DVD Santa Jr.

It seems that good old Santa has been sending out apprentices for a few years now to make sure the presents are all delivered on time in different parts of the world. "Santa Jr." tells the story of , you guessed it his son who is called surprise "Chris" (Nick Stabile) and who's full name is Chris Kringle which as this story progresses manages to get him into all sorts of trouble. Chris is the ultimate reluctant son who doesn't really want to follow in dad's illustrious footsteps but who has nevertheless been assigned the "West Coast Route". The story takes place in San Diego where Chris arrives to start his present drop a bit ahead of time just as the city is the victim of a thief robbing homes who's trademark is to carry out his housebreaking dressed in a Santa costume. Chris is accidently arrested while trying to deliver gifts and placed on trial despite the fact that the house robberies continue while Chris is in custody. No one believes who he actually is and when a decision on his fate can't be arrived at he is placed in the custody of his lawyer Susan over the holiday period. Once moved in and fitted with an alarm to stop him leaving the house Chris begins to make the best of his situation while frantically trying to phone home to the North Pole to speak with Dad only to get a recorded message stating that there will be a 45 minute delay as this is Santa's busiest time of the year. While in captivity however Chris begins to see and appreciate the great work that his father has done for years and gradually he gets the point of what Christmas should be about. After a series of "miracles", occur such as a bottomless bag of toys for the local children appears he also manages to restore Susan's belief in people and the holiday season for the first time since her parents death. After a number of very amusing incidents Chris manages to catch the Santa Bandit and also manages to get Susan together with Policeman Darryl who is responsible for keeping an eye on Chris while he is in captivity. Only at this happy resolution does Chris become eager to return to his future role at the North Pole and trades in a standard sleigh for a flashy Red Sports Car to do at least part of the trip in!

"Santa Jr.", does make delightful simple viewing in the holiday season. Nick Stabile makes a wonderful Chris and his performance is full of charm and humour that makes Santa Jr a very appealing character. His scenes of swapping "traditional Christmas practices", for "modern tecnology" such as a "modified" Santa suit more acclimatised for the warm San Diego Christmas and a "meter reader" that can tell if people have been "naughty or nice" this year are most amusing and he is the actor that really makes this film so enjoyable. Lauren Holly as Susan displays a wonderful sense of bemusement as the story progresses and she is just right as the serious lawyer who learns to love and feel again thanks to Chris's intervention in her life. Judd Nelson normally associated with much heavier entertainment as a rule has the largely colourless role of Susan's love interest here and at that level he manages well. George Wallace as Darryl's cake eating, Christmas decoration loving assistant steals every scene he is in with a very funny performance and his scenes of helping Chris decorate Susan's home for Christmas are wonderful in their humour and comic delivery.

"Santa Jr.", might be considered by some to be lightweight holiday fare however it has a nice little message to convey without being to demanding on the brain cells. I'm glad I discovered this little Hallmark Christmas Movie and I hope to enjoy it in coming seasons as well. Nick Stabile is the real reason for enjoying this movie and his fresh and breezy delivery make it an enjoyable hour and a half. Let Santa Jr. entertain you this Christmas so that "Dad" can take a bit of a break for a change in the 2002 television movie "Santa Jr.".