Santa Claus: The Movie
America wrote this off on release and Britain quietly adopted it, which tells you most of what you need to…
Festive Factor 82 out of 100: Christmas at its heart.The story
About Miracle on 34th Street
A kindly old man hired as a department store's Father Christmas insists he is the genuine article, winning over shoppers and staff but not the store's hard-headed events manager or her six-year-old daughter, who has been raised not to believe. When a rival's scheme gets him locked away and put on trial over his sanity, a lawyer who loves the family takes his case to court, and the girl's faith becomes part of the argument.
The CineClaus verdict
A careful remake that knows it stands in the shadow of the black-and-white classic and mostly stays out of its way.
Richard Attenborough carries it, gentle and entirely convincing as a man who simply is Father Christmas. Les Mayfield gives John Hughes's script a glossy nineties sheen, and the rival store's schemers are pantomime villains, but the courtroom finale still works on anyone willing to be won over.
It runs longer and softer than its predecessor. An ideal first Santa film for a young family, with Attenborough's twinkle doing most of the persuading.
The family desk
Can the kids watch?
Our take: rated U and fine for most five-year-olds: the only tension is a kind old man being locked up and taken to court, and the one brief adult reference will pass straight over small heads.
Content advice & accessibility
- Our age guidance
- Editorial, separate from the official U certificate, and never looser than it.
- Subtitles
- Check your chosen service and edition for supported tracks.
