The Naughty Nine

The Naughty Nine is an enjoyable holiday romp rittled with plot holes, which is somehow held together care of a few strong performances by the child actors playing the title characters. Beware if you have mischievous, thrill-seeking children... This movie offers plenty of inspiration. Some potential fun is sacrificed in service to a plot and pace that feels weighed down by the sheer amount of ground it purports to cover (and the number of characters sharing significant screen time). This reviewer may have dozed off in the latter half but I recall only one of the "Naughty" getting a satisfying redemptive arc, which, again, is a result of a story bogged down by the overall concept. There are fun moments and ideas a-plenty but leaks spring from the plot holes hastily covered with a thin veneer of sugary, peppermint glaze. Some solid performances left this viewer pining for a more concise holiday jaunt, but the 8 year old viewer next to us squealed in delight when the sequel was teased, so Naughty Nine certainly struck a few notes just right. 5.7/10.

The Naughty Nine is a holiday romp that blends the whimsy of a Christmas caper with the cheeky charm of a middle school heist. The plot, while not exactly groundbreaking, delivers enough laughs and light-hearted mischief to keep things engaging. Andy Steele and Dulce Gutierrez are the quintessential naughty-but-nice kids, leading a motley crew of misfits on a quest to the North Pole that's as absurd as it is amusing. The ensemble, each with their own brand of 'naughtiness,' brings a diverse array of humor and hijinks, making their interactions a highlight of the film.

Where the film trips up is in its attempt to juggle too many subplots. Jon Anthony's fashion faux pas and the late-game moral lesson from Santa feel shoehorned in, diluting the central theme of childhood rebellion. The film shines in its playful antics and the chemistry between the young cast, but struggles to maintain a consistent tone, wavering between slapstick comedy and heartfelt moments.

The visual effects and North Pole setting are adequately realized, though they don't push any new boundaries. It's the performances of the young actors that truly carry the film, particularly the dynamic between Winslow Fegley and Madilyn Kellam. Their sibling rivalry, peppered with moments of unexpected teamwork, adds a layer of depth to an otherwise straightforward narrative.

In conclusion, The Naughty Nine is a decent holiday movie that offers enough entertainment for a family movie night. It doesn't reinvent the sleigh, but it doesn't need to. Its charm lies in its simplicity and the spirited performances of its young cast. It's the cinematic equivalent of a stocking stuffer - not the main present, but a pleasant surprise nonetheless.

IN A NUTSHELL: When a young boy finds out he's on Santa's "Naughty" list, he puts together a group of other naughty kids with specific talents for a heist in order to steal their presents from Santa's workshop in the North Pole.

The family-friendly film was directed by Alberto Belli. Writing credits go to Jen Elinoff and Scott Thomas.

THINGS I LIKED: Winslow Fegley is adorable and very talented. He has a bright future in Hollywood. He was also adorable in Lyle, Lyle Crocodile. If you haven't seen that family-friendly movie, check it out! I thought it was super cute!

The rest of the cute cast includes Deric McCabe, Madilyn Kellam, Clara Stack, Camila Rodriguez, Ayden Elijah, Anthony Joo, and Imogen Cohen.

The characters are well-designed and different from one another. They each have unique skills and get their unique learning moment in the movie.

Fantastic sets, especially at the North Pole.

It has all of the adventure and action that kids would want in a movie like this.

Great costume design by Julia Caston.

One of the characters has a really cool tent in his bedroom. You have to look fast! I feel bad for the crew that probably spent a lot of time building it because you only see it on screen for a split second but my sons would have absolutely loved having something like that in their bedrooms.

Anthony Joo's character lives in a beautiful house. Did you see the façade?

We get to see the incredible Aurora Borealis in the sky. I got to see it when I traveled to Iceland a couple of years ago! Amazing.

Ayden Elijah can do those adorable big eyes like Puss in Boots.

Some Latinos sing a traditional Christmas song for everyone. I sang that song when I was an exchange student in Mexico!

Danny Glover as Santa.

I love it movies reference other movies. For example, the two schools in the movie area named McAllister Elementary from Home Alone in 1990 and Griswold Middle School from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation in 1989.

Yep, the movie leaves a very wide-open door for a sequel. I'm up for it!

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE: There are some bad acting moments.

Don't get annoyed by all of the plot holes; it's a kid's movie.

TIPS FOR PARENTS: Bullying We see a lot of rude, entitled kids do really mean things We hear kids lie a lot One of the kids has gay dads Kids try to convince a good girl that it's dumb to follow rules.

A little boy swears.

Fart sounds Stealing.

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Let me begin with the positives first because there aren't too many. The sets in this movie are probably the best I've ever seen for a Christmas film, which is unfortunate because the rest of this movie is complete garbage. Not only does this movie teach kids to be naughty, but it also represents everything that Christmas shouldn't be. And Danny Glover as Santa? Really? Not that I'm opposed to it, but why him? He comes across as judgmental and unforgiving, contradicting everything Santa is known for. I simply don't understand why this movie spends almost its entire runtime teaching children to misbehave, steal, and lie, and then, in the last 5 minutes, Danny Glover appears at the very end, telling the naughty kids that he needs their help, with no explanation whatsoever. Sure, the naughty kids might learn their lesson to some extent, but to have an entire movie completely undermine the essence of Christmas and the importance of being good? I don't think this movie sends kids the right messages at all. But as I said, the set design in this movie is the best I've ever seen, and that's the only good thing about it. It seems like Disney wanted to create a naughty Christmas movie to teach kids that it's okay to misbehave.

This is a Disney Christmas heist movie with the title being The Naughty Nine (2023), which has an interesting idea for a Christmas heist movie involving naughty kids breaking into Santa's workshop to take the toys/gifts they deserve. The movie The Naughty Nine (2023) is an entertaining enough little movie that has an interesting premise, good enough performances, and nice enough visuals to give the Christmas feeling to it; there are over the top moments, and there are moments in the movie that was unbelievable, but it also has an ending that went by quickly by getting things resolved in time to fit the one hour and twenty-three minute long runtime.

The performances from the main characters are entertaining enough to follow, and the main character who leads The Naughty Nine named Andy, along with his friend, do scams or heists in a way at school to take things back that also involves lying to people; that is how he gets on the naughty list, which makes sense, and he has the skills in planning out a heist to get into Santa's workshop. The rest of the members of The Naughty Nine have certain skills that Andy needs to break into the place, and there is a character who knows where Santa's village and workshop is found, and I thought it was unbelievable that a kid like him could do something like that. Also, Andy's sister, who is on the nice list, is brought in for a role in their plan, even though she is always trying to prove to their parents that Andy is lying and producing a plan without them knowing, but Andy lies his way out of it.

The look of the North Pole Forest and Santa's village looked like sets, but they also looked like miniatures when the characters are walking around because the trees and buildings looked like they were miniature made to look bigger; also, you have Danny Glover as Santa Claus who appears near the end of the third act, but he is not bad in this. The movie does have a Christmas feel to it, along with the sets being well put together and Santa's workshop looking and feeling big in scale in a way; the movie has entertaining moments with occasional funny moments that are not that bad.

There is not much to expect from this, other than that it is an entertaining enough Christmas heist from Disney, and kids will like it fine, with it also not being something rush and watch on Disney+. The movie The Naughty Nine (2023) is harmless and entertaining enough for a kid friendly Christmas heist movie, because it also has known tropes from heist movies like Ocean's Eleven (2001), which are done well despite seeing them before. Not a bad movie, but you will be entertained enough if you just watch the movie once.