Movielogr
Santa Claus: The Movie (1985)
Directed by Jeannot Szwarc
Twitter Facebook Google+Most recently watched by zombiefreak, schofizzy
Overview
In ancient times, a man named Claus, who delivers toys in his small village, fulfils his destiny to become Santa Claus after meeting an expert toy-making elf, Patch, in the North Pole. In the present day, Santa Claus has become overwhelmed by his workload, and the disgruntled Patch flees the workshop to New York City. There, Patch unknowingly threatens the fate of Christmas by taking a job at a failing toy company run by a scheming businessman.
Rated PG | Length 108 minutes
Actors
Dudley Moore | John Lithgow | David Huddleston | Burgess Meredith | Judy Cornwell | Jeffrey Kramer | Christian Fitzpatrick | Carrie Kei Heim | John Barrard | Anthony O'Donnell | Melvyn Hayes | Don Estelle | Tim Stern | Christopher Ryan | Peter O'Farrell | Dickie Arnold | Aimée Delamain | Dorothea Phillips | John Hallam | Judith Morse | Jerry Harte | Paul Aspland | Sally Cranfield | Michael Drew | Walter Goodman | John Cassady | Ronald Fernee | Michael A. Ross | Shannon Claire Spruill | Morgan Deare | Caroline John | Jill Goldston | Barrie Holland
Viewing History (seen 1 time)
| Date Viewed | Device | Format | Source | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11/28/2011 | TV | Streaming | Video on Demand | 4 stars |
| (Average) 4 stars |
Viewing Notes
The real message of Christmas: let’s get high. There’s drug use running rampant SANTA CLAUS: THE MOVIE: reindeer eating grass to fly, kids eating lollipops to get high, and executives in space that somehow don’t die. It’s not exactly what I expected out of a movie I barely remember except for my fondness for it as a child. Maybe that’s not what the writers intended, but it sure comes across that way as a jaded adult.
I only remembered a few things from the film: Dudley Moore, the girl Corny and the reindeer launching for the first time. I’d totally forgotten that it’s a miniature epic, telling the story of Claus from the beginning and up until 1985, accompanied by fantastic set design and concepts that reminded me of the 1944 Max Fleischer Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer ‘toon.
SANTA CLAUSE is really a tale of two movies, though: the origin story and then the story of Patches, aka Dudley Moore. The first movie is serious and sweet, and the second is wacky and over the top and remniscent of BABES IN TOYLAND or ELF. It’s a bit disjointing, but David Huddleston’s Santa Claus is there just enough to really bring it home in the end and make it a complete and underrated Christmas classic. I just wish they’d involved Krampus.
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