Front and Centre Productions, Mindshare Entertainment, Sanitsky Company
Joe Mantegna, Jean Smart, Kari Matchett, Charles Durning, Jordy Benattar, Rod Wilson
Frank Griffin (Joe Mantegna) is a married guy with a kid. His wife is cheating on him, and he’s suspecting it, but when she dumps it on him and asks for a divorce, Frank’s life unravels bit by bit. He tries to take a job as a department store Santa and meets a volunteer Santa who teaches him the real meaning of Christmas. While not looking for a Christmas miracle, Frank may just find one.
This Christmas film is far better than it ought to be. It’s about Christmas, yes, but it’s more about life, love, loss, and divorce. It’s about the affect on kids when parents let them down. There are multiple stories going on, but they all in the same vein. The primary story is about a man who’s wife is cheating on him and wants a divorce. This is a switch, as it’s always the bastard husband who runs off with a young girl. But Frank really loves her, and wants to forgive her. But sometimes it’s just too late. The hard part is that they have a little girl who just doesn’t understand what’s going on. The characters are very well developed and very well acted. It’s a very well written story, and is a lot of fun to watch.
I enjoyed watching this film, and appreciated the story. This is good one to watch.