Our take
A Christmas war film, complete with a downed sleigh, a rescue squad and a messiah with a machine gun, made at the height of the show's satire of America's wars. It is outrageous and very funny, and the straight-faced action parody is what sells it. The ending, with Jesus dead and Christmas delivered to Iraq anyway, is the show at its most gleefully wrong, and Kenny's quiet return is a lovely throwaway.
What happens
Cartman is so far down Santa's naughty list that, at the rate he is going, he will owe Santa more than 4,000 presents, so he needs one enormous good deed before Christmas. His plan is to bring Christmas to the people of Iraq. With the boys and Mr. Hankey he heads to the North Pole and recruits Santa, but over Baghdad Santa's sleigh is shot down, and Santa is taken prisoner and tortured. The boys climb into Santa's backup sleigh to go and ask Jesus for help. Jesus and the boys arm themselves and go in on a rescue mission played as a straight-faced war-film parody, with Jesus killing two guards to reach Santa's cell and Santa turning on his torturer. Jesus is shot dead in the escape, but Santa gets out and brings joy to South Park, while Jimmy keeps trying to get through the Twelve Days of Christmas. At the very end Kenny is back with the boys, with no explanation at all.
Can the kids watch it?
Not for children: rated 15 in the UK, with bloody comic violence, torture played for laughs and bleeped strong language, so for 15 and over.
Cast and crew
Starring
- Trey Parker as Stan Marsh, Eric Cartman, Mr. Hankey, Santa, Jimmy Valmer, Mr. Garrison
- Matt Stone as Kyle Broflovski, Kenny McCormick, Jesus
- Mona Marshall as Sheila Broflovski
- Eliza Schneider as Mayor McDaniels
- Isaac Hayes as Chef
Writer
- Trey Parker
Director
- Trey Parker