Netflix Spreads The Holiday Cheer With The Christmas Chronicles

I want to thank Netflix for creating a new tradition in my life, and that will be watching the Netflix original The Christmas Chronicles every Christmas from here on out. If you have been wondering what Kurt Russell has been up to, this movie is for you. Kurt Russell has been quietly stuffing his tummy full of Christmas cookies and getting ready to deliver a great performance as a cool hip, Santa Claus.

The movie revolves around the Pierce family. A montage of a brother and sister growing up as their mom and dad document all their Christmas’s together on a camcorder. After their father’s untimely death there is a divide in the household. Kate (Darby Camp) still believes in Santa while her older rebellious brother Teddy (Judah Lewis) does not believe in Santa. Kate is using the same camcorder her family used to record all the past Christmas’s, she catches Teddy doing something bad and uses this as a blackmailing tool to get Teddy to help her catch Santa Claus.

Kate and Teddy attempt to trap Santa but fail miserably, and almost stop Christmas. Enter Kurt Russel who delivers an amazing up to date portrayal of Santa Claus in a way that only he can do. The kids and Santa team up to save Christmas which features a trip around the world.

The Christmas Chronicles was a well-paced film. And although the reindeer and elves are CGI, I couldn’t help but wish that they existed in the real world. I have been a fan of Kurt Russell’s for quite some time due to his many works with John Carpenter. The past few years I have often asked friends if they have seen him in anything, and they mostly answer with “NO”. So, it’s awesome to see him return with such a performance when putting on the boots as Santa.

The kids in the film do an amazing job counterbalancing off Kurt Russell’s cool persona. Darby Camp does a believable job as Kate. The Christmas Chronicles delivers a couple of cool surprises like a surprise appearance by Steven Van Zandt who plays in Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, and Santa sings a rocking Christmas song while behind bars. There is a special cameo at the end of the movie that you are going to want to check out.

Overall the movie was a fun holiday film that should be viewed for years to come. All though nothing has been announced, I hope that a sequel will be in the works soon.