Santa Who?

Last updated
Santa Who?
SantaWho.jpg
Region 2 DVD Cover
Written byDebra Frank
Steve L. Hayes
Directed by William Dear
Starring Leslie Nielsen
Steven Eckholdt
Robyn Lively
Music by Joel McNeely
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducerFrank Siracusa
CinematographyDerick V. Underschultz
Editor Edgar Burcksen
Running time88 minutes
Production companiesGleneagle Productions
Hearst Entertainment
Original release
ReleaseNovember 19, 2000 (2000-11-19)

Santa Who? is a 2000 American made-for-television fantasy-comedy film starring Leslie Nielsen and directed by William Dear, in which Santa Claus develops a case of amnesia right before Christmas.

Contents

Plot

Santa feels unwell and goes out for fresh air whilst on a flight in his sleigh. Because of bad weather, he falls out and lands in Los Angeles and is unable to remember who he is. A TV news reporter called Peter, finds him and uses him to increase his ratings, asking his audience to find the family of, who he assumes to be, the lost old man.

Santa gets a job working in a mall and Peter's girlfriend's son, repeatedly tries to convince the adults that he is the real Santa Claus, which no one believes.

Santa still remembers certain details about Christmas but is unable to recollect how he knows them, as typically happens with source amnesia. Meanwhile, Santa's elves are looking for him, but a couple have seen him on TV and think it could be their missing grandfather and claim him. Santa begins to realise who he truly is though and Peter gains salvation when he acknowledges that Santa is genuine.

Cast

ActorRole
Leslie Nielsen Santa Claus (reprises his role from All I Want for Christmas )
Steven Eckholdt Peter Albright
Robyn Lively Claire Dreyer, Peter's Girlfriend
Max Morrow Zack Dreyer, Claire's Son
Tommy Davidson Max the Elf
Aron Tager Grandpa
Darren FrostRupert the Elf
Karen LeBlanc Lenny the Camera Person
R.D. Reid Grady
Ted Atherton George, Ch. 12 Manager
Stewart ArnottLusby, Claire's Boss
Carol LempertEllen, Claire's Secretary
Roger ClownRay Engles
Elizabeth BrownNancy Engles
Laura DeCarteretSister Greta
Richard FitzpatrickDetective Lohenry

Reception

Christopher Null of Filmcritic.com gave Santa Who? 2 out of 5 stars. [1] Perry Seibert of AllMovie gave the film 3 stars out of 5. [2]

Laura Fries of Variety wrote "Santa Who?, an original Wonderful World of Disney film, does its best to imitate the great holiday classics, but in the end it's about as rewarding as a lump of coal in your stocking". [3] Aliya Whiteley of Den of Geek gave it a mixed review. [4]

Announced remake

In July 2021, Lionsgate, which holds rights to this film as the owner of the Hearst Entertainment library, told Deadline that it planned to remake it, alongside The Babysitter's Seduction, Sex, Lies, & Obsession, Blue Valley Songbird , Sex & Mrs. X , A Different Kind of Christmas, and other Hearst titles with MarVista Entertainment, which will work with Lionsgate in distributing these films. [5] Neither studio released details about these remakes, which they plan to release to an undetermined streaming service. [6]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Miracle on 34th Street</i> 1947 film by George Seaton

Miracle on 34th Street is a 1947 American Christmas comedy-drama film released by 20th Century-Fox, written and directed by George Seaton and based on a story by Valentine Davies. It stars Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, Natalie Wood, and Edmund Gwenn. The story takes place between Thanksgiving and Christmas in New York City, and focuses on the effect of a department store Santa Claus who claims to be the real Santa. The film has become a perennial Christmas favorite.

<i>Santa Claus Conquers the Martians</i> 1964 film directed by Nicholas Webster

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians is a 1964 American science fiction comedy film. It was directed by Nicholas Webster, produced and written by Paul L. Jacobson, and based on a story by Glenville Mareth. John Call stars as Santa Claus, ten-year-old Pia Zadora as Girmar the Martian girl, and Doris Rich in the first documented motion picture role of Mrs. Claus.

