Santa Girl

'Santa Girl' (2019)

Opening thoughts: Have said many times about my love of Christmas and getting a lot of pleasure out of in particular watching films, cartoons and specials during this period, something that most years has been much needed. Wanted to see some more festive films that were more recent, lower in budget and were not childhood favourites, so in a way to broaden my horizons and have been doing so since November 2019. The idea for 'Santa Girl' did sound predictable and not particularly interesting, but still watched for completest sake.

Have seen my fair share of above average and more Christmas films recently, but 'Santa Girl' is not one of them. If anything it is the complete opposite, there were some surprisingly decent Christmas films (and films in general actually) that year but there were some that were mediocre and below. And 'Santa Girl' is one of the worst, with very little good about it. Eve with the couple of redeeming merits, they are outweighed by everything else being so awful. Even Barry Bostwick couldn't save it.

Good things: There are a couple of plus points. Namely the charming and peppy performance of McKayla Witt as the aptly named Pep. Devon Weckheiser also has moments where he is amiable.

Bad things: Otherwise, 'Santa Girl' is a complete and utter mess. Jennifer Stone has a very dull character, to say she is sketchy in development is being too generous, and plays her very stiffly and with cold indifference. This is also one of the few times where Borwick is not watchable, found him far too mean spirited and at points unintentionally creepy. Didn't care for any of the characters other than Pep, little effort is made to develop them or to make them interesting or likeable. The chemistry is completely disconnected.

It is a very cheap looking film, with very choppy editing that had the same sensation of a seriously scratched DVD when it constantly skips. Plus the effects are a long way from special and would have been out of date in the 90s. The music is overbearing and is used in a clichéd way.

Writing is cheesy and stilted throughout, with forced and at times out of place comedy and sickly drama that shift uneasily. The cobbled together story is dully paced with no heart, energy or charm, is excessively silly, jumps around a lot and is full of over familiar story tropes. Too much of it has a fifteen plus years out of date quality too.

Closing thoughts: Very bad overall.

2/10.

There something that just doesn't work in this movie. There are cheesy performances and scenes, distracting changes in photographic techniques that don't appear to have any artistic value. The editing and shot selections sometimes seem jostled and cobbled together. Even some of the dialogue and acting seem haphazard and spontaneous but not in a good comedic way. While the story outline held promise, the script needed a lot more work. The typical triangle of one girl and two boys doesn't come across the screen in smooth way as they struggle to relate to one another, it's almost as if the actors themselves were unsure of how to play their parts. It's not that the movie is a tangled mess, the plot somehow holds together and the effort to make this a palatable movie is more than apparent, it's just that it doesn't quite come together as a finished product. It's not absolutely terrible and it may be worth seeing if one is really bored and there don't seem to be many other options

I actually found this movie to be quite enjoyable. The actors/actresses were pretty good, especially Devon Werkheiser and Mckayla Witt. But, he needs a hair cut. Jennifer Stone was pretty great also. The story was nice and different. Overall, it made me laugh and smile.

Yeah but higher points for McKayla Witt who created an absolutely charming elf as "Pep". Watch for this one going forward, she has fully natural comedic talent. So endearing, so lovable and funny. This one has real instincts for humour. She makes the film for me.

The storyline is problematic, but the characters and the actors are the bigger issues. The main storyline hinges on an arranged marriage for Santa's teenage daughter, a plot device that is outdated. The main characters are completely unlikeable and poorly acted. It's hard to have much empathy for any of them. I finished this movie because I was watching it with my son. It qualifies as a family friendly Christmas movie so it gets a few stars.