The Real St. Nick

It's very rare for me to bail out of watching a film the whole way through - but the poor acting & amateur storylines just made me stop watching. They're trying to blend a sweet Christmas theme mixed with One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest - and it just doesn't work. Sorry !!

I probably should have trusted my gut and turned it off after the first five minutes. The idea of Father Christmas with amnesia was only ever going to be stupid and that's a shame, because a more genuine and realistic take on this story could be quite sweet.

The mental hospital shenanigans took over the romantic element to the point that I was surprised by how much they'd fallen for each other in such a short space of time.

Some of the acting was terrible, especially the evil boss and the brother, but the guy playing Jack was superb.

All a little extreme and far too silly for my tastes.

This is not a movie you would like to see or admit you watched. The story was lame and the acting was worse. If the director even tried to make a watchable movie he should be fired. My 6 year old daughter quit watching before the half way mark. Her comment was "Daddy this movie is dumb, do I have to watch it?" Maybe I should point out the acting reminded me of a grammar school Christmas play where the children playing trees make mistakes causing the parents to giggle and laugh under their breath. The hospital administrator was like watching a child actor trying to play the part of an adult. Much like Alfalfa in the old our gang movies. The script was written by someone who if wrote for an animated cartoon show they would be fired. Sorry I just can not find anything positive about the movie at least to the part where we could not watch it anymore.

Kenneth Choi makes this movie watchable. His character, Jack, is a mental patient who thinks he's Jack Nicholson in "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest." And he's really good. You don't see enough Asian actors in roles that aren't somewhat stereotypically "Asian" and this is a wonderful role for him. The rest of the movie? Eh...yes, your typical lame Lifetime holiday movie. Girl meets boy, other boy wants her but she doesn't want him, despite him being the "respectable" choice...but in the end, girl ends up with the boy who thinks he's Santa Claus. Corny, predictable, holiday fare. With, you know, mental patients to lend a little comedic relief.

But Kenneth Choi's Jack is pretty freakin' awesome.

Christmas in a psychiatric hospital where the staff as well as patients refer to the hospital as a nuthouse; a looneybin. The staff call the patients nuts and make fun of patients. One male even says he needs some ECT as a top off. Very inappropriate; making fun of mental illness.

In comes an amnesiac Santa, with whom the attending psyciatrist falls in love. A total breach of doctor/patient boundaries.

Terrible acting, and story make this the worst TV holiday movie.