Movie · 2024 · Comedy, Fantasy · 1h 48m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 0.2/10 (78.2K ratings)
Jack Black is NOT Santa.
Overview
Likeable 6th grader Liam writes to Santa asking him to prove that he's real. But Liam is dyslexic and accidentally sends his letter to Satan instead, who shows up at Liam's house, excited to have his first fanboy letter and wanting a little of Liam's soul.
Ratings
Curator score: 0.2/10
IMDb: 5.4/10
Letterboxd: 1.99/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 24%
Metacritic: 34
TMDB: 6.2/10
Director
Bobby Farrelly
Production
Paramount Pictures, Farrelly Brothers, Kraymation Films
Cast
Jack Black, Robert Timothy Smith, Keegan-Michael Key, Brianne Howey, Hayes MacArthur, P.J. Byrne, Jaden Carson Baker, Kai Cech, Post Malone, Gavin Munn, Cate Freedman, Ben Stiller, Kyle Gass, Lee Reyes, Bash Hagelin, Bryson Dean Haney, Lindsay Rootare, Luke Chiappetta, Greg Clarkson, Maiya Moran
Where to watch
fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential
Curator Review
Verdict
A noisy, uneven holiday comedy with a strong premise and a few inspired Jack Black moments, but the tone is all over the place and the payoff seems to alienate more viewers than it wins over. It may work as a curiosity for people who enjoy aggressively stupid Christmas comedies, but it does not sound like a satisfying watch for most audiences.
Best for
Jack Black completists
viewers who like crude, high-concept holiday comedies
people amused by bad-movie chaos
fans of broad studio comedies that swing for the fences
Skip if
you want a coherent family comedy
you dislike crude or blasphemous humor
you need emotional payoff or a clean third act
you are sensitive to tonal whiplash
Overview
Dear Santa has the kind of premise that sounds like a late-night pitch meeting joke, and for a while it seems content to live inside that joke. The setup is undeniably funny on paper, and Jack Black’s commitment gives the movie a pulse even when the material is wobbling under it. There are flashes of the absurdity that could have made this a cult holiday favorite.
Worth noting
But the film appears to be trapped between two audiences: one expecting a raunchy, irreverent comedy and another expecting a warm Christmas crowd-pleaser. That split leaves it feeling undercooked in both directions. The jokes get broad, the sentiment gets rushed, and the movie’s attempts at emotional stakes seem to arrive too late to land cleanly.
Bottom line
What remains is a messy streaming-era oddity: occasionally funny, often baffling, and more interesting as a symptom of modern holiday-movie excess than as a fully satisfying comedy. If you like your Christmas movies with a mean streak and a willingness to be ridiculous, there is some value here. Otherwise, it is probably best left as a punchline.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Joe A (0.5★) · 1581 likes
Up there with one of the worst endings in recent memory. Burn it to the ground.
Sydney🚀 (0.5★) · 1219 likes
Think I’m done with this whole movie thing
ram<3 (0.5★) · 617 likes
what the fuck is going on with christmas movies this year?
gabbyxgolden (2★) · 474 likes
When Jack Black laughs and it turns into a goat bleat… that’s cinema.
Jade talks too much🎅🏻🎄 (5★) · 468 likes
It’s a weird mess of a Christmas movie starring Jack Black as Satan👹🎅🏻. Of course I dug it🎁.
That 3rd act was a CHOICE🔥. People are gonna hate this😂