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The Christmas Chronicles

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The Christmas Chronicles
Official promotional poster
Directed byClay Kaytis
Screenplay byMatt Lieberman
Story by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyDon Burgess
Edited byDan Zimmerman
Music byChristophe Beck
Production
companies
1492 Pictures
Wonder Worldwide
Distributed byNetflix
Release date
November 22, 2018
Running time
103 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Christmas Chronicles is a 2018 American Christmas comedy film directed by Clay Kaytis from a screenplay by Matt Lieberman. The film stars Kurt Russell, Judah Lewis, Darby Camp, Lamorne Morris, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, and Oliver Hudson. It is the first installment in The Christmas Chronicles film series. The film was produced by 1492 Pictures and Wonder Worldwide and was released on November 22, 2018, on Netflix.[1]

The plot follows two children, Kate and Teddy, who notice Santa Claus in their home and jump into his sleigh with his reindeer; however, they accidentally cause the sleigh to crash, and the presents are lost. As Christmas morning approaches, it is up to the children and Santa to save Christmas by correctly delivering all of the presents.

The Christmas Chronicles received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics. A sequel, titled The Christmas Chronicles 2, was released on November 25, 2020, with much of the original cast returning.

Plot

In Lowell, Massachusetts around Christmas 2018, widow Claire Pierce struggles to keep her family together after an argument over husband Doug's death. A firefighter, he died on the job.

Their son Teddy has lost his Christmas spirit and starts stealing cars. However, his younger sister Kate keeps it alive and believes in Santa Claus. She records him stealing one, then threatens to show Claire, but changes her mind. Instead she tells her Teddy had smashed a photo frame.

On Christmas Eve, Claire is called in to work, leaving Teddy in charge. While watching old family Christmas videos, Kate notices an arm appear out of the fireplace. Believing it is Santa, she convinces Teddy to help prove it by promising to destroy the tape. They set up a tripwire and a hidden camera.

Kate is later awoken and sees Santa in the living room. However, he escapes to the roof so they follow. She hides in his sleigh to get a closer look, and Teddy reluctantly follows. Santa rides off with the kids in tow. When Kate makes her presence known, Santa and the reindeer are startled and he loses control of the sleigh. After teleporting to Chicago, Illinois, it breaks down, the reindeer scatter and Santa's hat and bag of presents are lost.

Santa introduces himself and tells them he has to get back to delivering presents as soon as possible so Christmas spirit isn't lost. Without his hat, Santa cannot move quickly or through tight spaces like normal. They offer to help him to avoid being permanently on the naughty list.

Santa seeks help from the patrons in a bar. When they get no assistance, they take a car upon Teddy's suggestion. He reminds Santa it was already stolen by the bartender so they can turn it in to the police afterwards.

They locate the reindeer, but encounter police seeking the stolen car. Kate goes after them by herself while Teddy and Santa lure them away. Santa is arrested, while Kate and Teddy escape with the reindeer. The kids find Santa's bag, so Kate goes inside to find help. Teleported to the North Pole, she encounters Santa's elves, who agree to help.

Meanwhile, a gang of thugs grab Teddy and the bag, taking them to their hideout. There, he is saved by Kate and the elves, who then repair Santa's sleigh. At the police station, Santa explains his situation to Officer Poveda. When he reveals the officer's wish this year is to reconcile with his ex-wife, Lisa, who shares that wish, he is taken aback, but still refuses to believe him.

Poveda locks Santa in the holding cell, though noticing a larger number of arrests than usual for Christmas Eve. As Christmas spirit has gotten too low, Santa gathers all the inmates to perform "Santa Claus Is Back in Town", which works with all the officers except Poveda. He is finally convinced when Lisa calls, who invites him out for coffee in the morning, so agrees to let Santa go. An elf arrives through the air vent to give Santa a spare hat, who finds his repaired sleigh outside.

As there is only one hour to complete deliveries, the kids help Santa. Kate tosses him presents and Teddy drives the sleigh, so he is able to deliver them all, saving Christmas. Afterwards, Santa takes them home before their mother returns. The siblings ask him if they’ll ever see him again. He says not if he can help it but will if he ever needs help in future. Santa gives Teddy his hat as a memento, showing that he did not really need it.

