Get Santa

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Mark J @RT91128775 12/27/2024 Enjoyable film and a nice change not really having too many Christmas films like this one. Cast really well, Jim Broadbent being one of the best on screen Santas and elevating this by a star just by himself. See more Martin R @RT19658152 12/23/2024 Brilliant and yet largely overlooked Christmas film. Great performances from a really strong British cast (Jim Broadbent, Rafe Spall, Stephen Graham, Jodie Whittaker, just to name a few). Yes it’s very silly, but there’s a lot more to it than the farting reindeer. We always enjoy watching it round Christmas time. See more Tarry S @RT37629072 12/01/2024 I love this movie so much! It's silly and whimsical and so heart warming. A bit different from most Christmas movies, but worth a(nother) watch! See it! See more steven a @RT67998809 01/14/2023 Despite lacking the cinematic flourish of bigger-budget seasonal movies, this gets by on its likeable characters and sense of fun. The script is loose and inconsistent, but Broadbent and Spall give bright performances and are supported by a game cast. See more Dave G @RT18120640 12/04/2022 You have to appreciate British humor , and then just go with it!! Quirky, but fresh and often humorous Santa tale , that has heart. Nice addition to the Christmas story genre!! Relax and enjoy! See more 01/13/2021 I am not a fan of the whole Santa thing, let’s just get that out of the way up front. Parents, tell your children not to read this review any further, because I don’t want to be responsible for what they might read next... While I can appreciate the many creative stories that people have made over the years with this entire legend, it takes something truly special to win me over when it comes to the guy in the red suit. Get Santa wasn’t that for me. For starters, it felt a lot like a different riff on The Santa Clause. In this version, instead of becoming Saint Nick, the father simply must help him in order to grow closer to his son. I can appreciate a story about the bond between father and son, but I kept wondering if the events of this movie would genuinely bring them closer in the long run or just lead to their further estrangement as he returns to prison. But it’s a holiday feel-good movie, so we’re supposed to ignore what would happen in the real world and enjoy the mythical world where everyone can live happily ever after. But let’s talk a bit about this mythical world, because this is the part that bugged me the most about Get Santa. I’m tired of movies that make Santa Claus a real being who does all the things that we sing about around Christmas time, but then makes every adult doubt his existence like in our real world. I mean, if Santa were real, the parents would be the first to know about it as they would not be filling stockings or buying presents for their children. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons I actually liked Ron Howard’s Grinch movie more than most other film buffs, because it created a society of adults who were just as giddy about Christmas coming and anxiously awaiting the arrival of Santa. And that’s not all that bugged me about the logic of Get Santa. I also struggled with the fluctuating magic of Santa Claus. One of the biggest things that stood out to me was how he knew each one of the men in prison and what they’d wanted in past Christmases, yet when he meets Warwick Davis he becomes an insensitive jerk who just assumes a little person must be an elf. I know all of this sounds like I was very down on Get Santa as a film, but that’s not completely the case. While I do struggle a great deal with films built around the idea of Santa Claus, there are still many elements that work in this movie. For starters, many of the comedic beats worked quite well. I liked some of the scenes in the prison, and found that cast of characters funny. The parole officer was hilarious, and made me laugh every time she was on screen. I also thought a great deal of the chase in the final act was so preposterous that I was genuinely having a good time with it. You can’t go wrong with Jim Broadbent as Santa Claus either. He has such a kind face and a winning smile, so I thought he did a wonderful job of bringing some heart to the story. There are definitely some good elements to this movie, and I think it would be a great family film for those who are more enamored with the idea of Santa. While it won’t make my regular holiday rotation, Get Santa is still a decent film that I didn’t mind watching at all. See more Read all reviews

Get Santa

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