Single Santa Seeks Mrs. Claus

Charming! Fun to watch.

Far, far better than its current 5.9 user rating would lead you to believe.

My wife and I will watch any old Christmas related rubbish at this time of year and this fairly sappy, silly movie certainly fits that category. Steve Guttenburg, looking like Will "Elf" Ferrell's kid brother, stars and generally gets to goof around as Santa Claus's son, Nicholas naturally, charged by his father to find a wife to settle down with and take with him to Lapland for the rest of her days. Tracked and urged on by Santa's rather dour little helper, he saves the life of an unbelieving single-mum workaholic advertising executive career woman, played by Crystal Bernard. Rather conveniently, she's recently widowed and bringing up her young son alone, but before you can say "A partridge in a pear tree", encouraged by her young son, the two gradually come together as a couple but can they do so by the deadline of Christmas Day? Well, what do you think?!

The plot as you can tell borrows from "Elf" but with even more schmaltz and sentimentality with the kid son looking conveniently like a brother of MacAulay Culkin. The comedy is very mild and obviously family-oriented but you can't believe in the wholesome winsomeness of Guttenburg and Barnard, the former only identifying us as to his true identity by giving it "Ho Ho Ho" any chance he can get. I did like the touch of Claus Jr making like a universal translator for the oration of a store Santa for a variety of different nationalities, but in the end the Chrstmas pudding is over-egged and over-syruped to the point that your teeth may fall out just watching it.

I watch this movie every Christmas because it and its sequel are actually very entertaining for a Hallmark film sure cheesy and sentimental but still fun but the question on my and possibly others minds is what happened to Steve Guttenberg's career?

Sure it's fun to see him in these TV movies these and Lavalantula were fun but this guy for a few years in the 80's was tied with Gene Hackman as the busiest actor and then by the 90's that was all gone and it was all stuff like this.

Not to say this is a bad movie it isn't but it does have a strange feeling that this guy was one of the most popular actors for a while with hit after hit and just couldn't transition well into the 90's and beyond.

It's also the fact I think he's just a likable enough guy (he's very likable here) that I wonder why he doesn't have more mainstream success.

I get all his big hits in the 80's consisted of him playing the goofy likable guy Police Academy and Three Men and a Baby for instance.

Yet this was a guy who took some chances. The Bedroom Window was actually a good movie where he tried doing drama and is highly entertaining but despite good reviews did badly at the box office.

As for this movie it's actually good enough but you wonder why Guttenberg didn't continue to remain popular enough that this could have gone for a theatrical release instead of a Hallmark Channel one.

It's good enough and if this were in the 80's it would have been a huge box office hit because of Guttenberg's star power alone.

But since this was made in 2004 Steve's big Hollywood days had come to an end.

Crystal Bernard most famous for playing Helen on Wings is good in her role and has some chemistry with Guttenberg that works.

Still Steve Guttenberg is a guy I would be in more mainstream stuff as he was decades ago. Lots of people say he didn't take chances with his career but films like Diner and Bedroom Window say otherwise.

Guttenberg just seems like a likable enough guy whose presence I would like to see brighten up our screens again.

Meanwhile enjoy this flick for what it is. It's certainly entertaining but as aforementioned you will keep scratching your wondering why it stars one of the most famous actors of the 1980's who got sidelined from A list blockbuster star to grade-Z actor.

Fun watch but Steve it's time for a mainstream comeback!

Love this movie. I actually live where it was filmed. However, There's a lot lacking in Gutenberg's performance. It seems forced and poorly acted and the constant fake Ho, Ho, Ho is unbearable.

Gutenberg's father (retiring Santa) is also a terrible actor.

The plot is great and all the other actors do a great job.

Better casting was needed.

Santa's heir (Steve Guttenberg) woos a widowed advertising executive (Crystal Bernard) who wants to use him in the biggest ad campaign of her career.

Now the premise pf this film a cute idea. Fans of 1980's films might enjoy seeing Steve Guttenberg and thus his casting.

Now the film moves fast. There is however something missing because the film feels incomplete.

The film is "Family Safe". However the only people that might enjoy this is children under 12.

Now if you happen to catch this film on Television watch it. It does have a few nice moments that saved this film from becoming a total bust!