MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 1995 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): ** 1/2
MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET revolves around one simple question: Do you believe in Santa Claus? It is indeed a remake, and a fairly faithful one, of the 1947 classic movie with Natalie Wood as the little girl who did not believe in Santa Claus (played then by Edmund Gwenn).
In today's version we have the great director and sometimes actor Richard Attenborough playing Santa. The 6 year old girl here is acted by an absolutely precious actress named Mara Wilson. Wilson and Attenborough are well cast for their parts and do an excellent job with them. As the movie progresses, you become pretty doggone sure that this guy really is Kriss Kringle, and if he flew off in a sleigh, you would find it quite natural.
Elizabeth Perkins is the mother of the girl and Dylan McDermott is her mom's suitor. Their on-again/off-again romance is realistically done although I found Perkin's character a sadly cold one.
The basic plot of the movie is that some guy named Kriss Kringle has been signed to be the Santa at a dying department store's flagship store on 34th street. It is Macy's, but they call it Cole's in the movie. The store will go under if they do not have a good Christmas, and a hostile takeover is likely if they start failing financially. Well, as you guessed, our Kriss will be the key to their potential success.
The movie has a long and slow first part that lasts two thirds of the show. It tells the story in a sweet and almost dreamy fashion. Nothing wrong with this part per se except I just wish it were a bit shorter, has less of the hostile takeover stuff, and wish they had pumped up the energy level.
The show comes into its own in the rousing concluding third, including and, most especially, the court room scene. The ending to the trial, which is slightly different than the original, was well done. The end of the entire show was telegraphed an hour before, but, that was okay since it was great. Everybody in the theater clapped.
The first two thirds of MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET caused by rating to be only ** 1/2, but I do recommend it to the entire family. I would say that anyone over 4 should like it. We took my 5 1/2 year old boy, and he said he liked it. He got fairly bored with the corporate intrigue stuff since it went right over his head, and he got a little scared when the mommy cried and also during the trial, but overall, he gave it a thumbs up. It runs 1:54 and is rated incorrectly PG. This is pure G stuff--no bad language, violence, or sex.
**** = One of the top few films of this or any year. A must see film. *** = Excellent show. Look for it. ** = Average movie. Kind of enjoyable. * = Poor show. Don't waste your money. 0 = One of the worst films of this or any year. Totally unbearable.
REVIEWED WRITTEN ON: December 2, 1994
Opinions expressed are mine and not meant to reflect my employer's.
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