When Claire returns, they find the living room decorated like their father used to do it. Opening their gifts from Santa, Kate gets the skateboard she asked for, while Teddy gets a magic ornament. When he hangs it, he sees his dad magically appear in his reflection, and they both express pride in each other.

Back in the North Pole, Santa reunites with the returned Mrs. Claus. She asks what movie they are going to watch, and Santa takes out Kate's video of their adventure with a smile.

Cast

  • Kurt Russell as Santa Claus / Saint Nick, a magical figure who brings presents for people on Christmas night, when they are asleep.
  • Judah Lewis as Teddy Pierce, a 16-year-old boy and Kate's older brother. He does not believe in Santa Claus, and engages in illegal activities after the death of his father.
    • Jesse Gervasi as 3-year-old Teddy Pierce.
    • David Kohlsmith as 5-year-old Teddy Pierce.
    • Jack Bona as 8 to 10-year-old Teddy Pierce.
  • Darby Camp as Kate Pierce, an enthusiastic 11-year-old girl who is Teddy's younger sister. Kate has faith in Santa and decides to find Santa's sleigh on Christmas Eve.
    • Kaitlin Aidree as 3 to 5-year old Kate Pierce.
  • Lamorne Morris as Officer Mikey Jameson, a police officer who lives in Chicago, Illinois.
  • Kimberly Williams-Paisley as Claire Pierce, Teddy's and Kate's widowed mother. She is a nurse at a hospital in Lowell, Massachusetts.
  • Oliver Hudson as Doug Pierce, Teddy and Kate's late father and Claire's husband. He was a firefighter and died after running into a fire to save several random people.
  • Martin Roach as Officer Dave Poveda, a police officer who lives in Chicago, Illinois who does not remember Santa Claus.
  • Vella Lovell as Wendy, a hostess at a restaurant and aspiring fashion designer.
  • Tony Nappo as Bartender Charlie Plummer, an ex-con bartender.
  • Steven van Zandt as Wolfie, an inmate who formerly wanted to be a musician.
  • Marc Ribler as Dusty, another inmate who also formerly wanted to be a musician.
  • Jeff Teravainen as Vincent, a villain
  • Goldie Hawn as Mrs Claus, the wife of Santa Claus.

Vanessa Morgan as Chrissy Cooper, the female teenage friend of Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus. ( Chrissy travels to the North Pole alongside Kate Pierce to help Santa and Mrs. Claus in the first film and throughout the film, Chrissy is shown to be a close friend of the popular Christmas Couple and will do anything to reunite with them again.)

Voices

Production

Development for what would become The Christmas Chronicles began in June 2013, when it was announced Chris Columbus' 1492 Pictures had acquired a Found Footage spec script titled 12/24 written by Matt Lieberman and based on a story by Lieberman and David Guggenheim wherein two brothers set out to prove that Santa Claus is real, using their home video camera and inadvertently cause Santa’s sleigh to crash after stowing away with the brothers trying to work together to save Christmas.[2]

In December 2017, it was reported that Kurt Russell would star as Santa Claus in the film for Netflix,[3] later given the title The Christmas Chronicles.

Principal photography began in January 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.[3] The film was set in Lowell, Massachusetts, and Chicago, Illinois.[4]

Release

The film was released on November 22, 2018.[5]

Netflix reported the film was streamed by 20 million households over its first week of release.[6]

Reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 68% based on 59 reviews, with an average rating of 6/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Viewers seeking a fresh holiday viewing option – or those simply in the mood for Santa Kurt Russell – should find The Christmas Chronicles well worth a yuletide stream."[7] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 52 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[8]

Melanie McFarland of Salon said: "The film's no great shakes, but Russell's star power in 'The Christmas Chronicles' is a gift anyone should be happy to claim."[9] Charles Bramesco of The A.V. Club wrote: "The film doesn't know how to get out of its own way and foreground what's working, namely the dynamo of screen presence placed more prominently in the advertising than the feature itself."[10] Writing for Vox Magazine, Jenna Allen said: "Above all, it’s clear that Netflix has subverted the holiday movie blueprint – Hallmark, I'm looking at you – by giving us novelty, thrill and humor."[11] Derek Smith of Slant Magazine wrote: "In the end, the film succumbs to the tropes and emotional contrivances of the family melodrama at its core, ending up as a serviceable yet mostly forgettable addition to the already overstuffed genre of holiday-themed films."[12]

