Diggity: A Home For Christmas

Every year, as December draws nearer the DVD shelves are filled with releases that try and play on our love all of things Crimble, and studios try and emulate the success of Elf, The Grinch and The Nightmare Before Christmas.

And so we have Diggity: A Home For Christmas. Actually made in 2001, this film has one thing that no other release this year will - Arthur Fowler from Eastenders as a real nasty piece of work. Bill Treacher plays the village bully, Mr Slee, who is trying to get his hands on the village church because he thinks there is buried treasure beneath it. He discovers that there is an heir to the deed on the building who happens to be loner, Raymond Cane (played by Andrew McCarthy) from Georgia USA. Caner comes over to the village and Slee offers to buy the church. However, if this happens, the community will lose their church and the local gypsy family will be left homeless. All of this is surveyed by the watchful gaze of Diggity, who is thought to be an orphan but is actually a cherub trying to do good deeds and get his promotion to Angel status.

It's quite clear that this isn't aimed at a 29 year old male who cites Jaws and Alien as some of his favourite films. But is it any good for kids?

To an extent it is. There are some nice slapstick moments, the acting is credible at best, there are children at the centre of the story which should make it more appealing for younger audiences and it ties up into a nice, touching, moralistic ending.

However, the plot twists all rely on property law, conveyancing and tax loopholes. I suspect many kids won't be particularly up on these things. The majority of the vocal gags miss the spot.

It's not bad, but it's far from good. If the family want to settle down with a nice Christmas movie, this is not it. Parents will be bored and it might distract kids for a little while, but they'll be back on that drum kit you got them before you can figure out where the name Diggity came from.