A devilishly funny Jack Black elevates Paramount+’s mediocre Christmas comedy

Christmas films have become so ubiquitous that it’s hard to avoid the impression that filmmakers have come to view them as pensions for their retirement savings. So it’s no surprise that the Farrelly brothers have ventured into this territory for the first time, with their new comedy directed by Bobby Farrelly making its debut on Paramount+. And during Dear Santa Claus isn’t exactly suitable for inclusion in the pantheon of filmmakers, save the likes of There’s something about Mary And Dumb and dumbershould fulfill its goal of being offered annually for holiday consumption alongside the turkey and eggnog.

Considering that the words “Santa” and “Satan” contain the exact same letters, it’s amazing that it took this long for someone to come up with the idea for a film about an 11-year-old with dyslexia who has a Writes a letter to Santa, only to find that Satan answered it thanks to an accidental letter placement.

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Jack Black, in his first collaboration with the Farrellys since 2001 Flat hallHe plays Satan, who shows up in Liam’s (Robert Timothy Smith, a real find) bedroom one night after the bespectacled teenager writes what he thought was a letter to Santa Claus. Satan, wearing horns and a burgundy leather and fur costume and proclaiming that he is there “in the naughty flesh,” initially doesn’t bother to inform Liam of the truth, but instead offers him three wishes, in the devilish one Hope to steal the little boy’s soul.

Liam’s first wish is the romantic attention of Emma (Kai Cech), his classmate with whom he is in love. Satan grants it immediately and it’s not long before Liam accompanies Emma to a Post Malone concert, complete with VIP plans and backstage pass. This plot element provides the opportunity for an extended sequence in which the superstar rapper and singer plays himself, which should help the film appeal to the desired teenage demographic.

As with any deal with Satan, things quickly become complicated, here in the form of subplots involving Liam’s friend Gibby (Jaden Carson Baker) having to pretend to be a cancer patient and Liam’s worried parents (Brianne Howey, Hayes MacArthur) seeing him let child psychologist. (The psychiatrist is played by the always funny but unfortunately underused Keegan-Michael Key.)

It should hardly be a revelation that Black’s hard-working comedic efforts are the film’s saving grace. With a deep growl that makes him sound like late-aughts Jack Nicholson, the actor is clearly having fun in his colorful role, and the fun is infectious. With his typically manic, perfectly timed delivery, he makes the many bad jokes bearable and the decent ones even funnier.

And to be fair, there are a few decent ones in the script co-written by Peter Farrelly and Ricky Blitt (Family man, Lautermilch), although it inevitably includes some bathroom humor in the form of Satan casting a gastrointestinal distress spell on Liam’s obnoxious English teacher (PJ Byrne). “Every time a grown man cuts himself, a demon earns his horns,” a smug Satan informs Liam. There are several fun pop culture references that are likely to please adults while confusing the target audience, including a reference to One Flew over the cuckoo’s nest and Satan announces that he is staying at the “Redrum Motor Lodge”.

“You can probably guess my room number,” he adds.

The climax is a maudlin ending that seems a bit excessive even for a film of this type. Dear Santa Claus is the kind of memorable holiday meal — much like the current theater misfire Red – that will live on forever on streaming services. And if none other than Charles Dickens could resort to creating a Christmas story to make a quick buck (look it up), why shouldn’t movie studios do the same?

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