This is a film of two halves, with the first half fairing far better than the second. The fictional birth of Santa Claus (David Huddleston) is excellent, with reindeer puppets that are impressive for the time.
The forced prospective used to make the Elves (Including Dudley Moore's Patch) appear smaller than they are is clever. John Lithgow hams is up as a cigar smoking baddie, but the storyline goes downhill from here. The businessman's plan means be would be broke in no time!
Joe (Christian Fitzpatrick) is a ten-year-old homeless boy living on the hard streets of New York. He watches through the window as people bite into their burgers. Cornelia (Carrie Kei Heim), a girl of the same age befriends him and leaves him a can of cola. The relationship between the two children is heartwarming and the highlight of the film. Human emotion triumphs over set-pieces and special effects. Passable seasonal entertainment.
FG FG F
DIRECTED BY: Jeannot Szwarc. SCREENPLAY BY: David Newman, Leslie Newman. RUNNING TIME: 108 mins. CERTIFICATE: PG. UK / USA.
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