Santa Claus film portrayals ranked by authenticity: From Elf's Edward Asner to The Christmas Chronicles's Kurt Russell
We've had good Santas and bad Santas, but which is the most Santa Santa?
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Children are enchanted by Father Christmas, and a bad movie Santa can ruin the magic for them in the same way a bad shopping mall one can.
There are one or two acting greats who have taken him on, namely Jim Broadbent and Kurt Russell, but for the most part it's a bit of a mixed bag. Here we rank the best movie Santas, based on their authenticity and effectiveness in spreading festive joy:
11. Billy Bob Thornton (Bad Santa, 2003)
In a 2016 poll, Billy Bob Thornton was named the nation’s fourth favourite film Santa, though he should really have been disqualified on account of the fact he’s not the real Santa. Thornton played Willie T Stokes, an alcoholic, suicidal thief who pretends to be a Santa at a department store in order to rob it. Not remotely like the real Santa of course, who is a paragon of virtue, but a necessary one to be committed to film history amid all the delirious Christmas film joy.
10. Tom Hanks (The Polar Express, 2004)
Hanks is a paternal figure in pop culture and an all-around nice guy, so it was only a matter of time before he did his Santa stint. Claus was one of six characters the actor played in The Polar Express, and it saw his voice pitch-shifted down to a booming baritone. The movie's 3D graphics have aged so badly though, that all the characters are lodged in the uncanny valley and feel slightly terrifying.
9. Paul Giamatti (Fred Claus, 2007)
Win Win and American Splendor actor Paul Giamatti was a pretty unlikely choice for Santa in this comedy from the creators of The Wedding Crashers. Not even 40 when the movie was filmed, he just didn’t have the wizened face necessary to take his performance from “mall Santa” to “actual Santa”.
8. Jim Broadbent (Get Santa, 2014)
Broadbent was a more likely bet to play Father Christmas, but his turn as the present deliverer proved strangely forgettable. A little too gaunt and with a crazed expression, he was a sort of Dickensian Santa, and we generally prefer our Santas to be slightly corporate – fat on capitalism and sipping on an ice cold Coca-Cola while perfectly recreating brand name toys.
7. Ed Ivory (The Nightmare Before Christmas, 1993)
Despite being made of clay, Ivory's Santa was quite a realistic one, having the requisite bushy beard and bulbous belly. This Father Christmas has a rough ride, being kidnapped by a sentient skeleton and having his life put at stake during a game with a bogeyman.
6. Kurt Russell (The Christmas Chronicles, 2018)
Russell gave Santa a rock ‘n’ roll overhaul in Netflix’s The Christmas Chronicles. While the film itself is pretty dull, Russell is a charismatic Father Christmas who plays the blues, wears leather instead of fur, and somehow is woke to the concept of “fake news”.
5. David Huddleston (Santa Claus: The Movie, 1985)
In most festive films, the fact that a man flies through the sky delivering presents isn't enough, and the premise tends to involve some kind of obstacle for St Nick. Santa Claus: The Movie is one for Christmas purists however, telling Santa's story and explaining how he came to be at the North Pole, how his reindeers fly, how he ascends and descends chimneys etc. Huddleston's version of Santa was very traditional, and the movie Santa for many late Gen Xers.
4. Tim Allen (The Santa Clause, 1994)
Tim Allen might be the first movie Santa that comes to the minds of millennials. He had it tough in the Santa realism stakes as he starts out as plain old Scott, a divorced dad who is forced to take on the role of Kris Kringle. He settles into it however, playing Santa for two successful sequels. Playing it straight down the middle, Allen is the everyman’s Santa.
3. Edmund Gwenn (Miracle on 34th Street, 1947)
Gwenn is, to this day, the only Oscar-winning Santa. He's the OG Father Christmas; the one upon which all other film Father Christmases were based. The first Miracle on 34th Street was made in the 1940s though, so Gwenn's Santa didn't benefit from the cutting-edge costume and production design that others on this list did.
2. Edward Asner (Elf, 2003)
Santa doesn’t get a great deal of screen time in Jon Favreau’s beloved comedy. When he is in the mix, though – raising Will Ferrell’s human character Buddy as an elf at the North Pole – Asner is up there with the best of them. In terms of physicality, this is the ideal Santa, a weathered one who you can really believe has been doggedly handcrafting fidget spinners for several hundred years.
1. Richard Attenborough (Miracle on 34th Street, 1994)
In 1994, we finally got what we didn’t know we needed: a Christmas courtroom drama. One in which a lawyer genuinely bangs his fist on a desk and says “I’d like the court to see Mr Kringle make the reindeer fly!” Essentially The Gaslighting of Santa Claus, this update on the 1947 original sees Richard Attenborough’s Kris Kringle receive more doubt as to his legitimacy than perhaps any other on this list. Not so for the audience, though, as Attenborough remains the quintessential cinema Santa. Attenborough belongs in the red suit. Close your eyes, imagine Father Christmas, and Attenborough’s version is the closest approximation to what you will see.
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