Kurt Russell delivers a real holiday treat with his hilarious and winning performance as St. Nick in THE CHRISTMAS CHRONICLES.
A family film with something for every age, its creators give us another favorite yuletide film with echoes of their past hits like "Home Alone". You can feel Chris Columbus' hands in the creativity here.
11 year old Kate Pierce (Darby Camp) and her teenage brother Teddy (Judah Lewis) are already at odds as Christmas approaches. They're dealing with the recent death of their fireman father in very different ways. Kate is learning in on tradition and Santa for comfort, while Teddy is falling in with a very wrong crowd.
When their Mom Claire (Kimberly Williams-Paisley) is called into work on Christmas Eve, the two agree to set up an ingenious trap to film Santa Claus when he arrives.
They get a lot more than they bargained for when their pursuit of great footage gets out of hand and they end up crashing the sleigh alongside Santa many miles from home.
The adventure gets plenty of things just right. Watching Santa's out of control sleigh soar through the air and almost hit an airliner is a visual thrill. The sleigh and the reindeer are perfectly rendered. The mystery of just how Santa hits all those houses in one night is cleverly explained and looks fantastic.
At the core of the film is Kurt Russell as Santa. Is there a more likable actor than Russell? Whether his Claus is walking into an Irish bar calling everyone by name and asking for a ride, or he's busting out his famous Elvis impersonation in a Chicago jail cell, Kurt's never been more winning. This was his 100th film and he's marked it in style.
Both Camp and Lewis are perfectly cast, believable and sympathetic.
For the youngest in the audience, there is a very different take on the elves, which manages to be as cute as a Gremlin and as lethal as Goldfinger at the same time.
How many films have you seen over the years that depict the North Pole?
Chronicles nails a very different version that's a blend of styles and tactics hundreds of years old, spiced up with the latest technology and magic. It's a fun blend that's easy to follow and adds to the suspense without a lot of heavy legend building or tedious exposition.
Watch out for Santa's coat. He's got a lot of gifts up those sleeves.
So does THE CHRISTMAS CHRONICLES. Fun for the whole family and already a popular annual holiday film for repeat viewings, it gets a yuletide wrapped A.
Followed two years later with a bigger role for Mrs. Claus, who makes a great cameo in our final scene here.
Kommentare