‘Dear Santa’ Review – A Devilishly Funny Good Time

Christmas is hell. It’s bad enough to do all the regular ins and outs of the holidays: the running around for gifts, all the wrapping, and all the events you go to in terrible weather, but imagine on top of that, your dyslexic 11-year-old son intends to write a letter to Santa but flubs a key important detail, and that sends the prince of darkness himself down your chimney.

That’s the premise of Bobby Farrelly’s new comedy Dear Santa starring Jack Black. The devil is coming to town in this hilarious, off-beat Christmas comedy that takes a common spelling error to the next level. Instead of getting the things on his wishlist, Satan gives Liam (Robert Timothy Smith) three wishes in exchange for his very soul. Along the way though, Liam will get the girl, help his friend gain more confidence, and get to hang out with Post Malone. It’s a middle school boy’s dream come true, minus the whole loss of soul thing. 

Oddly enough, this is where the film takes on a slightly different identity than expected. While definitely a darker premise than most holiday movies, it still remains very much in a family-friendly tone. The film certainly could’ve pushed for raunchier humor or more graphic physical comedy than it does, but it pulls back instead to stay the course of a PG-13 family-friendly holiday film. Which can make the film come off a little uneven at times.

Black is game to do much of his usual schtick. There’s some of his signature dancing, some (literal) toilet humor, and the inappropriate wisecrack every now and then (‘Why would I touch you? I’m the Devil, not a trusted relative.’) and that’s about as raunchy as it gets. On the other hand, the humor we do get is still pretty satisfying. Keegan-Michael Key makes a cameo appearance as a child psychologist and brings some good laughs, but the bulk of the humor comes from Liam’s English teacher, Mr. Charles (P.J. Byrne) whose gag is constantly putting down classic novels and Liam’s parents, Molly (Brianne Howey) and Bill (Hayes MacArthur). Howey and MacArthur get to flex their range a little bit going back and forth between the slapstick and the dramatic. 

Along with the humor, the film also has a little bit of tragedy, as we learn later the loss that the family is dealing with, which has caused the rift between Liam’s parents. Some of the moments between them drift far enough away from comedy that you almost wish this was a movie following their journey back together rather than one from the kid’s perspective. That, however, would be a much different film than the one we’ve received, and it probably wouldn’t lead to the ending we got, which will probably be…divisive to say the least. 

It’s hard to say whether Dear Santa is interested in being added to the rotation of Christmas movies you have to watch every year, but it has all the tools. It’s got some solid gags mixed in with a few cheesy ones, and for all its time spent in the devil’s playground, it never fails to remind you that it is still a Christmas movie. Although, it could be argued the film never quite captures that ‘spirit of Christmas’ vibe most of these movies tend to go for. It’s hoping instead to coast off of the laughs and the heart, which in most parts, it exceeds (except for a gag around the term ‘null and void’ that goes on way too long), but whether or not this will join the ranks of Home Alone or Die Hard is up for audiences to decide.

Dear Santa is currently available on Digital platforms or to stream on Paramount+.