Soundtrack

The film features a cover of Elvis Presley's Santa Claus Is Back in Town, performed by Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul, with actor Kurt Russell on lead vocals.[13][14][15] The lineup includes Stevie Van Zandt (of Springsteen's E Street Band) and Marc Ribler on guitar.[15] The band recorded the song with Russell at Steven's studio in New York.[13] In the film, the song is performed by Santa Claus (Kurt Russell) during a scene set at the jailhouse.[14] Each of the band appear onscreen, including Van Zandt and Ribler as named characters Wolfie and Dusty.[13][15]

Sequel

Main article: The Christmas Chronicles 2

On September 15, 2020, a sequel titled The Christmas Chronicles 2 was announced. Original director Clay Kaytis dropped out and was replaced by Chris Columbus, who produced the first installment. Stars Kurt Russell, Goldie Hawn, Darby Camp, Kimberly Williams-Paisley and Judah Lewis were all confirmed to reprise their roles, while Julian Dennison and Jahzir Bruno were cast to appear in the sequel.[16] The Christmas Chronicles 2 was released on Netflix on November 25, 2020.[17]

See also

References

  1. ^ "The Christmas Chronicles Teaser Netflix". Netflix YouTube channel. Archived from the original on 2020-12-04. Retrieved 2018-10-10.
  2. ^ "Chris Columbus 1492 Pictures Acquires Found Footage Santa Spec". Variety. Archived from the original on July 4, 2022. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Kit, Borys (2017-12-05). "Kurt Russell to Play Santa Claus in Netflix Christmas Movie (Exclusive)". TheHollywoodReporter. Archived from the original on 2020-12-04. Retrieved 2018-09-14.
  4. ^ "Netflix's The Christmas Chronicles introduces a Santa who can get it". Vox. November 26, 2018. Archived from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
  5. ^ "Netflix Is Closing Out 2018 With One Hell of an Original Film Slate". Film School Rejects. August 12, 2018. Archived from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
  6. ^ Sharf, Zack (December 3, 2018). "Netflix's 'Christmas Chronicles' Breaks 20 Million Streams in One Week". IndieWire. Archived from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  7. ^ "The Christmas Chronicles (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  8. ^ "The Christmas Chronicles Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
  9. ^ "Smart Watch: We need hot Santa Claus, now more than ever". Salon. 2018-12-15. Archived from the original on 2020-12-17. Retrieved 2020-12-17.
  10. ^ "Kurt Russell gives his all as DILF Santa in The Christmas Chronicles". The A.V. Club. 19 November 2018. Archived from the original on 2020-12-18. Retrieved 2020-12-17.
  11. ^ Allen, Jenna (27 November 2018). "'The Christmas Chronicles' delights with humor and thrills". Vox Magazine. Archived from the original on 2023-04-04. Retrieved 2020-12-17.
  12. ^ Smith, Derek (16 November 2018). "Review: The Christmas Chronicles". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on 2020-11-19. Retrieved 2020-12-17.
  13. ^ a b c Saunders, Mike (9 July 2021). "Disciples of Soul Interviews". Backstreets Magazine. Archived from the original on 2021-12-27. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  14. ^ a b Poole, Shawn (23 December 2020). "The "Spirit of Christmas" Chronicles". www.backstreets.com. Archived from the original on 2020-12-24. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  15. ^ a b c News (2018-11-26). "Kurt Russell Sings The Blues as Santa Jailed with Little Steven in 'Christmas Chronicles'". California Rocker. Archived from the original on 2021-12-27. Retrieved 2021-12-27. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  16. ^ "Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn Have a 'Tremendous Amount of Love' in The Christmas Chronicles 2". People Magazine. Archived from the original on 2020-11-12. Retrieved 2019-12-06.
  17. ^ @NetflixFilm (September 15, 2020). "It's time for Mrs. Claus to get her due. Kurt Russell & @GoldieHawn are back to save the holidays in THE CHRISTMAS CHRONICLES 2, only on Netflix 25 November" (Tweet) – via Twitter.

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