Miracle on 34th Street (1994)
Grade: 42
"Miracle on 34th Street" is, of course, a remake of the 1947 classic. It is a risky business filming a new version of a famous movie. Can you imagine a remake of "The Wizard of Oz" or "Citizen Kane" that could rival the original? Remakes such as "King Kong" (1976) or "Red River" (1988) were financial disasters or obscurities. Comparison to the original can only show the weaknesses of the later edition.
The basic plot is the same. A famous New York Department store (not to be confused with Macy's) hires an elderly man to play Santa. He is so good at the role that he becomes famous. Evil heads of rival department stores plot against Santa, placing him on trial. Meanwhile, a charming young girl is unsure whether Santa is real or a fraud.
The story has been updated for the nineties. A love interest subplot has been added, and Santa is on trial not only for his integrity as Santa, but is in danger of being placed in a sanitarium.
The biggest problem that this remake has is its very wholesomeness. This guarantees that the mother, father figure, daughter and Santa himself will never stray far from their idealized family portraits, and a happy and predictable ending is in store.
Elizabeth Perkins plays the mother, and her star turn has her choosing whether or not to accept suitor Dylan McDermott. Although he is perfect in every way, and is conveniently a free agent lawyer so that he can defend Santa in court, it takes the magic of Santa to spur the romance along. Why Santa would spend so much attention on the well-cared for child when many others are in greater need is an issue not addressed.
"Miracle on 34th Street" is a competent but overly sweet family picture that the little tykes will likely find tedious.
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