Miracle on 34th Street

Movie review by Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
Miracle on 34th Street Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 6+

Classic holiday movie for the whole family.

NR 1947 96 minutes
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Parents say

age 7+

Based on 11 reviews

Kids say

age 6+

Based on 12 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

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What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Miracle on 34th Street is a classic holiday tale with little objectionable content. The Macy's brand is a big focus, as is Santa over more religious aspects of the holiday. The little girl at the heart of the story, Susan (Natalie Wood), at first doesn't believe in Santa (because her mom has raised her as a realist) -- which could lead to questions from kids -- but ultimately she's proven wrong and becomes a stout believer in St. Nick.

Community Reviews

elainec1
elainec1 Adult
November 25, 2016
age 13+

Best for teens and up

I LOVE this movie as a young adult and really wanted to share it with my children. I saw that Common Sense Media suggested it for 6 years and up and so I was excited to share it with my 8 year old and 10 year old. I haven't seen it in a while so I forgot some of the scenes. Both my kids believe in Santa Clause and parts of this were really disturbing. The opening scene was a drunk Santa in the Macy's parade and it totally confused our kids. Given that so many people discussed that there wasn't a Santa Claus and there was a LOT of dialogue in the beginning of the movie, my kids were bored and asked to be excused, so they were and didn't watch the rest of the movie. Later on, I'm glad I excused them as one scene (which adults find very funny) was a very drunk woman saying "Of course Santy-Clause can stay with us!". There is also smoking in a few scenes. Also, the Kris Kringle gets put in a mental hospital which would also be confusing for my children. There are so many subtleties in this movie ("latent tendencies", "guilt complex") that it wouldn't be entertaining for my kids except for the monkey imitation scene and the bubble gum scene with Natalie Wood which are completely charming, and of course, the end where the mounds of letters pour on the judge's desk and Susan she gets the house of her dreams. It really is a movie for us adults and perhaps tweens and teens, though. Not for young kids.

This title has:

Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
6 people found this helpful.
jcmcdowell
jcmcdowell Adult
December 28, 2019
age 6+

Excellent!

This is a Christmas classic! Even though it is all about being against the existence of Santa Claus, and about Santa trying to prove that he actually is Santa, it really gets you to think. Would you believe Santa was actually Santa if he existed today in the modern world? It is also interesting because the main character besides Kris Kringle is a young girl whom you would typically expect to believe in fairytales and myths, but she doesn’t even know that they are around. It is very bizarre, but very interesting. Also, there should be something about drinking, drugs, and smoking. There is a scene where Fred Gaily smokes in his apartment. But, it is very brief. Highly recommendEd if you are looking for a classic Christmas movie for the entire family.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
2 people found this helpful.
See all 11 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET, a heartwarming holiday story about the importance of childhood wonder, trust, and standing up for what you believe, Doris Walker (Maureen O'Hara), an executive at Macy's, is responsible for the Thanksgiving Day Parade. When the Santa Claus she has hired for the parade shows up drunk, she quickly substitutes Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn), who is an enormous success and is becomes the store's even more successful in-house Santa. He tells customers to shop elsewhere when Macy's doesn't have what they want. The employees are aghast, but it turns out to be a public relations triumph. Doris raises her daughter Susan (Natalie Wood) without any fantasies or illusions, to help her handle "reality." Susan does not believe in Santa Claus. But Kris tells her that he really is Santa Claus, and after observing him for a while, she begins to believe him. Kris has the enthusiastic support of lawyer Fred Gailey (John Payne), who cares deeply for Doris and Susan. But Kris' insistence that he really is Santa Claus leads to a hearing on his mental competency. Downtrodden, Kris doesn't even want to assist in his defense. So it's up to Doris, Susan, and kids everywhere to show adults the truth.

Is It Any Good?

Ignore the pallid 1973 (television) and 1994 (theatrical) remakes; this original is much, much better. Both Edmund Gwenn and the screenplay won Academy Awards for this film. In a way, Miracle on 34th Street is the opposite of Inherit the Wind. Both are courtroom dramas about how we decide what is true, based on faith or based on provable fact. They have opposite conclusions, however, and the great gift of the movies is that both seem right to us. (One similarity is that in both, the judges are warned that they must make a decision that will have favorable political consequences.)

Doris has been hurt, and thinks she can protect herself and Susan from further hurt by not letting herself believe in anything outside themselves any more. She finds out that both she and Susan have missed a lot, not just in imagination but in the ability to trust, and to allow themselves to get close to other people.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about why Doris doesn't want Susan to use her imagination in Miracle on 34th Street. Why do Kris and Fred think it's important?

  • Why is it important that Kris tells people to go to other stores to buy things they didn't have at Macy's?

  • Why doesn't Mr. Sawyer like Kris? Why did Fred have Mr. Mara's son testify in the trial?

  • How do the characters in Miracle on 34th Street demonstrate courage and integrity? Why are these important character strengths?

Movie Details

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