Written by Matthew Widdis
It sounded like a gamble.
The Christmas movie is a genre that saw its heyday in the 1940s and, depending on how much you like manic Will Ferrell — has rested largely on the shoulders of a hostage incident at Nakatomi Plaza and Red Ryder BB guns since then.
Kurt Russell, best known for roles such as Snake Plissken, Wyatt Earp, and Stuntman Mike was going to be playing every child’s favorite folklore figure.
But somehow, Netflix’s The Christmas Chronicles, makes it work making sure to mark off everything in the Christmas movie playbook.
Russell’s Santa Claus plays upon numerous Santa tropes of movies past. Like Miracle on 34th Street’s Kris Kringle, he has each person he meets all figured out and knows just how to reach them. The traditional “Santa Body” we saw Tim Allen deal with in The Santa Clause is a point of contention for him. And, like all Santa Clauses, he has his hands full with the fact that most people just don’t believe him to be real.
Kurt Russell’s St. Nick is joined by a supporting cast of both the familiar and promising. During the night, he is chased by Chicago police (including New Girl’s Lamorne Morris,) gets to jam with legendary E-Streeter, Steven Van Zandt (The Sopranos), and gets help from Mogwai-like elves portrayed by voiceover stalwarts Robin Atkin Downes, Karu Wahlgren, and Mad TV’s Debra Wilson. The forever young Kimberly Williams-Paisley (seriously, she may very well be a sorceress or vampire) plays the mother of Teddy and Kate Pierce, Santa’s unexpected charges for the night, played by Judah Lewis and Darby Camp who is delightfully reminiscent of a young Kirsten Dunst.
It’s the story of these two naughty/nice siblings that gets our party started. The loving, suburban home is fractured when their firefighter father dies, Teddy reaches cynical adolescence, and their mother beings to work around the clock. When Teddy is blackmailed into waiting up for Santa by Kate, the two actually succeed in stowing away on his sleigh. When the sleigh’s magic goes haywire and they crash in the popular Christmas movie setting of Chicago. In ChiTown, Santa needs their help to save Christmas just like they need Santa to save a little piece of themselves. Along the way, there’s a police interrogation, a kidnapping, the destruction of priceless sports memorabilia, and even a trip to an award-worthy set depicting Santa’s workshop that elicits equal parts Wayne Manor and Hogwarts.
In the end, we get a resolution wrapped up nice and tidy with a surprise cameo as the bow on top. The usual stock lessons are learned along the way and the twist is found not just in how the whole adventure pans out but for exactly whose benefit the entire journey even began.
A good cast, well done visuals, and just the right formula and timing makes The Christmas Chronicles feel nostalgic and new at the same time.
Rating: 7 out of 10
