Based on the 1996 Paul Kelly song, How to Make Gravy features an undeniably Australian Christmas, but one that fails to mention the baby Jesus. Source: The Catholic Weekly.
Like many of Kelly’s songs, How to Make Gravy paints a vivid picture. It is a letter written by a prison inmate, Joe, to his brother Dan, at Christmas time.
The song names a number of members of the brothers’ extended family and their characteristics. It also includes a family recipe for making the Christmas gravy as Joe will not be able to do for the family this Christmas.
The song has been brought to life by director Nick Waterman, who wrote the script with his musician wife, Megan Washington.
Unlike many Christmas movies, this one avoids being too cheesy and paints a vivid picture of two Christmases for Joe’s extended family. It is hot and it is undeniably Christmas in Australia.
It must have been hard to avoid any mention of the baby Jesus in a Christmas movie.
The baby’s absence is particularly odd when, in the song on which the movie is based, Joe writes, “I pray to baby Jesus have a merry Christmas.”
Not only is the infant Jesus not featured in the movie, but the movie is also at least disrespectful if not blasphemous.
The prison chapel appears to feature the Stations of the Cross, but if the chaplain is a Catholic priest why is he wearing green vestments in Advent, speaking on John 4:14 on December 23 and sneaking gulps of altar wine in the sacristy?
While unable to be home to make the gravy, Joe makes the gravy for the prison inmates and a key ingredient is provided by the prison chaplain. This is where the movie is most egregious as the chaplain says “blood of Christ” as he pours altar wine into the broth.
While many in Australian society may be living on the vague fumes of Christianity and seek to undermine it, as the makers of this film seem intent on doing, there are nonetheless positive messages of family, love, marital fidelity, marital survival under extremes, a son’s love for this father and forgiveness at the heart of the movie.
It could have been very good.
Review by Michael Quinlan, who was the inaugural National Head of School, Law and Business of The University of Notre Dame Australia.
FULL REVIEW
How to make gravy without the baby Jesus (The Catholic Weekly)
