It’s the season to be jolly. Christmas is a few weeks away, and we have plenty of platforms releasing holiday content to cheer all of us up. Merriment, joy, laughter, family, and, most of all, love is the running theme of all the films in this genre. Christmas films only have one agenda: to bring a smile to the audience’s face. No matter how dull they feel or are away from their family, these films lift your mood. “Christmas Full of Grace” is a Brazilian romantic comedy directed by Pedro Antonio. The film is about a goofy woman who self-invites herself into an uber-rich business family in Brazil. Will they love her or shun her for who she is? Let’s find out.
Spoilers Ahead
‘Christmas Full Of Grace’ Plot Synopsis: What Happens In The Film?
Carlinhos, aka Carlos Henrique, is the grandson of a rich businesswoman, and he has a hard time managing the office, but somehow he has been able to stabilize his career. He lives in a beautiful home in Rio with his girlfriend of 10 years, Bebela. He is all set to meet his family for Christmas like every year, only this year, he will be joining Bebela as an engaged couple. He plans to propose to her a day before they head out to the family mansion in the countryside. Carlinhos is elated about the step he is about to take. He had planned his life so far, and everything was going as planned. Carlinhos is a decent guy at heart who goes miles for his girlfriend, friends, and family. He is sure his proposal would throw her off, but he is also sure he wants to spend the rest of his life with her. On returning home, he catches Bebela with another woman in the shower. Carlinhos is shocked to the core and runs out just to avoid any confrontation or hear any justification from his girlfriend. At the gate, he tries to open it but is unable to; at the same time, another woman runs towards him, crying over the fact that she lost all her valuables to a petty robbery. As Carlinhos is being confronted by his girlfriend, he runs away to the beach promenade with this other woman. She introduces herself as Graca and informs him that she reached Rio only for transit on her way to Aspen to spend Christmas with her family. She lost her purse, phone, and other valuables and couldn’t seem to remember any of the contacts. Carlinhos, being a man with connections, tries to influence the police to help her, but the police are also in the holiday mood as Christmas is just around the corner. Carlinhos goes out of his way to help Graca, as she seems helpless at this point. Graca, on the other hand, is a loudmouth woman who is funny and goofy and always makes sure things around her work as per her will. But sadly, the police are not able to help her, and she is desperate. Graca is also the type of woman who would start conversing with any passerby, and they would immediately become acquainted with her. Grace is a perfect example of the girl next door.
Carlinhos is in a situation where he can’t reveal the news of his partner cheating on him, for he will be embarrassed, especially in front of his grandmother Lady Sofia. Graca suggests he inform the family of his breakup and introduce Graca as his new girlfriend. Carlinhos is skeptical of the plan, but he has no other option, and that’s why he goes ahead with it. Graca does not want to be alone during Christmas and requests Carlinhos take her along so she can enjoy the festival she looks forward to every year. On reaching his home, which is practically a mansion, Graca is overjoyed to see such richness around the home, and she gets the feeling of festivities as she starts meeting his family one by one. Many are amused to see her because all of them expect Carlinhos to show up with his girlfriend, Bebela. His cousin, who is also his rival, asks questions about Bebela. He quietly informs his family that he and Bebela broke up amicably. Graca tries to overcompensate as she pretends to be his girlfriend just by being herself. Not many are amused by her goofy nature, especially Carlinhos’s cousin. Graca and Carlinhos try their level best to convince his family that their relationship is real. Graca, who does not stop being herself, and Carlinhos, who is as shy and awkward as ever, feel that his plan to ask Graca to join him for the family Christmas was a mistake. But he goes along with the brutal honesty that she portrays in front of the family. Grace was herself in front of his family, and Carlinhos was worried that anyone would suspect she was not his girlfriend in this process, as it is painfully obvious that both are poles apart, naturewise.
‘Christmas Full Of Grace’ Ending Explained – Do Carlinhos And Graca Get Back Together?
As Graca starts mingling with the family, on Christmas Day, she gets to know his ex-girlfriend was an Olympian, and again to overcompensate, she volunteers to play polo with his family. The plan royally fails as she accidentally injures Lady Sofia. Carlinhos, anxious about how she will react, takes Graca out to celebrate Christmas Eve at a local carnival. Graca starts opening up about herself to Carlinhos, but not enough. Graca is a happy person through and through, and Carlinhos starts seeing that. He starts appreciating the way Graca thinks about life in general and is impressed by how much she makes him smile. Soon, Graca is chased by a supposed ex-boyfriend, but she is successful in ditching him. Carlinhos soon realizes even how different he and Graca are; he seems to be understanding of her nature of being honest and funny at the same time. He likes spending time with her and looks forward to having a conversation with her about life.
