The Christmas Chronicles

The Christmas Chronicles (2018) begins with a brother and sister who have lost their father. On Christmas Eve they set a trap to film Santa Claus, stow away on the sleigh, and the sleigh crashes. The presents scatter, the reindeer bolt, and the three of them have to save Christmas before morning. The whole idea is Kurt Russell playing Santa. This Santa is not fat, not rosy and not a jolly grandfather; he is irritable, vain, and complains that drawings have distorted how he looks. Russell plays it entirely straight and the film is built on that reading. Its most discussed sequence is in a jail, where Russell performs a blues number with a band of inmates. He sang it himself. Clay Kaytis directed, coming from animation. Chris Columbus, who made Home Alone, is among the producers. It was made for Netflix, and a sequel followed in 2020 in which Russell's real life partner Goldie Hawn played Mrs Claus. It runs 104 minutes. Good for: family Christmas films, Kurt Russell, and short brisk adventure. Less good for: the plot is simple and the digital reindeer look plainly artificial. The children behave however the story needs them to. The emotional material is crammed into the last twenty minutes.