Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY-SA 2.0 (opens in a new tab).

Ron Perlman · Super Festivals from Ft. Lauderdale, USA · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY 2.0 (opens in a new tab).

A little more Pottersville

Film facts &
behind the scenes

For the fans who stay after the credits.

On set

A first feature for the director

Seth Henrikson came to Pottersville from short films and documentaries, and this was his first time directing a full-length feature, with a cast well known from television and the stage.

Read the story

Source: Looper ↗ (opens in a new tab)

On set

Ron Perlman acted and produced

Ron Perlman appears on screen and is also one of the film's producers, alongside Josh Crook, Jonathan Gray and Scott Floyd Lochmus, with Daniel Meyer credited as screenwriter.

Read the story

Source: Rotten Tomatoes ↗ (opens in a new tab)

And at a glance

Releases and certificates
: In cinemas (US). Limited US cinema release.
: On streaming (US). Arrived on streaming the day after the limited cinema opening.
Sources & a note on these facts

Each production story is linked to its source, in our own words. Ending details stay behind a spoiler reveal.

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