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T'was the week before Christmasâ¦! Disillusioned with the materialism of the season, Santa throws in his job and goes as far from the North Pole as possible New Zealand!
When his reindeerless-sleigh crashes and sinks in the waters off an idyllic holiday beach, he is found washed up by 8-year-old Sam and his 12-year-old sister Molly and their newly separated parents.
The family discovers who Santa really is and must unite to rescue him from the local Coastwatch who have set out to capture him. The children must then convince him to return to the North Pole in time for Christmas Eve.
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Let's start right off the bat by saying this is not a film that would ever win any awards but that doesn't matter in this case, because what we get is a Christmas film SET IN SUMMER! The kids and I were lucky enough to get to go to the premier of Kiwi Christmas, which also had the handy fact of the director being there and thus being able to explain some of what went on and why when they play cricket, it goes from lovely and pleasant to stormy seas! The plot is predictable, a disillusioned Santa who gets reminded of the meaning of Christmas by the children and a torn apart family that manages to mend.
That being said, this is a delightful film filled with plenty of jokes that have both young and old laughing and some good old slapstick comedy that is silly and over the top but plenty fun. The young kids do a fab job in their roles as the main two dealing with this odd man who may be Santa and their parents who have separated and are grudgingly on holiday together. Most of the young cast do well in their roles though there was one child who I'm willing to bet can't fool his parents with his fake cry... The adults are entertaining and there are a few familiar faces.
The soundtrack is good and fits in well at all points, while there was nothing memorable to it, it set the scene and tone of the film well, I just wish they'd come up with a kiwi themed Christmas song for the film, would have made it even better. There are some special effects, which when viewed give you an idea of how low the budget for this film was, but they add to the home made feel of the film and aren't so horrible as to be off-putting. This is a charming little film, it's finally Christmas around a campfire, by the beach, in a lovely warm summer, full of jokes that one can relate to and just a fun family film in general.
To sum it up, don't expect blockbuster action or special effects but do expect a fun Kiwi family film, perfect to watch every year at Christmas.
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