''Santa Who?'' is a 2000 American

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and drama ...

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending ( black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the o ...

starring

Leslie Nielsen Leslie William Nielsen (11 February 192628 November 2010) was a Canadian actor and comedian. With a career spanning 60 years, he appeared in more than 100 films and 150 television programs, portraying more than 220 characters. Nielsen was bo ...

and directed by William Dear, in which

Santa Claus Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnigh ...

develops a case of

amnesia Amnesia is a deficit in memory caused by brain damage or disease,Gazzaniga, M., Ivry, R., & Mangun, G. (2009) Cognitive Neuroscience: The biology of the mind. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. but it can also be caused temporarily by the use ...

right before

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

Plot

The film starts with Santa feeling ill and going out for fresh air on a flight in his sleigh. Because of bad weather, he falls out and lands in Los Angeles. After the fall, he is unable to remember who he is. An afraid-of-commitment TV news reporter finds him and uses him on TV to get audience while asking them to find his family. In the meantime, Santa works in a mall. The TV news reporter's girlfriend's son repeatedly tries to convince the adults that he is the real Santa Claus, which the adults refuse to believe. Santa still remembers certain details about Christmas but is unable to remember how he knows them, as typically happens with

source amnesia Source amnesia is the inability to remember where, when or how previously learned information has been acquired, while retaining the factual knowledge. This branch of amnesia is associated with the malfunctioning of one's explicit memory. It is lik ...

. All the while, Santa's elves are looking for him. Near the end, a couple thinks it could be their grandfather who has grown a beard, and take him with them. Instead, when it is proved he is Santa, the reporter regains his faith in Christmas and gains a family.

Cast

Reception

Christopher Null of Filmcritic.com gave ''Santa Who?'' 2 out of 5 stars. Perry Seibert of AllMovie gave the film 3 stars out of 5. Laura Fries of '' Variety'' wrote "''Santa Who?'', an original '' Wonderful World of Disney'' film, does its best to imitate the great holiday classics, but in the end it's about as rewarding as a lump of coal in your stocking". Aliya Whiteley of ''

Den of Geek ''Den of Geek'' is a US and UK-based website covering entertainment with a focus on pop culture. The website also issues a bi-annual magazine. History ''Den of Geek'' was founded in 2007 by Simon Brew in London. In 2012, DoG Tech LLC licensed ...

'' called ''Santa Who?'' "a classic".

Announced remake

In July 2021, Lionsgate, which holds rights to this film as the owner of the Hearst Entertainment library, told ''Deadline'' that it planned to remake it, alongside ''The Babysitter's Seduction'', '' Sex, Lies, & Obsession'', '' Blue Valley Songbird'', '' Sex & Mrs. X'', ''A Different Kind of Christmas'', and other Hearst titles with

MarVista Entertainment MarVista Entertainment is an American production company, based in Westwood, Los Angeles, California. The company mainly provides financing and some original content, mainly made-for-TV films and direct-to-SVOD titles, many of which are carried b ...

, which will work with Lionsgate in distributing these films. Neither studio released details about these remakes, which they plan to release to an undetermined streaming service.

References

External links