The concept of Santa Claus or Kriss Kringle is a lot like other holiday mascots. While there is historical information that an individual existed, it was the everlasting impact left behind that mattered. Adults convince children people like this exist so they have something to believe in. It is what the icon represents that should matter to the child when they grow up as an adult. It is what keeps the whole mythos alive and passes it down from generation to generation. If Santa were to exist though, it would certainly catch almost all grown adults off guard. And that’s exactly the premise for this story, which originally was filmed back in 1947, but was remade a few times more in TV releases and finally in the mid-90s.
The story is about Kriss Kringle (Richard Attenborough) living among the rest of us in day to day life. When the Christmas season comes along, the big man gets entangled in a legal matter forcing him to prove himself. Siding as his attorney is Bryan Bedford (Dylan McDermott), hoping to make a case a prove he is the real deal. Meanwhile, Ed Collins (J.T. Walsh) is hoping to disprove the whole thing playing the straight man to what seems like an absurd claim. Directing this feature was Les Mayfield in his second feature film debut. His first was Encino Man (1992). For tackling an oldie story and remaking it for a new era is not always easy but for Mayfield it seemed like things worked out well. Writing the screenplay for this remake goes to George Seaton, the original creator of the story and John Hughes the writer to The Breakfast Club (1985), Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) and Home Alone (1990).
The premise itself is a wholesome one that again puts the entire concept of Kriss Kringle to the test. Court cases are always seen or thought of as boring. Yet Hollywood does a darn good job at making them look entertaining. Adding to that is the subplot about Bryan Bedford hoping to make a move on a crush of his Dorey Walker (Elizabeth Perkins) and her daughter Susan (Mara Wilson). In terms of execution, it is fairly apparent as to what the final conclusion will be but despite this, the viewing experience is fun and charming. While Richard Attenborough had been acting for decades, his best role to date had been from Jurassic Park (1993). Elizabeth Perkins and Dylan McDermott made a good couple and genuinely show good chemistry together.
Perkins was in the live-action Flintstones (1994) film the same year, while McDermott had been in the sci-fi horror Hardware (1990). J.T. Walsh as the prosecutor was again cast as a bad character like he usually is, just not as downright dirty. There’s even appearances from James Remar, Jane Leeves and even Robert Prosky as Judge Harper who oversees the court case. He also doesn’t believe in Santa. Then there’s Mara Wilson who won over several castings in her time with her beaming smile and upbeat attitude. Since her start in Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Wilson had continued success even after this film with the release of Matilda (1996) and would take a long hiatus after Thomas and the Magic Railroad (2000). Her performance here is cute as usual and doesn’t come across too annoyingly so.
The cinematography to this picture was decently shot too. Handled by Julio Macat, the production is well angled and lit correctly. Macat had also worked on Home Alone (1990), Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994), The Nutty Professor (1996), A Walk to Remember (2002) and even Winnie the Pooh (2011). Finally, the musical score for this production was composed by Bruce Broughton. Known more for his western musical scores, seeing Broughton branch out into something a little more contemporary is a nice change in pace. Right from the beginning Broughton brings on the holiday feeling with bells and whimsical sounding strings. Coming off of cowboy themed movies like Silverado (1985) and Tombstone (1993), this album shows he is more than capable of creating music for other genres.
As a remake of the original, the 90s version of this film can certainly holds its own. The cast are all credible actors, the cinematography is nice to look at and the music is commendable. The execution itself though is fairly predictable so there should be no surprises to be had.
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