Okay, so it's Christmastime and you want to get into the festive spirit by watching a movie... which one do you choose? They all have similar plots and twists that they've become staid.
That can be said about this movie too as you have a Santa who's lost his memory (Santa Who? (2000) & The Search For Santa Paws (2010)); Santa loses his sack; and a dysfunctional family find come together through the spirit of Christmas (The Family Man (2000) & Home Alone (1990)).
So what makes this film worth watching. The script is well written and keeps up a decent pace throughout the film, and there are some excellent funny lines that shine through -
Angie Fox - "How did we miss the eight tiny reindeer and sleigh in our garden?"
Wayne Fox - "Because we were too busy with the Santa in our house!"
The actors are well above average, with (the much underused) Jennifer Beals shining through and R D Reid giving us a great "Jolly Santa" even though he's lost his memory - this is my favourite portrayal of "Big- Red" to date. Then there's Jordan Prentice as the dapper dressed though highly-strung Nigel Thumb. These three lift the movie out of "good" into "wonderful" cast; making the movie more appealing.
That said there are a couple of slight encumbrances with the film. The direction could've been better and a little tighter. There could've been some better camera shots at times, everything seems a little safe. Also, the reason why Santa was sent out a day early grated on me a little. None of Santa's little helpers, Mrs Clause, or even Santa himself realised it was the day before Christmas Eve. Surely for somebody who's been doing the same job for thousands of years, you'd expect him to remember what day it is (there are not many important things to remember as Santa, but this has to be a major one).
This is one Christmas film I would recommend to everyone and I will watch again when it's on... I may even purchase a copy.
494 Ratings but only a 5.8 Average - This is woefully low for such a good film.
That can be said about this movie too as you have a Santa who's lost his memory (Santa Who? (2000) & The Search For Santa Paws (2010)); Santa loses his sack; and a dysfunctional family find come together through the spirit of Christmas (The Family Man (2000) & Home Alone (1990)).
So what makes this film worth watching. The script is well written and keeps up a decent pace throughout the film, and there are some excellent funny lines that shine through -
Angie Fox - "How did we miss the eight tiny reindeer and sleigh in our garden?"
Wayne Fox - "Because we were too busy with the Santa in our house!"
The actors are well above average, with (the much underused) Jennifer Beals shining through and R D Reid giving us a great "Jolly Santa" even though he's lost his memory - this is my favourite portrayal of "Big- Red" to date. Then there's Jordan Prentice as the dapper dressed though highly-strung Nigel Thumb. These three lift the movie out of "good" into "wonderful" cast; making the movie more appealing.
That said there are a couple of slight encumbrances with the film. The direction could've been better and a little tighter. There could've been some better camera shots at times, everything seems a little safe. Also, the reason why Santa was sent out a day early grated on me a little. None of Santa's little helpers, Mrs Clause, or even Santa himself realised it was the day before Christmas Eve. Surely for somebody who's been doing the same job for thousands of years, you'd expect him to remember what day it is (there are not many important things to remember as Santa, but this has to be a major one).
This is one Christmas film I would recommend to everyone and I will watch again when it's on... I may even purchase a copy.
494 Ratings but only a 5.8 Average - This is woefully low for such a good film.