With the like of horror comedy Severance and psychological thriller Triangle under his belt, a family friendly Christmas movie isn't something you would expect from writer/director Christopher Smith. But here he is with the very British Get Santa, which ticks all the boxes you would expect from this type of movie, while still doing things differently, like featuring the sight of Santa (Jim Broadbent) walking down a prison hallway to NWA's Straight Outta Compton.
Steve (Rafe Spall) is just out of prison, and all he wants to do is re-connect with his estranged son Tom (Kit Connor). Little does he know, Tom has Santa holed up in his garden shed, after the jolly fat man crashed his new sleigh while out for a test drive, days before Christmas. When Santa is arrested while attempting to rescue his reindeer from the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, Steve is dragged into a mission to break him out of jail and save Christmas, a mission which takes in farting reindeer and a trip to Lapland.
The premise alone should be enough to entice people to go see Get Santa, and if it does, you will be rewarded with a thoroughly entertaining and joyous time. Smith seemed an odd choice for this type of movie, but he suits it down to the ground, countering the overly mushy moments with hard edged realism, some good old fashioned Christmas magic, or, admittedly, one too many toilet jokes. It's a movie that could only be made in Britain, free of any Hollywood gloss, and run through with a slight grittiness that keeps it grounded. Well, that is until the magical Elf postal service, or the gun that fires reindeer droppings. The central relationship of a divorced dad trying to bond with his son is a refreshing one, and Spall plays Steve as a likable everyman, willing to do anything for his son, and he forms a great relationship with newcomer Connor. It's a movie that works hard to appeal to all ages, and pretty much succeeds. Kids will lap up the aforementioned farting reindeer and the trip to Santa's magical workshop (even if the effects could have been better), while the older members of the audience will get a kick out of the smart laughs and adult storytelling hidden amongst the toilet humour. And everyone should be rolling in the aisles at Warwick Davis, wearing an elf costume, wrestling a full grown man.
This marks the second time Jim Broadbent has played Santa (after voicing him in Arthur Christmas), and he has the character down to a tee. He is filled with an unquenchable joyful spirit, and is adept at bringing the laughs (his attempts to act 'hard' are the movie at it's best) and tugging at the heart strings in equal measure, especially when he nearly reduces a room of hardened convicts (and maybe some members of the audience) to tears by reciting, from memory, presents they received from him as children. This type of sentimentality peppers the movie, but Smith keeps it from getting too schmaltzy until the end, when, as expected, the power of Christmas wins out.
Get Santa may be do things differently, but it still delivers a Christmas movie that will delight kids and adults alike.
Steve (Rafe Spall) is just out of prison, and all he wants to do is re-connect with his estranged son Tom (Kit Connor). Little does he know, Tom has Santa holed up in his garden shed, after the jolly fat man crashed his new sleigh while out for a test drive, days before Christmas. When Santa is arrested while attempting to rescue his reindeer from the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, Steve is dragged into a mission to break him out of jail and save Christmas, a mission which takes in farting reindeer and a trip to Lapland.
The premise alone should be enough to entice people to go see Get Santa, and if it does, you will be rewarded with a thoroughly entertaining and joyous time. Smith seemed an odd choice for this type of movie, but he suits it down to the ground, countering the overly mushy moments with hard edged realism, some good old fashioned Christmas magic, or, admittedly, one too many toilet jokes. It's a movie that could only be made in Britain, free of any Hollywood gloss, and run through with a slight grittiness that keeps it grounded. Well, that is until the magical Elf postal service, or the gun that fires reindeer droppings. The central relationship of a divorced dad trying to bond with his son is a refreshing one, and Spall plays Steve as a likable everyman, willing to do anything for his son, and he forms a great relationship with newcomer Connor. It's a movie that works hard to appeal to all ages, and pretty much succeeds. Kids will lap up the aforementioned farting reindeer and the trip to Santa's magical workshop (even if the effects could have been better), while the older members of the audience will get a kick out of the smart laughs and adult storytelling hidden amongst the toilet humour. And everyone should be rolling in the aisles at Warwick Davis, wearing an elf costume, wrestling a full grown man.
This marks the second time Jim Broadbent has played Santa (after voicing him in Arthur Christmas), and he has the character down to a tee. He is filled with an unquenchable joyful spirit, and is adept at bringing the laughs (his attempts to act 'hard' are the movie at it's best) and tugging at the heart strings in equal measure, especially when he nearly reduces a room of hardened convicts (and maybe some members of the audience) to tears by reciting, from memory, presents they received from him as children. This type of sentimentality peppers the movie, but Smith keeps it from getting too schmaltzy until the end, when, as expected, the power of Christmas wins out.
Get Santa may be do things differently, but it still delivers a Christmas movie that will delight kids and adults alike.
