Noutions
Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .
Scarlet
The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.
Caryl
It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.
Jackson Booth-Millard
The classic 1970s animated short is a fan favourite for the festive season, from its stop-motion animation to the catchy Snow Miser and Heat Miser songs, but moviemakers went ahead and tried a live-action remake, directed by Ron Underwood (Tremors, City Slickers, Mighty Joe Young, Pluto Nash). Basically Santa Claus (John Goodman) is not feeling very well, but more than anything he has become disgruntled with the commercialism of Christmas, he thinks that children no longer believe him. Santa decides to quit, to cancel Christmas and not deliver toys and presents this Christmas Eve, despite arguments with Mrs. Claus (Delta Burke), and two of his elves, Jingle (Eddie Griffin) and Jangle (Ethan Suplee). They decide to provide Santa with proof that children still believe in him and the spirit of Christmas, so the elves head to the United States to find a child with Christmas spirit. Before reaching South Town, they have a setback, the jealous, competitive Miser Brothers are arguing about their control of the weather, Snow Miser (Michael McKean) controls the cold conditions, and Heat Miser (Harvey Fierstein) controls the warm weather. The elves find little boy Ignatius "Iggy" Thistlewhite (Dylan Minnette) who believes in Santa and the true spirit of Christmas. But Iggy's father, Mayor Thistlewhite (Robert C. Treveiler), will only believe the elves' story if they can bring snow to South Town on Christmas Day, this has not happened in the southern town for many years. The Miser brothers will not compromise to make sure that this can happen, but Mrs. Claus brings in Mother Nature (Carol Kane), they will have to agree to this, or face the wrath of their mother. Santa decides to go to the city himself, that is when he realises that children really do believe in him, and the spirit of Christmas, his faith is restored thanks to Iggy. So, on Christmas Eve, Santa flies his sleigh around the world, delivering toys and presents to everyone, and he indeed brings snow to South Town, Santa is happy to be back to work, and looks forward to next Christmas. Also starring Chris Kattan as Sparky and Laura Schlessinger as Dr. Laura. Goodman had played Father Christmas twice already in TV and film, so he seems comfortable, Griffin and Suplee add some titters as the bumbling elves, apart from that the other cast members aren't really worth mentioning, this remake keeps to the same basic concept as the original, but it has nowhere near the same charm, the songs are not enjoyable, and new stuff put makes it really messy, a disappointing seasonal fantasy. Adequate!
randmlyperfctgrl
I looked forward to seeing the original TYWASC every year since the first time I saw it. When I found the newer version, I thought it would be kind of fun to watch. I was disappointed that they changed the original so much. The only good part of the new movie would be the heat miser/snow miser parts. I thought the heat miser/snow miser song was a little better in this one because there was more going on. I was disappointed with the fact that the movie was about a corporation and not based on the original more. But luckily the actors cast for heat miser and snow miser made up for most of the points. My advice is that if you're going to remake a holiday classic that was as great as TYWASC, you might want to consider basing it off the original!
miles99999
This was an absolutely awful remake of a holiday classic. There was a movie some years ago called Scrooged (with Bill Murray). In that movie that are producing a version of Charles Dickens "A Christmas Carol". The version that they create is absolutely over the top and insane. I think that this remake of "A Year Without a Santa Claus" is that to a "T".This production was so over the top it completely wrecked the movie. The casting was atrocious...John Goodman as Santa wasn't that bad, but Harvey Fierstein as the Heat Miser and Michael McKean as the Snow Miser...come on are you kidding! Fierstein killed the most memorable song from the original movie. What about the Miser Brother's assistants, any reason they were cast as hot female models (not that I don't appreciate eye-candy)? As for the storyline....why did they create this "new" story? Yeah, it follows the basic idea as the original, but the story was basically completely different.Please avoid this movie at all costs if you are a fan of the original. This one is too over the top, too long, and too crappy.
Nakita Brown
Yes, I gave this a 2. I wasn't able to pay attention to the whole thing, so I wanted to be fair.1) Was the dubbing SUPPOSED to be off during the film? If you have ever watched a kung-fu movie, then you have some idea of what the dubbing was like. In the beginning of the movie, the dubbing was twice as bad. The voice over work was TERRIBLE. I think film students could have done better after they've partied all night.2) The special effects were TERRIBLE. I swear, I could see wrinkles in a few of the back drops. The effects seemed to be very outdated. The elves didn't really have pointy ears either.3) Skimpy costumes. This was supposed to be a movie for kids, right? Well, black leather and bikinis don't really fit in a Christmas movie, I'm sorry. I would say it had no magic at all.The TV guide review said that this movie didn't capture the magic of the original. I would say it had no magic. I could go on, but I keep twitching when I think of the movie. It was very slow, and unwatchable. Watch it if you must, but it's not really so bad it's funny. It's just plain bad.
