‘Dear Santa’ review: neither the new Christmas classic nor the great return of the Farrelly brothers
Director: Bobby Farrelly | Script: Ricky Blitt, Peter Farrelly | Cast: Robert Timothy Smith (Liam), Jack Black (Satan), Jaden Carson Baker (Gibby), Brianne Howey (Molly), Kai Cech (Emma), each | Playing time: 107 minutes | Year: 2024
It’s still strange that a movie with a premise that can’t possibly be great disappoints. Unfortunately, this is not a rare occurrence and seems to happen more frequently in comedies. That is also the case of Dear Santa Clausthe last film from the Farrelly brothers, who should have dominated the genre. It’s not a bad movie, but it’s not what you expected.
Liam is a lovable sweetheart (and therefore not a member of the school’s popular clique) who this Christmas is forced to argue with his parents. Although he has doubts about the existence of Santa Claus, he still writes him a letter with his Christmas wish. However, Liam is dyslexic, so the letter is not sent to Santa, but to Satan. The devil never receives a letter from children, so he appears to Liam and grants him three wishes. Will keep the attached price tag a secret for now.
A great premise full of potential. And that devil is also played by the always energetic Jack Black, and his direction and script are in the hands of the brothers behind classics like There’s something about Maria in cornerstone. So as soon as the movie starts, just wait until he starts laughing, screaming and roaring.
And that just keeps waiting and waiting and waiting… Young protagonist Robert Timothy Smith plays him well (and almost seems to have taken some advice from Jack Black, given some gestures). His best friend, Gibby, is also played by a very talented guy. Jack Black soon appears and looks forward to it. But it just doesn’t create fun situations.
The devil trying to manipulate a good guy is fertile ground for comedy, but it seems the seeds have been planted elsewhere. In any case, it’s a good thing for a Farrelly film. Only halfway through is there a moment that really hits me, when Liam goes to a Post Malone concert. Heartwarming and good for a smile, but not exactly hilarious.
Also at that point, some comments are made from time to time that might make you laugh out loud (“I’m Gibby, Liam’s friend, the one who likes football and has cancer”), but at a frequency too low to maintain. the laughter The script has only itself to blame for this, and with such a fun and benevolent cast, it’s a shame more time wasn’t spent creating better scenes to put Liam and the devil in.
Dear Santa Claus It’s a moderately entertaining movie from start to finish. It also fails to evoke the Christmas spirit, thanks in part to its sunny location. In some ways, the subplot is stronger than the main plot: Liam’s bickering parents discover that their son has contact with the devil, and as they worry and investigate, they grow up together again. This also includes a small role for Keegan-Michael Key, who is pretty mediocre this time around.
There’s also a twist with an actor known from previous Farrelly films, which is pretty fun. On the other hand, Liam’s family hides a painful secret. Perhaps too dramatic for a family comedy film, and its ending is actually unfair (and will rightly go down badly with families who have experienced something like this).
Dear Santa Claus is the first film the Farrellys have made together in a long time, after Peter made several solo films (including the Oscar-winning film). Green Paper and Bobby did that once too ([i]Champions[i]never published here). Hopefully they haven’t forgotten that they were always at their best when creating flat but legendary moments. I hope they find their way again.
Dear Santa Claus can be seen in SkyShowtime.