There was a time when Jack Black made cultural waves when he reunited with the Farrelly brothers for a family comedy. Not today. Most people probably don’t know that Bobby Farrelly’s Dear Santa was scuttled on Paramount+, released on Monday with almost no advertising. Why? Perhaps the marketing team had no idea how to sell a movie that was apparently not made for anyone. Dear Santa 2024, halfway between a kids movie and a Farrelly comedy for adults, was made by people who have no idea what middle school is like in 2024. Not only do they not understand the language of 11-year-olds, but I’m not sure if they’ve ever met an 11-year-old. Browse this movie on Theflixtor.
Dear Santa was co-written by Peter Farrelly and directed by his brother Bobby Farrelly. It tells the story of Liam (Robert Timothy Smith), a dyslexic sixth-grader. Liam (Robert Timothy Smith) still believes in Santa Claus and sends him a letter every year. Liam’s dyslexia is important (and used cheaply in this often exploitative and manipulative crap) because he addresses his letter to “Satan” instead of “Santa” (yes, seriously). Guess who answers? As the other Man in Red, a thickly bearded, horned Jack Black torments Liam and somehow befriends him. One of the many problems with the film’s uncertain tone is that it doesn’t even know how to portray Liam’s relationship with Satan. You’d think a movie about a kid who sells his soul to the devil for three wishes would be a little darker than the joke, but you’d be wrong.
Overall, Dear Santa feels like someone took the book from Greg’s Diary and added a really weird demonic mythology. Liam is new to town and has a crush on a girl from his school, Emma (Cal Cech), and her new friend, Gibby (Jaeden Carson Baker). He gets into an altercation with an obnoxious teacher named Mr. Charles (P.J. Byrne), but Satan gets revenge by giving him instant irritable bowel syndrome. Liam’s parents (Brian Howey & Hayes McArthur) realize that Liam thinks he’s talking to Satan, and bring in a child psychologist (a depressingly washed-up Keegan-Michael Key) to solve the problem. And yet it’s all just a way into some very cheesy, manipulative storytelling about Liam’s mother and father grieving the loss of his brother (and ending with a shockingly grotesque vibe). And don’t get me started on Post Malone’s extended cameo, which is based on the idea that “Congratulations” is one of the best songs ever written. It’s so mysterious.
Read nore blogs: https://gotartwork.com/Blog/review-dear-santa-2024-movie/292251/,
https://medium.com/@theflixtormovies/dear-santa-film-review-a97afa7f3184,
https://flixtormovieonline.hashnode.dev/the-farrelly-brothers-take-a-swing-dear-santa,
https://hackmd.io/@Flixtor/Dear-Santa-Review-Satan-Slapstick-and-Seasonal-Chaos
https://www.tumblr.com/flixtorfreemovies/768746088849096704/review-dear-santa-supernatural-salvation