Dear Santa

I literally never write reviews on this site but felt compelled to after seeing how poorly this movie has been rated. It's far from great and after watching the trailer it was pretty much exactly what I expected it to be. Jack Black was pretty solid though I wouldn't say his best performance. The acting all around was good enough.

I'm guessing some angry Christians and the fairly sad plot line had some people unfairly give this an instant 0. It definitely has some laughs, and I thought was decently written. In reality it should be about a 6.5 on this site imo. I'm throwing it a 10 to help out.

The movie feels disjointed at several points with the ending appearing to be haphazardly thrown together. That didn't make sense to me until I looked at the cast list and realized there might have been a major re-write, re-shoot. Jack Black's partner from Tenacious D, Kyle Gass, plays an English teacher that is in the far background of one scene.. and looks very much like Santa Claus. Now this is just my speculation, but I don't imagine he would have had such a small part in the film initially (historically he has always had much larger roles). After his controversial statements on the attempted assassination of Trump I have a suspicion the film went through major editing and changes.. making the ending feel out of place. It's just a guess at this point, but it's the only thing that seems to explain why professional actors and directors would release something this horrible.

I am not one to generally watch or like Christmas films, but Dear Santa had an intriguing premise and so I decided to give it a try. I was honestly surprised by how much I liked it.

I was concerned the film might lean too hard into slapstick or over-the-top silliness, but only one literal toilet joke dragged on a bit too long for my tastes. It focuses more on witty dialogue/situations and has some surprisingly touching moments.

This film will no doubt get flak from the religious crowd for invoking the devil, which likely explains part of the low review score. However, I thought it brought something fresh to the table without feeling disrespectful (It even lightly touches on some theological arguments).

The one downside for me was the acting among the child actors was a little rough in parts, but it is a minor issue and a common complaint in films with younger actors.

Whatever the case, I'd definitely recommend giving Dear Santa a chance if you're looking for something heartfelt and unconventional that is still very much a Christmas film.

Jack Black is undoubtedly the star of this film.

His acting, eccentric mannerisms, and slapstick comedy evoke Jim Carrey's style - both actors light up the screen with their infectious energy!

The film cleverly weaves witty and darkly satirical dialogue into a broader commentary on contemporary Western society, particularly addressing issues of childhood bullying and dysfunctional parent-child relationships.

Yet the movie never wallows in darkness; instead, it remains vibrant, colorful, and full of laughs.

Post Malone delivers an entertaining cameo, and true to Christmas movie tradition, it wraps up with a heartwarming ending!

Perfect for holiday season viewing...

Recommended!

I mean, it's not winning any awards, but the movie is pretty adorably silly. The laughs are consistent enough, and Jack Black as Satan with a heart of bronze is inspired, if not on the nose, casting.

The rest of the cast knows exactly what kind of film they're in, and all of them are having a good time being in a Farrelly brothers flick. Think more along the lines of a Shallow Hal, which also stared Jack Black, in terms of tone and cadence of jokes.

Some pacing issues towards the end aside, Dear Santa does not over stay it's welcome. It's a goofy Christmas movie for anyone who doesn't take the holiday too seriously.