Bits N Bats

Kurt Russell is Santa Claus. That’s one hell of a pitch!

Plot: The story of sister and brother, Kate and Teddy Pierce, whose Christmas Eve plan to catch Santa Claus on camera turns into an unexpected journey that most kids could only dream about.

Christmas comes early this year courtesy of our friendly neighborhood Netflix, and I was quite confident that this was another throwaway holiday film with not much to enjoy, but I was pleasantly surprised to find out that this was a fun family film that, although isn’t anything special, is very much a welcome watch come festive season. That’s right, I’d say wait till December to watch this one, as it’s full on screaming Merry Christmas at you. Kurt Russell even performs a Christmas number just to seal the deal.

It’s all fun and games, so much so that this film goes to crazy places. There’s car chases, reindeer hunting, jailbreak, sleigh riding, elves fighting thugs (you read right) all the fun that kids will enjoy! It’s a very fast paced movie that, when things kick off, doesn’t stop until the finish line. It’s not much of a brain thinker, just a simple film for the family to enjoy. Kurt Russell is great as Santa, with his cheeky winks and charismatic delivery of lines, and the kid actors do well on their part. Look out for a cameo from Santa’s misses. 

A little bit of a distraction might be the obvious use of green screen, but if you don’t think about it too much you’ll be fine. Not much else to say really. Fun Christmas film. Festive and entertaining. Kurt Russell is great and manages to not break any antique guitars this time around.

Overall score: 6/10

It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World

1963

“What used to get my goat at MGM were comedians like The Marx Brothers or Abbott and Costello who never worried about the script or the next scene. My God, we ate, slept and dreamed our pictures.”

Sir Charles Spencer “Charlie” Chaplin, KBE

(16 April 1889 - 25 December 1977)