From left: Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Judah lewis, Oliver Hudson and Darby Camp
Jolly old Saint Nicholas gets a contemporary, high-stakes adventure in the family-friendly Netflix movie “The Christmas Chronicles,” but it isn’t quite the same Santa Claus that people know and love.
Instead, it’s a less-rotund, slightly scruffy old guy wearing the familiar, albeit darker, red suit. And, he never laughs the way he’s depicted in carols and stories—he calls them “fake news.”
But, first things first. The Pierce family is reeling from the loss of its patriarch, fireman Doug (Oliver Hudson).
Claire (Kimberly Williams-Paisley) is the widow/single mom raising two kids, teenage hooligan Teddy (Judah Lewis) and adventurous 10-year-old Kate (Darby Camp).
The siblings were close growing up, but have started to drift apart. But for Christmas Eve, they have a truce. Kate tries to identify a mystery person in one of the family’s old video recordings. She believes it’s Santa Claus, and convinces the skeptical Teddy to help her catch whoever it was on video.
Sure enough, Santa (Kurt Russell) shows up, and the siblings witness him in action. With superhuman speed, he delivers presents all over the neighborhood in a snap. But Kate wishes to see more, and jumps in the sleigh that’s held aloft by flying reindeer.
Kurt Russell plays Santa Claus.
The youngsters unintentionally derail Saint Nick from his annual mission. And with his powerful steeds scattered, Santa Claus has little choice but to rely on the Pierce kids—or Christmas will be ruined for countless children around the globe.
Despite a cookie-cutter plot that makes the eyes glaze over from time to time, “The Christmas Chronicles” is still quite watchable, its requisite drama given more weight by the supposed value of the holiday.
A mission to save Christmas? It still makes the jaded, Scrooge-channeling viewer believe in close shaves and the day being saved by the unlikeliest heroes. The film is by Clay Kaytis, whose extensive animation background and knowledge—his credits include “Mulan,” “Wreck-It Ralph,” etc.—is put to good use when CGI characters enter the fray.
Like the holiday flicks “Santa Claus: The Movie” and “The Santa Clause,” “The Christmas Chronicles” manages to make the most of its feel-good elements, while striking a chord with a few serious moments.
Russell, playing someone who’s so unlike his gritty antiheroes from decades past, delights with his portrayal of the almost omniscient winter icon, even if he gets into some pretty absurd couple of hours on the night before Christmas.