Santa Baby

Wow is my only comment. McCarthy reveals so much depth and charisma in her acting abilities. I also found this story quite intriguing. Who is this daughter of Kringle?...This re-arranger of emotions who has held my heart captive for so long? I don't want to spoil any surprises for the possible late viewers BUT I will say it has a happy ending. Not in the massage parlor way either. My life is changed forever.

I should also note that the annoying song that goes with this movie made me not want to watch it. I would recommend that any other viewer who fears this will taint the actual viewing should swallow this pill in a small show of sacrifice. While not as astoundingly good as that one with Dudley as a drunken elf--for which I can't remember the title--it does stand out as a heart-warming cup of holiday good-spirit-nog. My soul is tinseled with good will toward my fellow man. Just what Christmas is about. I'm a better person for having watched it.

This is not the first story about Santa planning to retire, and let a son/daughter take over the toy manufacturing and delivery business. The idea has been done before, often and better.

Apparently, Santa's daughter Mary (Jenny McCarthy) was once as kind hearted and sweet as her folks and the elves that work for them. For whatever reason, she veered from her famous father's (George Wendt) path, and became a corporate junior exec with a big mouth and an attitude to match. When she discovers her dad is physically unable to perform his duties one season, she butts in, takes over, and embarks on a board room mentality approach to revamp the North Pole toyshop for greater "efficiency." The dialogue is needlessly negative, as she mocks generosity, Christmas cheer, elves, and her amiable father. Here's a typical line from the movie, as an example of the overall tone: "Here's a stocking....stuff it." Original and hilarious, isn't it?

The acting rises above the script, and there's a sweet, sentimental romance in the later going of the film. It's a shame that the meanness early on may lead you to shut this thing off before it introduces this element. If you can make it through the first half of the film, you may find a dose of Christmas spirit from the movie near the end.

I no longer think of Playboy when I hear the name Jenny McCarthy. I now think of Autism, and good acting. She does a superb job in this charming and funny Christmas story.

Santa (George Wendt) is having heart trouble and so mom (Lynne Griffin) calls Mary Class (she changed her name) home. Mary (McCarthy) is a successful workaholic that has always had a rough time with dad (WHO HASN'T?). She wants efficiency, while he stick to tradition.

She also left a beau (Ivan Sergei) when she left home and has new boyfriend in the big city. You can imagine the problems there when the two meet.

So you have family struggle on a grand scale, relationship problems and lots of comedy in a great Christmas movie.

Also stars Kandyse McClure, who will be familiar to "Battlestar Galactica" fans, who creates a little heat of her own.

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.

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.