Thanksgiving is still two weeks away, but the holiday spirit is already everywhere. Stores are decked out, and my inbox is packed with all sorts of seasonal deals. Movies are getting into the spirit, too: over the past week, I’ve watched two Christmas films with Dickensian themes, and I’ll be reviewing them one after the other.

Merry Christmas Aubrey Flint is a loose variation on A Christmas Carol, starring John Bradley as Aubrey Flint, a reclusive man who lives in York. Like Scrooge, the grumpy Flint wants nothing to do with Christmas—a feeling rooted in losing his mother on Christmas Day when he was seven (Beau Thompson). In the opening flashback, Aubrey arrives in York from France with his parents. Bullied at school, he finds comfort in a picture book about Napoleon and becomes fascinated by the former French emperor. When his seriously ill mother gives him a Napoleon statuette for Christmas, he’s overjoyed—but loses her that very same day.

Now in his mid-30s, Aubrey spends the season keeping to himself and sneering at Christmas carolers. He’s not hostile like Scrooge—more of a sad sack than a mean-spirited guy. Flint is a loner who loves painting his model French soldiers and often visits the Miniature World of Wonders, an antiques shop owned by the kindhearted Mr. Hopkins (an unusually understated Richard E. Grant). I barely recognized Grant beneath his frizzy blond wig and mustache; he looks as if he’s playing Geppetto in a local Yorkshire production. I’m used to seeing Grant bring his signature theatrical flair to intense or mischievous roles, so it’s lovely to see his warm, gentle side. Mr. Hopkins and Janet, the caring café owner (Bridgerton’s Adjoa Andoh), are practically Aubrey’s only friends.

That is until he is sentenced to community service after a fight with a senior citizen on a mobility scooter over a snow globe. It’s a familiar setup: a band of quirky underdogs must stage a show—usually a play—to save [insert building/institution here]. This time, the threatened venue is Willow Lodge, a senior care home run by the gracious Ellen (Sophia Di Martino, whom I last saw in Loki). A greedy developer (Slow Horses’ Dustin Demri-Burns) wants to demolish the home, but Ellen hopes a play will establish Willow Lodge as a lively community hub and keep it standing. Flint and his fellow community service worker, Kugan (Kiell Smith-Bynoe), wind up helping Ellen hold auditions and bring the production together.

Naturally, the play the residents put on is A Christmas Carol. Celia Imrie is a particular highlight as Gloria, a former stage actress whose smoking habit often sets off the smoke alarm. Her audition left me wishing I could see Imrie perform Scrooge live. In case the Dickens connection weren’t obvious enough, Jim Broadbent occasionally narrates the story as the voice of Charles Dickens. Director Jack Spring clearly has a soft spot for the material; in 2017, he directed a one-man stage production of A Christmas Carol starring Martin Prest.

I’ve never watched Game of Thrones, so I only know Bradley from his role in Netflix’s 3 Body Problem. He brings a welcome vulnerability to Flint that makes him easy to root for. Chris Boyle-McQuarry’s script covers familiar, predictable ground. You can see nearly every beat coming, from the unlikely romance between Ellen and Kugan to Flint’s eventual rescue of Willow Lodge after he discovers the true meaning of Christmas—no trio of ghosts required. The script doesn’t dig deeply enough into Flint’s relationship with his estranged father (Adrian Rawlins), so the finale lacks some emotional impact. I also wish Grant had gotten more screen time overall.

Despite its predictable plot, the film’s cheerful sincerity is hard to resist. It’s devoid of cynicism and suspense, apart from the moment theater critic Harriet Webb (Wendy Mallett) arrives to review the production. I especially enjoyed its festive small-town atmosphere, enhanced by on-location filming on York’s historic streets and in its neighborhoods. It made me wish I could spend Christmas in Yorkshire. While it may not be the most original holiday film and it likely won’t land on your Best Holiday Movies list, its cozy charm and timeless winter scenery will surely get you in the Christmas mood.