This film is worth a look if only for the pleasure of watching Gina McKee's performance. She manages to make her character frightening, funny, pathetic, beautiful and heartbreakingly human all at once. Her character, Caroline, is interesting and more complex than first impressions might lead us to believe. She appears to be a monster mother, roaring drunk and slapping the kids around on Christmas Eve. The children just want a nice, quiet holiday and ,when she finally passes out, decide to lock their alcoholic mum in the sauna until she recovers. McKee never overplays the role, only delving ever so slightly into slapstick. (And succeeding.) Through the course of the film, McKee creates several small moments that are far more touching than they have a right to be.
The general storyline isn't bad - although there are lots of highly improbable moments that make you want to roll your eyes and groan. This film is worth watching for what's at the heart of it; a woman who's been beaten down and has lost her own identity, and children who desperately want their mother back.
If you're a fan of Mckee's, or like to root for the underdog, I really recommend it.