Christmas evening at his family’s yearly ball that his grandmother, Lady Sofia, organizes, Graca makes sure everyone in the family has a good time by making them sing a local song. All of them join in one by one to sing, only to realize Christmas is all about having fun with the family. Thanks to Graca, Lady Sofia decides to make Carlinhos the head of her business after her tenure. On the same night, Graca comes to know of the fact that Carlinhos has started liking her, and she avoids kissing him, knowing how awkward it would get since she will be leaving soon. But they end up kissing one another under the mistletoe of his mansion’s garden. Graca is grateful for the fact that the kiss happened because she starts liking him as well. They both are sure of their feelings for one another but cannot seem to express them the correct way. Carlinhos is certain he likes Graca and has already confessed his feelings for her; meanwhile, Graca is conflicted. She is all set to head back after lunch with the family but is confused if she should reveal her feelings too. She finally tells Lady Sofia’s assistant, Franchisca, the truth: she has a habit of running into families during Christmas and pretends to have lost all her valuables as she never got to spend Christmas with her family growing up. She only approaches people with families and never dates anyone. She chose Carlinhos for her gut feeling and said he was a safe man to be around. To her surprise, she falls for Carlinhos’s kind behavior and for the fact that despite being a rich kid, he is not arrogant. Carlinhos is about to reveal his true feelings when his cousin reveals to the family that Graca is not his girlfriend but a con woman who meets random families on Christmas and spends time with them. Graca admits that these actions might be true, but she never intended to steal any money. All she wanted was to be around families for Christmas. Carlinhos, in a fit of rage and anger, says he cannot believe her anymore, which he regrets immediately. Graca leaves the mansion that second. Carlinhos wants to take his words back, but sadly he is unable to, and he tries to stop Graca from leaving. All he wanted to do was confess his feelings for her and appreciate how much she had changed him as a person. Carlinhos also realizes she is the only woman who does not love him for his money and privilege. Graca, on the other hand, is afraid she might get hurt if she reveals her feelings. That’s why she admits to her actions during Christmas and gets offended over the fact that Carlinhos would think she is a conwoman. Graca as a person, is overtly extroverted, but at heart, she is sensitive and has never felt this strongly about anyone else. She is afraid Carlinhos and her are too different, and that will eventually catch up, which will eventually lead to a breakup.
Carlinhos and Graca head back to the city, heartbroken, though only one of them is determined to get back together with the other one. Carlinhos, with the help of social media, reaches out to everyone to get in touch with Graca. Graca ignores all the messaging that is plastered all around the city. On New Year’s Eve, he held a beachside party at the pier, where he and Graca met for the first time. He was hoping that the social media work would help him get her back, but unfortunately, at the stroke of midnight, Graca did not show up. At the bus station, Graca is all set to head back to her hometown when she is confronted by Lady Sofia, who asks her to reconsider her decision and follow her heart. Graca thinks deeply about what she should do because she has made up her mind. Graca is not as rich, and she will never be. This makes her wonder if her relationship with Carlinhos will ever be sustained due to the financial gap. Lady Sofia tries to reason with her that Carlinhos did not take up the top job because he wants to follow his passion. Lady Sofia reaches Carlinhos’s party with Graca. Carlinhos is more than elated to have Graca back. Graca and Carlinhos confess their love for one another and kiss minutes after midnight strikes. Graca realized that she was herself all the while, and Carlinhos did not object to anything she said or commented on. Carlinhos also soon realizes he needs to live his life the way he had planned, and Graca is the only person who made him realize that money is secondary.
Final Thoughts
“Christmas Full of Grace” is an ideal film if you are looking for some genuine laughs amongst all the festive motifs in the film. A holiday film with comedy wrapped in it has not been seen before. Most holiday films are all about the good and the bad; the good triumphs while the bad elements are phished out. “Christmas Full of Grace” will make the audience chuckle over how ridiculously goofy the central character is. This film is a no-brainer because you don’t have to spend too much time deciphering any character’s behavior in detail, especially the leads. Just like any other romantic comedy or Christmas film, “Christmas Full of Grace” ends exactly as you would have thought it would. It is cheesy, predictable, over the top, and watchable during this jolly season.
“Christmas Full of Grace” is a Netflix original, streaming on the platform with subtitles.
