Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Silly but sweet holiday romance is best for kids.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Becoming Santa
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In BECOMING SANTA, Holly (Laura Bell Bundy) is serious about her toy-maker boyfriend Connor (Jesse Hutch). As Christmas approaches, he's about to ask her to marry him. He wants her parents' blessings, and thinks it would be fitting for them to go "way up north," where Holly says her parents live, for the holiday. She reluctantly agrees and knocks him out with magic fairy dust in his hot cocoa so that he sleeps through the journey to the North Pole. Even after they arrive, she still hesitates to let him know that her parents are Santa (Michael Gross) and Mrs. Claus (Meredith Baxter). But Holly has been withholding even more crucial information: The man she marries will become the next Santa, a job that requires stamina. Connor fails every test. He's no good at jumping down chimneys, eating hundreds of thousands of cookies in a single night, managing reindeer, or steering a balky, turbo-charged sleigh. Will the burden of this great responsibility be a deal-breaker for Connor?
Is It Any Good?
This is pretty silly, but sweet. Becoming Santa is not brilliant and holds few surprises once the overarching concept is introduced. Predictable set pieces add up. People wonder if they're on the naughty or nice list, a compilation that resides in a remarkably slim volume that Santa enjoys perusing in his easy chair. The low budget offers an unscripted laugh—fake snow banks bounce back when characters sit on them. The jokes are weak. Santa "flunked rooftop parallel parking seven times," he admits as encouragement for Connor to get past his Santa-skills ineptitude.
In any case, the actors jump in with such complete conviction that only a chilly heart can miss the cheery niceness at the center of the venture. The characters are mostly grown-ups, but the story is a tale for children, perhaps of all ages.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the responsibility that sometimes comes with being a family member. How does the movie talk about family responsibility by way of Christmas traditions and roles?
What role do you think family movie-watching can play in creating memories and experiences that kids can enjoy and take into adulthood?
How does the movie reinforce a holiday emphasis on receiving gifts? Naughty or nice aside, does it focus the viewer away from the plight of those whose economic circumstances make gifts unlikely?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : December 12, 2015
- Cast : Jesse Hutch , Laura Bell Bundy , Tony Cavalero , Meredith Baxter , Michael Gross
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Female Movie Writer(s)
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Family and Kids
- Topics : Holidays ( Christmas )
- Run time : 87 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : January 16, 2026
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