Kurt Russell delivers a spirited Santa performance in this cheesy but harmless family film. Unfortunately, he’s not enough to make up for the rest of the movie’s clunky, TV movie-level cheesiness.
Siblings Kate and Teddy hatch a plan to catch Santa Claus in the act of gift-delivery on Christmas Eve. With their parents working overtime at the hospital and their brother hanging out with preteen thugs, they need help from Saint Nick to restore their family’s holiday spirit.
Starring Kurt Russell
Kurt Russell is one of the few movie Santas that can make even the most cheesy of holiday movies tolerable. He delivers a hilarious performance in this family adventure, which is essentially a conventional but likable take on the genre.
The film centers on siblings Teddy and Kate Pierce (Judah Lewis and Darby Camp). When the children stow away in Santa’s sleigh, they accidentally cause it to crash, and Santa loses his magic hat and sack of presents. This threatens Christmas for the entire world, so the kids team up with Saint Nick to find and retrieve the items before it’s too late.
Director Clay Kaytis brings a lot of experience to the movie, and he knows how to balance humor with the serious elements of the story. He also knows how to direct action, and he delivers some thrilling sequences here. While the script isn’t exactly original, it does have a lot of charm and some memorable moments. The Christmas Chronicles is a worthy addition to the holiday movie canon. Kurt Russell elevates every scene he’s in with his charismatic presence.
Directed by Clay Kaytis
The Christmas Chronicles doesn’t make anyone believe in Santa Claus, but it has a great story about siblings. Kurt Russell’s performance is a joy to watch. His character is a little bit rock n roll and snarky. Darby Camp and Judah Lewis are also excellent in their roles.
The movie has a lot of cliches but still, it’s entertaining. Clay Kaytis uses his experience working on CGI animation to give the movie a lot of energy and style. He even makes the car chases interesting. This film is a must-see for Christmas movie fans.
It’s an entertaining romp through the holiday genre that could have been much worse. This Netflix movie vs film has a great story about a brother and sister who find a way to work together to save Christmas. It also has some good laughs and a lot of memorable lines. This is a great feel-good movie that everyone will love. It’s a must-watch for all family members!
Rating: PG
Kurt Russell is just as entertaining as ever in this cheesy Christmas movie. This Netflix original movie is a good start to the holiday season for families. The film incorporates all the classic elements of a Christmas movie from Santa’s sleigh and reindeer to the elves who are a little creepy at first but will definitely grow on you.
The story revolves around two siblings Kate and Teddy, who find out the truth about Santa. They must help him get back on track to deliver presents to kids all over the world. The movie is full of cheesy humor and will make you laugh out loud several times.
The Christmas Chronicles is a fun family movie with a fresh take on the Christmas spirit. Although the movie doesn’t have the staying power of a classic like Home Alone, it is still a great way to kick off the Christmas season. However, the movie has some iffy messages and some light profanity that might make it inappropriate for younger children. It’s best suited for tweens and up.
Genre: Family
Kurt Russell brings a hefty dose of his own charm to this spirited family film. It’s the story of a family’s journey to find their dad, Santa Claus. Featuring some of the best performances in recent history, The Christmas Chronicles is an instant classic that’ll warm your heart and make you laugh.
The movie begins with a polished year-by-year montage of home videos, revealing the Pierces’ Christmas morning excitement over the years. But by the time we arrive in 2018, dear old dad (Oliver Hudson) is dead and the family is struggling. Mom (Kimberly Williams-Paisley) works a lot, and the daughter and son are at each other’s throats.
That’s when the kids devise a plan to sneak onto Santa’s sleigh. But their insubordination makes the sleigh crash and the reindeer go missing. They also cause Santa to lose his magic hat and sack of presents. If he can’t get those items back, the world will descend into a dark age. He’s gonna need help from his new friends, Kate and Teddy. (Darby Camp is a breakout star from Big Little Lies, with appearances on Grey’s Anatomy and NOS4A2.) With his grizzly charm, Kurt Russell elevates this simple premise into something respectable.
Runtime: 123 minutes
Produced by family movie pro Chris Columbus, The Christmas Chronicles zaps down your chimney with a familiar setup. But Kurt Russell’s brisk humor and novel take on Santa Claus elevate the simple story into something respectable.
The plot centers on siblings Teddy (Judah Lewis) and Kate (Darby Camp). They sneak onto Santa’s sleigh on Christmas Eve, accidentally causing it to crash. In the process, they lose Santa’s magic hat and sack of presents, and it’s up to them to retrieve them before the world turns into another Dark Age of violence and naughtiness.
Though this sappy and silly film may not convince viewers that Santa is real, it does have some fun with fantasy, action, and music. Its saccharine score, saturated cinematography, and trite platitudes, however, make it an over-sweetened mess that exhausts itself trying to distinguish itself from other formulaic flicks. Still, kids will love the soaring sleigh fights and gingerbread cookie grenades, and adults may find themselves warming up to Russell’s gruff Santa as well. It’s best for tweens and up. Contains some mild language and themes of parental loss.
