Appelez-moi le Père Noël!

Dated film now - but notable for a (somewhat overwritten) relevant , often humorous and grown-up script. Sets are not overly cheap and the pace moves along. Moral of the film is the invasion of consumerism into everything. Actor Hawthorne does a very professional job - shame he's maybe too old at this point. The let down (as usual) is Goldberg - who's spent 80% of her career phoning-in a performance and delivering a scene with the one aim of receiving the cheque for it. Utterly surprised she is ever employed as an actor.

Because she had true Christmas spirit as a young lass, "Shop-A-Lot" TV producer/pitch-woman Whoopi Goldberg (as Lucy Cullins) is chosen to be the world's new Santa Claus. This decision was made (in a 1965 flashback) by traditional roly-poly red-suited Nigel Hawthorne (as Nick). Being "Santa Claus" is revealed to be a 200-year job. If the presently grow-up and grumpy Ms. Goldberg can't get her girlish Christmas groove back, Earth will suffer a massive flood. Call her Scrooge. For Goldberg's Los Angeles-based home-shopping channel, she hires Mr. Hawthorne as a seasonal sales-marketing Santa and he tries to win her over. For a TV movie, "Call Me Claus" is nicely produced. This was the last role for Hawthorne, who performs memorably. The soundtrack music (by Van Dyke Parks) pleasantly moves it along. Having a woman take over the role of Santa Claus is an interesting and welcome premise, but the story really doesn't work. As it's destined to get lost in future years, we won't have to explain to millions of confused young children how Whoopi lost the job.

***** Call Me Claus (12/2/01) Peter Werner ~ Whoopi Goldberg, Nigel Hawthorne, Taylor Negron, Brian Stokes Mitchell

The movie starts out slowly, but, gently evolves into a tale of overcoming past pain and disappointment. As with most Christmas stories the premise is sort of limited but has a great ending. Destined to become a classic, in my humble opinion.

Nick (Nigel Hawthorne) is nearing the end of his 200 year term as Santa Claus and needs to find his successor. Failure to do so will bring calamity such as the melting of the North pole ice cap.

Nick hopes to recruit Lucy Cullins (Whoopi Goldberg) someone who was a true believe in the spirit of Christmas as a young girl. However her father died in the Vietnam war soon after she sat on Nick's lap.

Now the grown up Lucy is a cynical grinch working for a shopping channel. Nick applies to be the Santa salesman for the shopping channel in the run up to Christmas, so he can get near Lucy an persuade her to take on his job.

The plot about finding a replacement Santa is a well worn one in these days of mass produced Christmas movies. This is indistinguishable for those types of quickly made and low budget films apart from having a better calibre cast.

Despite being made for cable back in 2001, Call Me Claus is not that funny or appealing. It actually wastes the talents of an Oscar winner and Oscar nominee.

This was Nigel Hawthorne's last film role. At least he got to play a sweet natured part, a far cry from his mean and cynical Sir Humphrey in Yes Minister.

I acquired this one on a DVD from the USA, the only place its available. I found the film most entertaining, thanks to the performances of Whoopi Goldberg and Nigel Hawthorn whom I had known from the BBC series Yes Minister. Indeed I was distressed to learn that he had died whilst I was in the course of reading other comments about this film. Whoopi Goldberg, I knew and loved in Ghost, Jumpin' Jack Flash and the Sister Act movies.

The storyline here is quite original, a little slow to get off the ground but that Christmas magic is there and I think we all, old and young, like films where Father Xmases, sleighs and reindeers are involved, especially if the reindeers have shiny/luminous noses.

I was most touched by the flashback to Whoopi's childhood where she had asked the same Father Xmas to bring her Daddy back, this was probably the most emotional part of the film. The rest was more lighthearted and the only aspect I did not like was the over commercialisation of Xmas where you have to sell sell and sell more ! However the magic of the film makes up for the rest of this. It's a nice DVD to have at home and to put on a couple of times a year !