Becoming Santa

It was not easy telling whether 2015's 'Becoming Santa' was going to be good or whether it was going to be bad when first hearing of it, reading the plot synopsis and seeing the advertising. Saw it anyway because Michael Gross is always watchable, despite being in his fair share of misfires but almost always one of the better aspects of. It did sound slightly interesting though would never get any prizes for uniqueness. Love a lot of Christmas films too.

'Becoming Santa' sadly is not one of those "loved it" Christmas films. Actually didn't think it was a good film at all and that it was worse than it sounded. Unfortunately too even Gross can't save it and it was a rare case of him being a flaw. Am not saying any of this with pleasure, was really prepared to at least moderately like it as there are plenty of films out there that are a lot better than they sound on paper. 'Becoming Santa' isn't one of them.

Not an unwatchable film by all means. The scenery is lovely and quite picturesque at its best and slickly photographed. The lodge is indeed great looking. The music had an affectionate festive atmosphere and had me smiling and humming along, as good music should do, even if it was intrusive at times. The film starts off quite charmingly.

Laura Bell Bundy brings a lot of charm to the lead role and plays the one character worth rooting for. Gabe Khouth is amusing at times.

The rest of the cast don't work. That is including Gross, who uncharacteristically phones in and his performance comes over as unintentionally weird. Meredith Baxter tries too hard and Jesse Hutch not enough in a personality-free role. Worst of all is Tony Cavalero as a truly annoying and hateful character that has so few if any positive traits that one questions what people see in him. The chemistry between the actors doesn't always connect, that between Bundy and Hutch never develops, and almost all the characters are thoroughly unpleasant (especially Jack) or lack personality. Only Bundy has any degree of charm.

Furthermore, the script is excessively cheesy and over-sentimental and is very stilted. The story starts off decently, but is paper thin, very dull and with so many Christmas film cliches and a done to death formula there is absolutely no freshness. To me it lacked charm and heart, doesn't have that much of a warm centre and is quite bland and contrived. Also very predictable and too pat, nothing rings true.

Overall, mediocre. 4/10.

I like binge watching cheesy Christmas movies every year. Was this a big budget film? Not even close. But I stayed interested to the end, and I got to laugh a couple of times. Definitely worth watching once.

A woman brings her boyfriend home for Christmas to meet her parents, Santa and Mrs. Claus. He must decide if he's willing to continue their relationship after learning that he'd be next in line for Santa's job. I am a sucker for Meredith Baxter. Having Michael Gross (Her Family Ties Co-Star) is just an added bonus.

Now this film isn't the greatest however it is still sweet. It has a minor hidden message in this film about toys and how the electronic can co-exist. The film is well made and the North-pole scenes make this film fun

Jesse Hutch (who is the man who would be Santa) shines in this and its almost a thankless role. He is very charismatic. The film in general is safe for the entire family. Now the 10 and under set will love this. Fans of "Family Ties" will also get a kick out of the reunion of Meredith Baxter and Michael Gross

This is an incredibly formulaic film that fits every cliche going. Despite that it is quite fun to watch if you start with low expectations. None of the cast are particularly well known and the writing is of an acceptable standard. It fits perfectly into the genre of easy to watch Xmas films which enable you to switch off your brain for an afternoon.

The storyline is utterly predictable, as can be gathered from the title, the acting is OK and any twists either signalled or absent. Character development is none existent, but one dimensional characters never need developing anyway. As long as you don't want any intellectual stimulation, this film is fine.

This film is just really silly, but I persevered all the way to the end, because I have to support my husband Jesse Hutch.

I could cope with the ridiculous Father Christmas, who was quite obviously wearing a muscle suit under his costume, instead of a fat suit for some reason? I could also cope with the funny little man playing Mario the Elf. I could almost even cope with the tosspot that ran the toy company, but Jack Frost was just so vile he made my skin crawl and I don't think it was just his acting!

It's a good story, but I'd like to see a more serious version. However it was better that the producers of this film decided to go fully silly instead of the odd mix you can sometimes get.

Also, there's no way kids would rave about a wooden dog with wheels!