As another Halloween season dies, department stores rush to display Christmas decorations while Ariana Grande’s cover of “Santa Baby” plays on an overhead speaker. “It’s the most wonderful time of the year,” they say. Meanwhile, Jack Black is getting into the holiday spirit with the first images from his upcoming film, Dear Santa, directed by Bobby Farrelly (Champions, There’s Something About Mary).
The holly jolly comedy centers on Liam Turner (Robert Timothy Smith), a young boy who still believes in Santa Claus. Liam isn’t the best speller, and while writing his yearly note to Santa, he misspells the rotund elf’s name, addressing his wishes to Satan instead. Touched by the boy’s outreach, Satan (Jack Black) visits Liam, bringing the gift of devilish tricks, demonic shenanigans, and laughs to the spirited season.
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Farrelly says Jack Black was the first choice to play Satan/Santa. “Jack is just that guy that with his arching eyebrows and his faces and all that, there’s a little bit of mischievous to him at all times, but he’s eminently likable, and that’s just Jack,” Bobby explained. “We never wanted to make it a horror movie or something like that. We wanted it to be comical. So it was a delicate ball of playing this iconic character but doing it in a way that the audience can have some fun with it. And Jack was the perfect guy.”
Jack Black won’t be the only one bringing Christmas cheer to theaters with Dear Santa. Brianne Howey and Hayes MacArthur play Liam’s parents, and Keegan-Michael Key stars in a primary role. PJ Byrne, Jaden Carson Baker, and Kai Cech also appear in the holiday-centric feature. Post Malone cameos in the film, playing himself, which makes us wonder what he’s doing hanging out with Satan/Santa.
“It is a family story because it is Christmas. But you know what? Pete and I, we’re the Farrelly brothers, so we wanted to put our skewed version on a Christmas story like this, but at the same time, we don’t want to just blow it up. We wanted it to have a sweetness to it underneath all the edge and all that,” Bobby says, adding, “so that’s the Farrelly Brothers Christmas movie.”
While Dear Santa is a family film, Farrelly warns that kids who still believe in Santa should skip it. The film shatters the illusion of Santa as a toy-toting B&E expert who thrives on cookies and milk, and some might not be ready to see the wizard behind the curtain.
What do you think about Jack Black’s look as Satan/Santa in the first images for Dear Santa? Can Bobby Farrelly make a family-friendly Christmas comedy without stepping over the line? We’ll know when Dear Santa parks its sleigh on Paramount+ on November 25.
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