On the eve of Christmas, Sheriff Rick Langston has lost his holiday spirit. But when he arrests a home intruder claiming to be Santa Claus, his world gets turned upside-down!On the eve of Christmas, Sheriff Rick Langston has lost his holiday spirit. But when he arrests a home intruder claiming to be Santa Claus, his world gets turned upside-down!On the eve of Christmas, Sheriff Rick Langston has lost his holiday spirit. But when he arrests a home intruder claiming to be Santa Claus, his world gets turned upside-down!
- Awards
- 2 wins
DJ Perry
- Evan Ward senior
- (as ED.J. Perry)
Joe Anderson
- Pastor
- (as Joseph Scott Anderson)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThere is a sticker on the sheriff's computer monitor that says, "Real Heroes Don't Wear Capes." The sheriff is played by Dean Cain who was Superman in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.
- GoofsWhen the deputy arrives at the sheriff's house to assist with the arrest of Santa, the sheriff's patrol car is missing from the drive.
- Crazy creditsAfter the credits, it shows the characters Santa and Raynor in the jail spoofing the Muppet characters Statler and Waldorf.
- SoundtracksMy Pocket
Written & Performed by Angie DeNicholas
© 2009 Angie De Nicholas
Featured review
Small in charm and effort
Part of me really wanted to like 'Small Town Santa'. Despite the low rating and that it did not look great, because Christmas is my favourite holiday and Dean Cain is a very watchable actor deserving of far better projects to star/feature in it was still seen anyway. Part of me really wanted to join the more positive reviews here, and have been known to have contrarian opinions in the past so watched it with an open mind aiming to know what to expect.
Even when really trying to not take things seriously and trying to take it for what it is, 'Small Town Santa' has a few redeeming qualities but overall it didn't work for me. Do have to agree with those that are more critical of the film. 'Small Town Santa' is not one of the worst Christmas films in existence, many others are far worse. Many other Christmas films though are far better and if looking for a festive classic to me this is not one of them.
'Small Town Santa' isn't a complete loss. Cain, despite bad dialogue and a stock character, brings a good deal of amiable charm and doesn't overdo or mail in (unlike the rest of the cast). Some of the scenery is attractive enough.
There are some nice nostalgic moments on the soundtrack.
Unfortunately, there is so much that works against 'Small Town Santa'. When it comes to the acting, only Cain is tolerable. Everybody else overacts to an unintentionally campy degree, with the worst offender being Janet Caine. None of the characters feel like real people or are likeable (yes even Santa), instead they were one-dimensional caricatures and ones that had not much personality or were annoying. The character of Diane especially for me was insufferably irritating. There really was not that much of a script and all the dialogue sounds like bad corny improvisation.
Low budget is evident in the visuals as there was a very rushed look throughout, especially in the flat and quite haphazard photography. The story is also thin as near melted ice and has no real charm or heart, just non-stop cheesiness, excessive schmaltz, convenient contrivances and a dreary pace. There could have been a chance to slightly overlook the predictability but the other story problems are far less easy to forgive. The odd pleasant moment aside, the music generally is forgettable at best.
In summary, very weak. 3/10
Even when really trying to not take things seriously and trying to take it for what it is, 'Small Town Santa' has a few redeeming qualities but overall it didn't work for me. Do have to agree with those that are more critical of the film. 'Small Town Santa' is not one of the worst Christmas films in existence, many others are far worse. Many other Christmas films though are far better and if looking for a festive classic to me this is not one of them.
'Small Town Santa' isn't a complete loss. Cain, despite bad dialogue and a stock character, brings a good deal of amiable charm and doesn't overdo or mail in (unlike the rest of the cast). Some of the scenery is attractive enough.
There are some nice nostalgic moments on the soundtrack.
Unfortunately, there is so much that works against 'Small Town Santa'. When it comes to the acting, only Cain is tolerable. Everybody else overacts to an unintentionally campy degree, with the worst offender being Janet Caine. None of the characters feel like real people or are likeable (yes even Santa), instead they were one-dimensional caricatures and ones that had not much personality or were annoying. The character of Diane especially for me was insufferably irritating. There really was not that much of a script and all the dialogue sounds like bad corny improvisation.
Low budget is evident in the visuals as there was a very rushed look throughout, especially in the flat and quite haphazard photography. The story is also thin as near melted ice and has no real charm or heart, just non-stop cheesiness, excessive schmaltz, convenient contrivances and a dreary pace. There could have been a chance to slightly overlook the predictability but the other story problems are far less easy to forgive. The odd pleasant moment aside, the music generally is forgettable at best.
In summary, very weak. 3/10
Helpful•84
- TheLittleSongbird
- Sep 28, 2020
- Permalink
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $500,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 26 minutes
- Color
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