Santa Baby

Mary (Jenny McCarthy) is a high powered businesswoman who runs her own marketing and business advice company. However, her roots are at the North Pole...yes, she's Santa's daughter. When Santa has some health problems, Mrs. Claus calls Mary in to help get everything ready for the Big Day that is fast approaching. Mary obliges. But, can Mary's successful business techniques really work for the spirited but mentally infantile elves? We'll see. In the meantime, Mary has found her long lost love, Luke (Ivan Sergei), to be still employed as the area's mailman. And, he's still a doll, both in looks and demeanor. Is a repeat romance far away? This is a great movie, both for children and their parents. The elves are quite comical and should garner laughs from the little ones. Kids should also enjoy the enchanting village where Santa and his elves do their work. For grownups, McCarthy, Wendt, and company slyly draw forth mirth with their antics, as well. As for Sergei, this viewer would watch him recite a cereal box cover, a la Gigli, but, fortunately, this is not necessary. He brings charm, sweetness, and presence to his delightful character, Luke. What girl COULD resist? Kudos to the production company that brought this film to light. As a holiday gift to a family audience, it just does not get much better or more welcome than this.

I was not familiar with the 2006 movie "Santa Baby" from director Ron Underwood. But as I stumbled upon it here in 2024, I opted to add it to my December month list of Christmas movies to watch.

Writers Garrett Frawley and Brian Turner put together a fair enough script. Sure, the movie was watchable and entertaining enough for what it turned out. But it just wasn't a particularly outstanding or memorable viewing experience.

The movie has a pretty great cast ensemble, with the likes of Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg, Ivan Sergei, George Wendt and Michael Moriarty. Needless to say that the acting performances in the movie were good.

"Santa Baby" is hardly a Christmas classic. Nor is it a movie that I will ever return to watch a second time. There are far better Christmas movies out there.

My rating of director Ron Underwood's 2006 movie "Santa Baby" lands on a bland five out of ten stars.

This is a highly predictable movie, but exceedingly sweet, as Jenny McCarthy, a demographics-driven marketing expert goes back to take over the family business -- the Santa Claus operations for daddy, of course -- and discovers the true meaning of Christmas. The jokes are a little weak as elves stop work every seventeen minutes for cookie breaks and Ms. McCarthy is a little strident.

George Wendt is surprisingly good at producing a layered performance as Santa Claus. Everyone else falls into patterns that you would expect in a post-millennium movie in which Christmas is freed from all religious significance, but it has its moments and its charms.

Yup. I rented it. And here are my thoughts.

I'm not sure what the thinking was behind the script and direction, but I really felt like there was a lot of missing back story and overall setup to the film. Former Hugh Heffnerette McCarthy helps keep interest in the film with some solid acting, but the film's direction never allows her to fully exploit the corporate-power-woman act. She almost seems too light hearted to be taken as a hard nosed marketing exec, but nevertheless McCarthy gives it her all.

I'm not sure where this film lost me, but story-wise, I think I must have missed an important plot point somewhere. One moment McCarthy's character is exchanging and setting up a high-powered date with her corporate love interest, and next she's taking her adviser/assistant to the North Pole on a dog sled. No where, and I mean no where, was there any sort of hint or mere suggestion that this woman is the daughter of St. Nick. But maybe it's presumed the viewer already knows the premise of the film? I'm not sure.

In any event, the story skips along, glossing over these minor points, and tosses in some minor gags to alleviate a so-so film. George Wendt was a touch miscast as St. Nick, but has some of the best lines in the film. Even so, he never struck me as being a convincing Santa Claus. Sure, he's got the pot belly, and the beard and mustache, but it's scraggly, and Santa is missing his jolly disposition. It's almost like Wendt is doing the role just to get the cheque.

The core of the story has promise, but the script wasn't developed enough, and the director was forced to work with what he had. Even so, he should've been more inventive. Truth be told one gets the sense that he didn't have the freedom to tinker with the film too much. In the final analysis the work feels like it was a moderately budgeted focus-group film. A film designed to just make enough to cover its cost, and maybe make a little money for the studio.

A lot of thesping is put forth to cover up some rather thin material. Story, plot holes, and so-so slapstick and other schtick almost makeup for a pretty thin film. It's not one I'd see again. On the plus side it's fairly clean, so if you want your kids to see a Playboy Bunny with her clothes on, then rent this film. Otherwise skip it.

Santa Baby (2006) is a film I recently watched on Tubi. The story follows a successful business executive who returns home to visit her ailing father, bringing her executive assistant along for the trip. Little does she know, her father is actually Santa Claus, and he may need her help this Christmas to ensure the children of the world receive their gifts.

Directed by Ron Underwood (Tremors), the film stars Jenny McCarthy (Dirty Love), Ivan Sergei (Crossing Jordan), George Wendt (Cheers), Kandyse McClure (Romeo Must Die), and Michael Moriarty (Pale Rider).

The cast, settings, and storyline weren't as bad as I initially expected. The movie does a decent job incorporating workplace terminology and references from its era into the holiday premise. It also effectively portrays that women can be just as capable and handy as men. I particularly enjoyed the depiction of the father-daughter relationship, which added some heart to the film. However, the romantic subplot was predictable, cheesy, and felt typical of a holiday movie. The ending, while lighthearted, tied the plot together nicely.

In conclusion, Santa Baby isn't anything extraordinary, but it's not a complete waste of time either. I'd give it a 5/10 and only recommend it if there's nothing better available.