Santa Who?
Santa Who? is a 2000 American made-for-television fantasy-comedy film starring Leslie Nielsen and directed by William Dear, in which Santa Claus develops a case of amnesia right before Christmas.
| Santa Who? | |
|---|---|
 Region 2 DVD Cover | |
| Written by | Debra Frank Steve L. Hayes |
| Directed by | William Dear |
| Starring | Leslie Nielsen Steven Eckholdt Robyn Lively |
| Music by | Joel McNeely |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Producer | Frank Siracusa |
| Cinematography | Derick V. Underschultz |
| Editor | Edgar Burcksen |
| Running time | 88 minutes |
| Production companies | Gleneagle Productions Hearst Entertainment |
| Release | |
| Original release |
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Plot
The film starts with Santa feeling ill and going out for fresh air on a flight in his sleigh. Because of bad weather, he falls out and lands in Los Angeles. After the fall, he is unable to remember who he is. An afraid-of-commitment TV news reporter finds him and uses him on TV to get audience while asking them to find his family. In the meantime, Santa works in a mall.
The TV news reporter's girlfriend's son repeatedly tries to convince the adults that he is the real Santa Claus, which the adults refuse to believe.
Santa still remembers certain details about Christmas but is unable to remember how he knows them, as typically happens with source amnesia. All the while, Santa's elves are looking for him. Near the end, a couple thinks it could be their grandfather who has grown a beard, and take him with them. Instead, when it is proved he is Santa, the reporter regains his faith in Christmas and gains a family.
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Leslie Nielsen | Santa Claus (reprises his role from All I Want for Christmas) |
| Steven Eckholdt | Peter Albright |
| Robyn Lively | Claire Dreyer |
| Max Morrow | Zack Dreyer |
| Aron Tager | Grandpa |
| Tommy Davidson | Max the Elf |
| Darren Frost | Rupert the Elf |
| Karen LeBlanc | Lenny the Camera Person |
| R.D. Reid | Grady |
| Ted Atherton | George, Ch. 12 Manager |
| Stewart Arnott | Lusby, Claire's Boss |
| Carol Lempert | Ellen, Claire's Secretary |
| Roger Clown | Ray Engles |
| Elizabeth Brown | Nancy Engles |
| Laura DeCarteret | Sister Greta |
| Richard Fitzpatrick | Detective Lohenry |
Reception
Christopher Null of Filmcritic.com gave Santa Who? 2 out of 5 stars.[1] Perry Seibert of AllMovie gave the film 3 stars out of 5.[2]
Laura Fries of Variety wrote "Santa Who?, an original Wonderful World of Disney film, does its best to imitate the great holiday classics, but in the end it's about as rewarding as a lump of coal in your stocking".[3] Aliya Whiteley of Den of Geek called Santa Who? "a classic".[4]
Announced remake
In July 2021, Lionsgate, which holds rights to this film as the owner of the Hearst Entertainment library, told Deadline that it planned to remake it, alongside The Babysitter's Seduction, Sex, Lies, & Obsession, Blue Valley Songbird, Sex & Mrs. X, A Different Kind of Christmas, and other Hearst titles with MarVista Entertainment, which will work with Lionsgate in distributing these films.[5] Neither studio released details about these remakes, which they plan to release to an undetermined streaming service.[6]
See also
References
- Null, Christopher (2001). "Santa Who? Movie Review, DVD Release". Filmcritic.com. Archived from the original on August 1, 2007. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
- Seibert, Perry. "Santa Who? (2000)". AllMovie. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
- Fries, Laura (November 16, 2000). "Santa Who?". Variety.
- Whiteley, Aliya (December 22, 2015). "Less-known Christmas movies: Santa Who?". Den of Geek. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
- White, Peter (2021-07-09). "Are TV Movies Back? Lionsgate & MarVista Strike Deal To Remake Classic MOWs Including Keri Russell's 'The Babysitter's Seduction'". Deadline. Retrieved 2021-08-27.
- "'The Babysitter's Seduction' Among TV Movies Getting a Remake in Lionsgate / MarVista Deal". Movieweb. 2021-07-13. Retrieved 2021-08-27.
External links
- Santa Who? at IMDb