<i>The Santa Clause</i> 1994 film directed by John Pasquin

The Santa Clause is a 1994 American Christmas comedy film directed by John Pasquin and written by Leo Benvenuti and Steve Rudnick. The first installment in The Santa Clause franchise, it stars Tim Allen as Scott Calvin, an ordinary man who accidentally causes Santa Claus to fall from his roof to his supposed death on Christmas Eve. When he and his young son, Charlie, finish the late St. Nick's trip and deliveries, they go to the North Pole where Scott learns that he must become the new Santa and convince those he loves that he is indeed Santa Claus.

<i>Santa with Muscles</i> 1996 American film

Santa with Muscles is a 1996 American Christmas comedy film starring Hulk Hogan and directed by John Murlowski. It was released for two weeks in cinemas.

<i>Elf</i> (film) 2003 American Christmas comedy film

Elf is a 2003 American Christmas comedy film directed by Jon Favreau and written by David Berenbaum. It stars Will Ferrell as Buddy, a human raised by Santa's elves, who learns about his origins and heads to New York City to meet his biological father. James Caan, Zooey Deschanel, Mary Steenburgen, Ed Asner and Bob Newhart appear in supporting roles.

<i>The Santa Clause 2</i> 2002 film directed by Michael Lembeck

The Santa Clause 2 is a 2002 American Christmas comedy film directed by Michael Lembeck in his directorial debut. It is a sequel to The Santa Clause (1994) and the second installment in The Santa Clause franchise. All of the principal actors from the first film, including Tim Allen, Eric Lloyd, Judge Reinhold, Wendy Crewson, and David Krumholtz, reprise their roles, and are joined by Elizabeth Mitchell, Spencer Breslin, and Liliana Mumy. Released on November 1, 2002, the film received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $172 million worldwide on a $65 million budget. It was followed by another sequel, The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause, released in 2006.

<i>Silent Night, Deadly Night</i> 1984 American slasher film by Charles E. Sellier, Jr

Silent Night, Deadly Night is a 1984 American slasher film directed by Charles E. Sellier, Jr., and starring Robert Brian Wilson, Lilyan Chauvin, Gilmer McCormick, Toni Nero, Linnea Quigley, Britt Leach, and Leo Geter. The story concerns a young man named Billy, who suffers from post-traumatic stress over witnessing his parents' murder on Christmas Eve by a man disguised as Santa Claus and his subsequent upbringing in an abusive Catholic orphanage. In adulthood, the Christmas holiday leads him into a psychological breakdown, and he emerges as a spree killer donning a Santa suit.

<i>Santa Claus: The Movie</i> 1985 film by Jeannot Szwarc

Santa Claus: The Movie is a 1985 British-American Christmas film starring Dudley Moore, John Lithgow, and David Huddleston. It depicts the origin of Santa Claus, and his modern-day adventure to save one of his elves (Moore) who has been manipulated by an unscrupulous toy company executive (Lithgow). It was directed by Jeannot Szwarc and was the last major fantasy film produced by the Paris-based father-and-son production team of Alexander and Ilya Salkind.

<i>The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause</i> 2006 film directed by Michael Lembeck

The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause is a 2006 American Christmas comedy film directed by Michael Lembeck. It is the third installment in The Santa Clause franchise, following The Santa Clause (1994) and The Santa Clause 2 (2002). The film features Tim Allen returning as Scott Calvin, who must find a way to reverse a spell cast by Jack Frost that caused him to lose his title of Santa Claus. Allen and Short had previously worked together in the 1997 Disney comedy film, Jungle 2 Jungle. Most of the supporting actors from the first two films reprise their roles, with the exception of David Krumholtz. As a result of his absence, Curtis, who was previously the Assistant Head Elf, has now been promoted to Bernard's former position. This was Peter Boyle's final film to be released during his lifetime. Its production was completed in February 2006.

<i>The Year Without a Santa Claus</i> 1974 stop-motion television special

The Year Without a Santa Claus is a 1974 stop motion animated Christmas television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions. The story is based on Phyllis McGinley's 1956 book of the same name. It is narrated by Shirley Booth and starring the voices of Mickey Rooney, Dick Shawn, and George S. Irving. It was originally broadcast on December 10, 1974, on ABC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Claus in film</span>

Motion pictures featuring Santa Claus constitute their own subgenre of the Christmas film genre. Early films of Santa revolve around similar simple plots of Santa's Christmas Eve visit to children. In 1897, in a short film called Santa Claus Filling Stockings, Santa Claus is simply filling stockings from his pack of toys. Another film called Santa Claus and the Children was made in 1898. A year later, a film directed by George Albert Smith titled Santa Claus was created. In this picture, Santa Claus enters the room from the fireplace and proceeds to trim the tree. He then fills the stockings that were previously hung on the mantle by the children. After walking backward and surveying his work, he suddenly darts at the fireplace and disappears up the chimney.

