A World Record Christmas (2023)

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On July 26, 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law. For decades, people with disabilities fought for a law like this to be passed. ADA protects people with disabilities against discrimination. It's unfortunate that we need a law like this and it's hard to believe it was passed just 34 years ago, but I'm so thankful for it and for all of those who fought for the basic human rights I and others with a disability have today. There is still much room for improvement, but it is progress.

In honor of this historic day, and in celebration of Christmas in July, today I'm sharing with you my review of A World Record Christmas. This movie premiered on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries in 2023. I've had it on my DVR since it premiered and I finally watched it last week.

Charlie (Aias Dalman), a boy with autism, sets out to break a Guinness World Record by stacking the most number of Jenga blocks. His mother (Nikki DeLoach) and stepfather (Lucas Bryant) organize a fundraiser so that the community can decorate and donate blocks to help him achieve his goal.

I am always a little reluctant to watch movies with disability representation because I have seen it go so wrong. However, I do love Hallmark movies, especially at Christmas time or during Christmas in July, so I decided to give A World Record Christmas a try.

I was surprised by how much I loved this movie. I rarely give movies a rating of 5 mushrooms, but this one was well-deserving of it. I began to have hope when I looked up Aias Dalman, the actor who plays the boy with autism. I read that he is autistic in real life. There's an idea that says "nothing about us without us". Having a disabled actor play a disabled character is the perfect example of this. It is so much more authentic when someone with the disability being portrayed is included. Of course, there are many non-disabled actors out there who could excel at this role. But why not hire a talented disabled actor? This is how it should be done.

This will be obvious to many, but it is important to recognize that Charlie does not represent every child who has autism. There is a wide range of autistic individuals. Autism affects different people in different ways. However, Charlie and his parents do accurately represent some people with autism and their families. I did my student teaching with autistic children and I have a friend who is autistic, so I know this to be true.

Besides accurately representing autism, this is a great movie in other ways too. It doesn't follow all of the usual Hallmark tropes. The mother and stepfather are already married, so their dynamics are different than a couple who is just starting to date. I also loved that there aren't really any villains, except maybe the ex-husband.  However, even he had some likeable qualities.  

I also really enjoyed the platonic relationship between Charlie and his best friend. Their subplot is handled very well. Their friendship and the way they cared about each other warmed my heart. For the most part, this is a low-angst, feel-good movie. It's encouraging, while not being too inspirational. There were a couple minor plot points that were unnecessary and confusing, but the majority of the movie is so good, I can overlook them. 

This movie could easily take place any time of the year. It just happens to be set at Christmas time, which does help with the spirit of giving theme. There are also Christmas decorations up around the town that create a festive atmosphere. 

If you want to see what disability representation should look like in an overall good Hallmark movie, I highly recommend catching A World Record Christmas when it airs again on the Hallmark channel. I believe it is also on the streaming app, Hallmark Movies Now (which is soon to be renamed Hallmark+).