Review of Miracle on 34th Street (1994) by Kyle F — 27 Dec 2009

A great remake of a christmas classic. Miracle on 34th Street is a 1994 film directed by Les Mayfield. It is the fourth remake (and the second theatrical version) of the original 1947 film. Miracle on 34th Street is about when the Cole's Santa Claus gets drunk before taking part in the Thanksgiving parade, Dorey, Cole's director of special events, fires him and must find a replacement immediately. She spots an old man (Richard Attenborough) berating the drunk Santa, and begs him to take over. He claims his name is Kris Kringle. Kris does so well during the parade that he is immediately hired to be Cole's main Santa for the holiday period. All the children in New York begin to believe that he is the real Santa, with the exception of six-year-old Susan, Dorey's daughter. Dorey's boyfriend, Brian Bedford, does his best to convince Susan to believe. While being babysat one night by Kris, Susan shares with him her Christmas wish, she would like a dad, a house (used every year for the Cole's catalogue photoshoot) and a baby brother. Kris asks her if she got all those things, would she then begin to believe in Santa. Susan agrees that she would.

Kris is credited with bringing in many more sales to Cole's than previous years, until one night, when he is arrested then sectioned for supposedly assaulting a man on the street. Later, the truth emerges, that the man he assaulted was the original drunk Santa, who set up Kris to be arrested, with the help of members of staff from a rival of Cole's.

With the help of Brian, Dorey pushes Kris' case to court, and drums up support from him from the public. It soon becomes clear that to get Kris acquitted and freed, Brian must prove that not only does Santa exist, but that Kris is the real one. It is a seemingly impossible task until Brian comes up with a plan that requires some help from Susan.

I thought everything was great about this remake. The acting was great and I thought Richard Attenborough did a marvelous job as Kris Kringle. This is a cherished holiday family tradition! Great for the whole family! Two BIG thumbs up!