<i>Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker</i> 1991 film by Martin Kitrosser

Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker is a 1991 American science fiction horror film directed by Martin Kitrosser and stars Mickey Rooney, who had previously condemned the original film. It is the fifth film in the Silent Night, Deadly Night film series.

The Bear Who Slept Through Christmas is an animated Christmas television special originally broadcast in the United States on NBC, December 17, 1973. The special was produced by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises, executive producer Norman Sedawie, and starred the voices of Tom Smothers, Arte Johnson and Barbara Feldon, with narration by Casey Kasem.

<i>Blue Valley Songbird</i> American TV series or program

Blue Valley Songbird is a 1999 American made-for-television musical drama film directed by Richard A. Colla and starring Dolly Parton. It was filmed in Nashville, Tennessee and originally premiered on Lifetime on November 1, 1999.

<i>Miracle on 34th Street</i> (1994 film) 1994 Christmas film by Les Mayfield

Miracle on 34th Street is a 1994 American Christmas fantasy comedy-drama film directed by Les Mayfield and produced and co-written by John Hughes. The film stars Richard Attenborough, Elizabeth Perkins, Dylan McDermott, J. T. Walsh, James Remar, Mara Wilson, and Robert Prosky. It is the first theatrical remake of the original 1947 film. Like the original, this film was released by 20th Century Fox.

Snow 2: Brain Freeze is a television film starring Tom Cavanagh and Ashley Williams. It premiered on ABC Family in 2008 on their 25 Days of Christmas programming block. The made-for-television film is a sequel to the 2004 television film Snow.

<i>Sex & Mrs. X</i> American TV series or program

Sex & Mrs. X is a 2000 Lifetime television film. It was directed by Arthur Allan Seidelman and based on an article published by Amanda Vaill in Allure. It stars Jacqueline Bisset and Linda Hamilton and premiered on 10 April 2000.

<i>A Fairly Odd Christmas</i> 2012 television film directed by Steve Holland

A Fairly Odd Christmas is a 2012 American live-action/animated Christmas comedy television film. It is the sequel to the 2011 live-action TV film A Fairly Odd Movie: Grow Up, Timmy Turner! and the second live-action adaptation of the Nickelodeon animated television series The Fairly OddParents.

<i>Silent Night, Deadly Night</i> (film series) American Christmas horror film series

Silent Night, Deadly Night is an American Christmas horror film series, consisting of six films. The first film in the series, Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984), originally titled Slay Ride, tells the story of Billy, a young man who experiences a psychotic break and goes on a murder spree dressed as Santa Claus. The film received theatrical distribution from TriStar Pictures, but was pulled from theaters in November 1984 after a series of protests against the film.

<i>Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar</i> 2021 American comedy film

Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar is a 2021 American comedy film directed by Josh Greenbaum, from a screenplay by Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, who also star. Originally scheduled for a 2020 release, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the film was pushed back and released in the United States by Lionsgate via VOD on February 12, 2021. The film received generally positive reviews from critics.

References

  1. Null, Christopher (2001). "Santa Who? Movie Review, DVD Release". Filmcritic.com. Archived from the original on August 1, 2007. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
  2. Seibert, Perry. "Santa Who? (2000)". AllMovie . Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  3. Fries, Laura (November 16, 2000). "Santa Who?". Variety .
  4. Whiteley, Aliya (December 22, 2015). "Less-known Christmas movies: Santa Who?". Den of Geek . Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  5. White, Peter (2021-07-09). "Are TV Movies Back? Lionsgate & MarVista Strike Deal To Remake Classic MOWs Including Keri Russell's 'The Babysitter's Seduction'". Deadline. Retrieved 2021-08-27.
  6. "'The Babysitter's Seduction' Among TV Movies Getting a Remake in Lionsgate / MarVista Deal". Movieweb. 2021-07-13. Retrieved 2021-08-27.