Diagonaldi Very well executed

Beanbioca As Good As It Gets

Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Logan By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

A_Different_Drummer Before we start our regularly schedule review, lets crate context.In the early days of Hollywood, x-mas movies were an oddity. They were in the process of finding themselves. Films like Miracle on 34th Street 1946 and Its a Wonderful Life 1947 (offically an X-mas tale because the story takes place around X-mas) were the exception, not the rule.Flash forward about 55 years or so and now you find that some countries (like Canada) have actually formed a cottage industry just turning out X-mas movies year after year, good story or bad, entertaining or not, just to feed the "maw" of the system. (Canada has even stooped so low as to remake a B--- version of Miracle on 34th Street 1946 ... apparently spurred on the US' horrific remake of the same film in 1994).So, therein likes the issue. When X-mas movies become commoditized, it becomes a real challenge that break away from the homogeneous sludge that passes for holiday movies these days.(Elf 2003 pulled it off -- wonderful and recommended).This film is not going to win any awards, but it holds the attention and has some really marvellous comedy bits buried here and there. (The "Crazy Jimmy Claus routine is worth the whole movie.) Recommended.

inquizitors-845-455978 Some people take everything so seriously. This is a fun Christmas film that I have witnessed being enjoyed by a large group aged from 4 to 72. It is no classic but is good fun with all the characters to see the good versus bad battle. Just relax with a mince pie and your favourite tipple - or a nice cuppa - and enjoy this harmless festive fun film.A 9-year-old boy Tom finds Santa Claus in his garden shed after Santa crashes his sleigh. Desperate to return to Lapland in time for Christmas, Santa asks Tom and his dad Steve for help. It's just a few days before Christmas, and his reindeer are found running loose through the streets of London.Give it a watch. It is harmless fun. Jim Bradbent is a brilliant Santa and adds to his catalogue of very different roles. Rafe Spall is excellent as the dad released from prison trying to help his young son surrounded by cynical people in all guises. Kit Connor is the 9 year old boy who is the star of the movie and is excellent.

elainehewitt65 The children I took to see this film are in the age range of 4 to 10 years old. They all thoroughly enjoyed it.The story unfolds with Santa crashing his sleigh in Richmond Park, London. He consequently hides in a garden shed whilst his reindeer end up in Battersea Dog's Home. The little boy whose shed Santa occupies finds Santa and then sets out to recover the sleigh along with the reindeer with the help of his father (who takes some convincing that Santa is actually Santa).I personally didn't think it was up there in the top Christmas movies. I recall there was a reference to killing swans which didn't make any sense whatsoever and was completely unrelated to the story. There was some mild violence in there as well which I don't think goes together well with Santa and good will at Christmas. Children will enjoy this on a superficial level but adults who see things a little deeper may be left with a feeling of "what was that all about?"Give me "Elf" any day.

hounds_star This is yet another pretty obvious 'Santa in need of help' storyline with some lazy writing. I think primary school kids will enjoy it, especially the fart and poo scenes but I found it all rather weak with nowhere near enough funny scenes. I also thought the violent episode in the prison gym jarred. It was inappropriate and totally unnecessary - not least the 'jolly' music that was played over this fight. A sack over an unsuspecting prison guard would have sufficed, who could then have been gagged. Maybe they thought it would be funny - but it really wasn't. Sadly, despite some good cast members, not much in this film was.