CHRISTMAS CAPSULES: Santa Girl (2009)

Director: Blayne Weaver
Writer(s): Patricia Harrington
Starring: Jennifer Stone, Devon Werkheiser, Barry Bostwick, and McKayla Witt

There are retarded plots, and then there's the plot of Santa Girl, which threatens to usurp them all. Blending Amish and other religious customs, with Christmas (?), it tells the story of a girl, who is allowed to leave her home to go to college. That doesn't sound too bizarre, does it? Well, as the title implies, that girl is Santa's daughter, and the heir to his sleigh when he retires...which is pretty overboard, but also just the tip of the iceberg.

Complicating matters is the fact that our girl, Cassie Claus, is being forced to marry Jack Frost's son, the cleverly named Jack Frost, Jr., as a way to strengthen the image of both families, despite her clear reluctance to do so. This reluctance becomes even stronger when she meets Sam, a fellow classmate who takes an immediate liking to her. Oh, and she also meets JR, another good-looking classmate who also seems to be very interested...and so the “love” triangle begins. But is everyone who they say they are...?

Honestly, we both went into this expecting to hate every minute of it, but it's really not half bad, thanks to some inspired touches (like making Santa Claus a complete dick to everyone around him), and some likable performances from Jennifer Stone, as Cassie (who basically just gets to be as over-the-top as she was on “Wizards of Waverly Place”), and Devon Werkheiser, as Sam, who comes off as the more grounded character. There are even some genuine moments of humor, Jack Frost is legitimately creepy, and the chemistry between the two leads is charming.

It just wouldn't be a holiday movie if there weren't some annoying downsides, and as usual, the obligatory “fight between the two love interests” is one of them, where a minor situation that could easily be explained blows up into ridiculous proportions, unnecessarily separating our two lovers simply for the sake of drama (and at the expense of logic, though I suppose if you're watching a movie about Santa Claus's daughter going to college for a dose of reality before taking over the family business, then logic really needn't apply). Joshua Cody as Jack Frost, Jr. is terribly miscast, delivering his lines with the same conviction as a piece of lumber, and sharing no chemistry with Ms. Stone whatsoever; it's clear he was hired based solely on looks (or as a favor for a friend).

At any rate, this turned out to be an unexpectedly enjoyable romp through the holiday season, and while its overbearing stupidity won't win over any non-fans of this kind of Christmas fluff, it's a worthwhile watch for the millions of fans who eagerly suck in this type of holiday junk.

RATING: 6/10

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