Call Me Claus

When I first turned this film on I thought "Here's a film that's going to get a bad review", but actually as it progressed I found I quite liked the silliness of it all and realised that it is just the right amount of daft. It bears a likeness to "Miracle On 34th Street" in some respects and "The Santa Clause" in others, with a little bit of "A Christmas Carol" for good measure thrown in and it's funny and charming.

Whoopi is not expecting Saint Nick, who is superbly played by Nigel Hawthorne, to turn up and try to recruit her, but that's what happens. With the help of his really creepy head elf, Ralph, Nick gets work on Whoopi's TV show and the merriment ensues.

By the end of the film I was really feeling a bit of a glow and I didn't touch the port until afterwards I swear!

I think it should've been released into cinemas rather than made for TV...instead, this year - we got Elf! What's with that?

Although this film is rather slow paced, it's funny in all the right places and without trying too hard.

A heartwarming (sometimes heart wrenching) story that includes a fantastic cast. Whoopi Goldberg (great as ever in her role as Lucy Cullins), Nigel Hawthorne (as the most convincing Santa Claus I have ever had the honour of seeing in a movie) and Victor Garber (in a wickedly comical role!).

I watched it for the first time this morning and I want to watch it again and again and again!

Review Date 4/16/2019

I Have Reviewed OVER 500 "Christmas Films and Specials". Please BEWARE Of films and specials with just one review! For instance When "It's a POSITIVE" chances are that the reviewer was involved with the production. "If its Negative" then they may have a grudge against the film for whatever reason. I am fare about these films.

The story is about Lucy Cullins, a successful but cranky producer at a home shopping network, hires an actor named Nick to play Santa Claus on the network she gets more than she bargained for..

This story doesn't focus on what i truly wants to be. A film about the commercialism of "Christmas" or a family comedy about a woman not believing that she is to be the next "Santa Claus". It could have been both. I think had this been given an extra 1/2 the filmmakers might of had something special. Given it was a tv-m they were forced to make a film a certain length to fit a 2 hour times lot.

The acting is fine but this is a film that is quit forgettable. After a nights sleep most adults will forget that they even saw film

Because she had true Christmas spirit as a young lass, "Shop-A-Lot" TV producer/pitch-woman Whoopi Goldberg (as Lucy Cullins) is chosen to be the world's new Santa Claus. This decision was made (in a 1965 flashback) by traditional roly-poly red-suited Nigel Hawthorne (as Nick). Being "Santa Claus" is revealed to be a 200-year job. If the presently grow-up and grumpy Ms. Goldberg can't get her girlish Christmas groove back, Earth will suffer a massive flood. Call her Scrooge. For Goldberg's Los Angeles-based home-shopping channel, she hires Mr. Hawthorne as a seasonal sales-marketing Santa and he tries to win her over. For a TV movie, "Call Me Claus" is nicely produced. This was the last role for Hawthorne, who performs memorably. The soundtrack music (by Van Dyke Parks) pleasantly moves it along. Having a woman take over the role of Santa Claus is an interesting and welcome premise, but the story really doesn't work. As it's destined to get lost in future years, we won't have to explain to millions of confused young children how Whoopi lost the job.

***** Call Me Claus (12/2/01) Peter Werner ~ Whoopi Goldberg, Nigel Hawthorne, Taylor Negron, Brian Stokes Mitchell

I acquired this one on a DVD from the USA, the only place its available. I found the film most entertaining, thanks to the performances of Whoopi Goldberg and Nigel Hawthorn whom I had known from the BBC series Yes Minister. Indeed I was distressed to learn that he had died whilst I was in the course of reading other comments about this film. Whoopi Goldberg, I knew and loved in Ghost, Jumpin' Jack Flash and the Sister Act movies.

The storyline here is quite original, a little slow to get off the ground but that Christmas magic is there and I think we all, old and young, like films where Father Xmases, sleighs and reindeers are involved, especially if the reindeers have shiny/luminous noses.

I was most touched by the flashback to Whoopi's childhood where she had asked the same Father Xmas to bring her Daddy back, this was probably the most emotional part of the film. The rest was more lighthearted and the only aspect I did not like was the over commercialisation of Xmas where you have to sell sell and sell more ! However the magic of the film makes up for the rest of this. It's a nice DVD to have at home and to put on a couple of times a year !