Bruce Neibaur

The story is well-told, well-acted, and the setting is well-done.
Dickens supposedly tells a young aspiring author the story of how he came to write "A Christmas Carol "after being haunted by a young girl who showed him the horrors of the lives of the poor in London (which he knew from his own past), and convinced him to let go of his own self-pity and think of those he could help instead.

The dialogue is pedestrian but serviceable, and the coincidences are as pat as in one of his own ghost show more stories.
Suitable for young teens as an object lesson.
The interpolation of a modern song could have been jarring, but was okay.

Wikipedia confirms that "Dickens … was inspired following a visit to the Field Lane Ragged School, one of several establishments for London's street children. The treatment of the poor and the ability of a selfish man to redeem himself by transforming into a more sympathetic character are the key themes of the story." and "He built much of the work in his head while taking night-time walks of 15 to 20 miles (24 to 32 km) around London."

However, the ghostly elements would seem to be all fictional.
Compare to a more recent biopic "The Man Who Invented Christmas." show less

Our family really enjoyed this movie about a 'gang' of young men in rural America coming of age and helping a friend who became involved in a gang.