The trailer forDear Santashowcases Jack Black’s bizarre new Christmas comedy. The upcoming movie, which premieres on Paramount Plus on November 25, was directed by Bobby Farrelly and follows a young boy (Robert Timothy Smith) who misspells Santa’s name on his letter requesting gifts, accidentally summoning Satan, who offers him three wishes in exchange for his soul. The cast of theJack Black moviealso includes Keegan-Michael Key, Brianne Howey, Hayes MacArthur, Austin Post, and P. J. Byrne, in addition to featuring an appearance by rapper Post Malone.
Paramount Plushas nowdebuted the official trailer forDear Santa. After setting up the premise and having the child, Liam Turner, summon Satan, it then explores the push-and-pull dynamic between the two characters as Liam’s wholesomeness slowly begins to melt Satan’s resolve. They also engage in a variety of wacky hijinks including the duo performing onstage at a Post Malone concert and Satan shrinking himself down to appear in the class pet’s enclosure and offer Liam romantic advice. See the trailer below:
What This Trailer Means For Dear Santa
The Movie Leans Decisively Toward Comedy
It could have been quite easy forDear Santato be aChristmas horror movie. The genre and the holiday have frequently mixed in titles including theSilent Night, Deadly Nightfranchise,Black Christmas,Santa’s Slay, and many more. In fact, the 2020 Syfy movieLetters to Satan Clausfeatured a very similar premise, with a much darker outcome. However, the trailerseems to reveal that the movie is entirely a comedy with next to no horror elementsdespite its slightly darker tone.
Black’s performance is reminiscent of the 1967 comedy Bedazzled…
Because of this,Jack Black’s Satan is also a gentler character than many other depictionsof the religious figure. His evilness largely consists of being a prankster, including putting an annoying character into intestinal distress and then locking the Porta Potty so he can’t get in. Black’s performance is reminiscent of the 1967 comedyBedazzled, which follows a man being tempted via wishes from the Devil and was remade as aBrendan Fraser moviein 2000, in addition to other villains he has portrayed onscreen, particularly Bowser inThe Super Mario Bros. Movie.
Our Take On The Dear Santa Trailer
The Movie Could Set A Standard For Paramount Plus
Dear Santais the first major original Christmas movie put out by Paramount Plus. Although it is firmly a comedy, the darkness of its premise sets it apart from other streamers' output including Netflix (A Christmas Prince,The Princess Switch,The Knight Before Christmas), Apple TV+ (Spirited), and Hulu (Happiest Season). If it continues to produce similar original holiday movies every year, the streamer could carve out a unique space in the genre by embracing more unusual premises and themes.
