Get Santa (Cinema Screening)

(Spoiler free)

It’s almost mid December and I still hadn’t been to the cinema to see a Christmas movie! With slim pickings this year the only options were really Nativity 3 or Get Santa. I opted for the latter as whilst I enjoyed the first Nativity movie I feel now that it is on its third outing it can’t be doing anything too original. So, Get Santa it was!

Get Santa does its job, it is an enjoyable Christmas movie that will be a nice addition to any families Christmas holidays however that is all it is, unfortunately Get Santa won’t get the repeat viewing treatment. It is no modern day classic like Elf even though it steals an entire gag directly out of Will Ferrell’s seasonal favourite! Anyway Jim Broadbent does well as Santa Claus even though we are generally used to American St Nicks! The best scenes in this movie are watching Broadbent’s Claus trying to adjust to prison life, these are by far the most amusing moments in the film and even a bit more time devoted to scenes similar to these could have improved the film. I liked as well that the film did include original material, I liked the ambition in parts as I could see that it was trying to be something fresh and different. The main characters give good performances and contribute well to this festive tale. However what this film could have benefited from was some cameos, it is an obviously British film and if a core of British actors had been drafted in for some comical appearances it really would have been helpful as I did struggle to engage with some characters simply because I thought they could have used a bit more screen presence.

When I think of my favourite Christmas movies, every single one of them is American. This genre is definitely better handled by the U.S.A., everything is always just bigger and better and has a more Christmassey vibe to it. This is even more relevant for the fantasy Christmas films. Get Santa just felt so British and to me lacked a lot of the cheese that is so great about Christmas movies. Maybe I am sounding harsh but really the film itself is harmless even though it is too long. The humour is patchy but should get the kids laughing at a few points, there was too much of a reliance on toilet humour although there is one scene near the end which I have to admit did make me chuckle in keeping with this humour. The standard Christmas music thrown in felt just that, thrown in. There was no particular relevance or flow to the musical additions to the scenes and it was a shame as some scenes towards the end just don’t work in terms of their musical accompaniments.

Get Santa gets the job done, it doesn’t do it in a particularly funny or exciting way but there are some things here to be enjoyed. There is a nice message even if we see it every year and there are some fresh ideas regarding the character of Santa Claus, but this will be the only year that this Christmas film is discussed.

BIGGEST FLAW – Needed a few more familiar faces

BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT – Santa Claus in prison

Rating – 5.5/10