Deftly navigating a sleigh on a tricky path between family film and Farrelly Bros hilarity, DEAR SANTA is a laugh-out-loud holiday treat.
Jack Black slays (sleighs?) as Satan, falsely summoned when dyslexic 11 year old Liam Turner (Robert Timothy Smith) writes "To Satan" on his letter to Santa by mistake.
If you're already offended that dyslexia plays a part in a comedy, the Farrelly Bros thankfully don't care and have plenty of other third rails they'll glance off in PG-13 fashion.
Smith (Skeleton Crew, Wolfs) is painfully, hilariously perfect as Liam, a bundle of awkward as he watches his parents Molly (Brianne Howey) and Bill (Hayes MacArthur) bicker and pick at each other in the weeks before Christmas. There's a reason that they just relocated six months earlier from another town, but it goes unmentioned for most of the film.
They can't believe that Liam has a best friend, but Gibby indeed exists in all his buck-toothed, WAY cooler than Liam style. He's perfectly played by Jaden Carson Baker. Baker unleashes a lot of Farrelly Bros one liners with prowess.
Liam still kind of believes in Santa or as he says to Gibby, "It couldn't hurt, just in case and it makes my Mom happy." When he drops his Dear Satan envelope into the Santa mailbox, it spirals down to its flaming destination and Jack Black pops out of Liam's closet that night.
Black is inspired casting. His mannerisms, over the top facial expressions and vocal range make for one hilarious encounter after another. Young Smith goes toe-to-toe with Black, the perfect innocent foil for Black's madness as the Prince of Darkness.
Satan lets Liam know that he's got three wishes and after the third one is granted, he owns the boy's soul.
I'm not going to ruin any of what follows as the laughs are generous, but I will say that third wish is the most dangerous, even for the Farrelly Bros, who are known for pushing boundaries with hits like "Kingpin" and "There's Something About Mary".
After an hour and a half of laughs, that third wish goes to a place totally unexpected, bordering on taboo.
The moment I realized what was going to happen, I wondered how in the hell they were going to pull it off.
They do. Beautifully.
Keegan Michael-Key brings many laughs as a child psychologist brought in by Molly & Bill when they find Liam's stories to be way out of control.
P.J. Byrne (Babylon, The Wolf of Wall Street) also delivers as Liam and Gibby's self important English teacher ("And now let's look at the very overrated Dickens novel.."A Christmas Carol"...) whose encounter with Satan leaves him in a sorry state.
Post Malone is hilarious and one unexpected cameo set in the underworld was a funny surprise.
I laughed from beginning to end, which I expected from the Farrellys. What I didn't expect was the ending, which delivered a Santa's bag full of heart to match the laughs.
DEAR SANTA is a twisted yuletide treat that will become part of our annual viewing in the future, earning a surprising B.
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