Review of Santa Claus: The Movie (1985) by Catherine S — 08 Jan 2012

This is another one of those movies that I have problems with describing why I like it. Santa Claus: The Movie has many flaws and rough spots that prevent it from being a Christmas classic as people have defined the term, but it still has a huge amount of heart and overall is an enjoyable experience.

Santa Claus: The Movie stars David Huddleston as the title character. He's introduced as a kindly toymaker from the 14th century who travels from village to village in deadly blizzards. One Christmas, the cold proves too much and he, his wife Anya, and his two reindeer Donner and Blitzen almost freeze to death. However, they saved by a group of little men known as Vendequem, or elves. They appoint him as the figure known as Santa Claus and gives him and Anya eternal life. During his time as Santa, he becomes tired with the ever growing demand of toys and growing population, eventually deciding to hire a visionary of an elf named Patch (Dudley Moore). Patch invents an assembly-line of a machine that churns out toys much faster, but all of them fall apart within a couple of months (apparently there's no quality control in the North Pole) and Patch leaves the North Pole disgraced. He's hired by the head of a toy company named B.Z., who sells cheap and dangerous toys (including, but not limited to a doll that bursts into flames near a lit cigarette and a teddy bear stuffed with glass and nails), where Patch sells lollipops that make people fly. With Santa Claus being slowing replaced by Patch and B.Z., what will happen to Christmas?

Like I said, the movie has some major problems that need to be addressed. The biggest problems are B.Z. (John Lithgow) and the two child actors Christian Fitzpatrick and Carrie Kei Heim. All are awful in their roles. The two children are terrible actors and John Lithgow is disasterously over-the-top which is probably the only thing to save his character. B.Z. is as cookie-cutter of a villain as you can get. There's nothing special to him and nothing new to say. He's fueled by a desire for money, that's it. The effects are dated and the story seems rushed at parts and too slow at others. Dudley Moore (who receives top billing in this movie for some reason)'s performance as Patch is mixed bag. On one hand, his elf related puns are atrocious (not "Smurf" level, but still annoying. His constant speaking about "elf assurance" gets groan worthy fast). But on the other, you still end up liking his character and he does have some good scenes in the movie.

What about the good parts? Well, Santa's workshop is pretty cool looking even nowadays with lots of contraptions and gizmos about. David Huddleston as Santa gives a very different performance but nonetheless a good performance. The colors are pretty nice at times and like I said the movie still has a lot of heart and a certain atmosphere that I really like. And also a certain scene with Patch does hold some emotional quality that gives the movie some needed mood swing.

Overall, I liked this film, but it's hard to recommend. I have to disagree with the critics when they said younger kids would like it, personally I think kids would be fairly bored with the film but it all depends on the kid. If you're up for something that has some cheesy moments and some more solemn moments, give this a look. (Real Rating: 84%).