I Can't Stop Watching Santa Girl

 

Why yes, that is Barry Bostwick as Santa

There are some movies out there that grab us, pull us in and cling to us, shaping who we are and speaking to us on a deeper level, and then there are those that seem to grab hold of us for no apparent reason. I have a few like this, where I can recognize their badness or mediocrity and yet, something about them latches onto me and I can't get them out of my head and watching them becomes this sort of comfort food.

One such movie that has grabbed me lately is Santa Girl. Is it good? No. Is it funny? Ehhh, it got a few chuckles out of me here and there. Is it weirdly charming despite the stilted acting? Many people may disagree but I am not one of those people.

The story revolves around Cassie Clause, Santa's daughter who is promised to be married to Jack Frost's son. She hates her life in the North Pole and much like a real Disney Princess, she longs for more. In this case, the "more" in question is to go to college in America, for reasons. What does she want to study? We're not really told, it seems she just really wants an American college experience, just to say she was there. Her father reluctantly agrees but is very adamant that it's not going to go anywhere for her because she is to be back at the North Pole for Christmas and marry this guy she has not seen since she was a baby.

Off to college she goes where she meets two boys who vie for her affections. One is kind of a bland jock type who is revealed to be Jack Frost Jr. while the other is a kind of goofy orphan guy who doesn't have a lot of money. Soon Cassie must choose whether or not to be loyal to her father's wishes or be true to her own heart's desires.

It's your basic derivative rom com fare and while I do love rom coms, especially the holiday themed ones, I also recognize that most are boring trash, watch them once and move on. But I have seen Santa Girl going on 5 times now and I can't seem to stop myself. I got to one point where the choice was between something new (and arguably much better) and Santa Girl and I'll be damned if I didn't just click Santa Girl again. So what's drawing me to this thing?

Is it the nostalgia of seeing the friend from Wizard's of Waverly Place fall in love with Ned from Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide? I mean, not really, I didn't actually really watch those shows because I was too old at the time but I caught an ep here and there if I babysat a kid that watched them or I was bored and didn't want to think. I was definitely amused that Barry Bostwick from Rocky Horror played Santa but he's honestly one of my least favourite depictions of Santa because he's kind of a dick, if I'm honest. There was one point where he said he was mad at the elves for wanting more money for the work they did for him, essentially cementing this Santa as a cold anti-union CEO type so basically, the worst type of person.

The ending is clunky and awkward too, something about the timing is completely off for almost every scene, the budget is clearly very low, the effects are bad so why? Why this movie? Why do I keep hitting play?

Well, I think because at it's very core, it's a movie about a girl that falls for someone when she knows she can't be with them and ends up having to make a choice that only ends badly for her no matter what. If Cassie picks Sam, she lets her whole kingdom down and worse, upsets her father but if she picks Jack Frost Jr., everything continues on as same but her heart is broken irreparably. She seemingly loses and has someone hating her either way and sometimes, it's easier to hurt the person you could have loved than to hurt someone who's been in your life for much longer even if it crushes your own heart in the process. I think I latch onto this movie because I see a reflection of myself in this, and just this once, in this wonderful make-believe world, the girl gets the happy ending. Everything works out for her and she gets to be with the person she connected with so well with her loved one's support in the end.

Comfort food. I think we all need a dose of this in our lives, especially in this dumpster fire of a year that is 2020. Sometimes it's just nice to watch someone in a situation, even if only distantly similar to one you've been in, get your dream resolution. If just vicariously. I suppose my message to you is, don't be ashamed of liking something that is perhaps not cool or meaningful or even that good. Let yourself have a bit of junk food every now and then, indulge in something that makes you happy just because.

I just need this in my life right now, stop judging me!

And go watch Santa Girl or you know, your own trashy comfort movie whatever that may be.