My Movie Review on Miracle on 34th Street (1994) · 2:46pm Dec 21st, 2018
What’s up, you guys? The big man of reviewing is in the house.
And today, I will be making my final review of a Christmas film for the season by reviewing the 1994 adaption of “Miracle on 34th Street”.
In this story, six-year-old Susan Walker (played by Mara Wilson) is skeptical of the Christmas myth surrounding Santa Claus, a trait she perhaps learned from her mother, Dorey (played by Elizabeth Perkins). When tasked with hiring the Santa who will pose with kids at Macy's, Dorey enlists a man with the curious name of Kris Kringle (played by Richard Attenborough) who claims to be Santa himself. His assertions are met with scoffs and threats of institutionalization, but a young lawyer named Bryan Bedford (played by Dylan McDermott), along with Susan and Dorey, comes to his defense.
If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that this motion picture is one that clearly hasn’t gotten the attention and approval it deserves! I mean, really?! A 59% rotten from critics and 62% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes?! What’s up with that?!
Here’s why I think this:
The acting, casting, characters, and dialogue are superb! The reason I’m mentioning the dialogue is because there are so many awesome and memorable lines, and the actors and actresses were even able to make the most simple of lines ones to remember.
Everyone has, of course, even given their character such wonderful personality and personal effect. The cast members that have been particularly catching me every step of the way were Richard Attenborough (rest in peace, sir), and Mara Wilson. Wilson gave off such a sassy and smart-alec personality, along with a sense of innocence, and a very cute sense of humor. And Attenborough, oh man, he was clearly meant for the part of Santa Claus in this film. He brought such warmth, kindness, and innocence to the role. Throughout the film, I found myself rooting for him, and loving every moment with him to the point of wanting to hug him! As for character development with every character. Well, I say that the development of everyone was at 100%.
The story and screenplay of the film, which was remade from the 1947 adaption by the legendary John Hughes, was so moving! It had such great heart, which contains dramatic and sad moments to where you’d feel like crying, and some unexpectedly funny comedy moments that will make you laugh. I can tell that Hughes had such great commitment in making sure this film was great, even by the fact he co-produced it with William Ryan and William S. Beasley.
The direction by Les Mayfield is also amazing. The execution he gave, with every camera shot even, helped bring everything to life beautifully.
But, the most astounding part of the film comes from its message. It’s one that’s about faith and believing in something, and the way it was incorporated in this film was so astounding, especially at the part where Judge Henry Harper (played by the late Robert Prosky) (rest in peace, sir) talks about it before closing the case on Kris Kringle.
Here’s what he says:
“The young lady who just approached this bench presented me with this Christmas card, and this.
It’s a one-dollar bill.
It’s gonna be returned to her shortly. But by presenting me with this bill, she reminded me of the fact that it’s issued by the Treasury of the United States of America, and it’s backed by the government, and the people of the United States of America.
Upon inspection of the article, you will see the words “In God We Trust”.
Now, we’re not here to prove that God exists, but we are here to prove that a being just as invisible, and yet just as present...exists.
The Federal Government puts its trust in God. It does so on faith and faith alone. It’s the will of the people that guides the government. And it is and was their collective faith in a greater being that gave and gives cause to the inscription on this bill.
If the government of the United States can issue its currency bearing a declaration of trust in God without demanding physical evidence of the existence or the nonexistence of a greater being, then the state of New York, by a similar demonstration of the collective faith of its people, can accept and acknowledge that Santa Claus does exist, and he exists in the person of Kris Kringle!”
—Judge Henry Harper
And that...is what I’d like to call a message that’s not only wonderfully moving...but also true.
It resonates wonderfully with my faith in Jesus, and it shows that...it isn’t evidence that proves the existence of Jesus, or Santa Claus for that matter. Seeing them doesn’t help you believe in them. It is believing in them that helps you to see them, and it is our belief and trust in Jesus and Santa that truly help us to see them for real.
I won’t be spoiling what part the message from the judge comes in. But, I will say...that in a time where things such as politics, political-correctness, prejudice, and differing in beliefs constantly divide us all, I felt that it was absolutely necessary to show you all this moral in words. All in honor of Jesus, and in honor of Santa Claus.
In conclusion, “Miracle on 34th Street (1994)” is a definite Christmas winner that deserves more than what it currently has. A lack of popularity, approval, recognition, etc.
So, I rate this masterpiece five out of five stars.
I hope you all enjoyed this review, because I certainly enjoyed watching and reviewing this film. Originally, there were several other Christmas films I was going to review this year. However, due to time going by so fast and the holiday itself being on the horizon, I decided to save the other films I was going to review, such as “The Polar Express” and “The Santa Clause”, for next year. I was also going to post my 109th post on this site for something else entirely, but, I decided “What the heck. I’m too lazy to use it for anything else besides this review, so, may as well use it for my review.”
Let me know in the comments what you all thought about it.
Wow...I'm genuinely surprised by this one.
You completely skipped (or didn't catch) the subject of how society tends to treat those with assumed mental health issues; something that this movie gives the spotlight to in a few scenes.
The main focus of the case of Kris Kringle is whether or not he is dangerous to society due to concerns over his mental health. It is even bluntly brought up that there is concern that if he is willing to act as Santa and be gracious to 'nice' people then he possibly has an equal drive to punish 'naughty' people.
Ultimately it is concluded that different doesn't mean dangerous; something that unfortunately a lot of people assume the opposite of.
That aside, I agree with everything else you said. This is one of the only Santa themed movies that commits to a single Mythos instead of being a chop job of other interpretations.
This post is making me want to share something on the forum. I'll post it later.
4983765
Great.
4983725
Thank you.
Not bad
i agree wholeheartedly with everything! Merry Christmas!
4983844
Merry Christmas to you too.
4983778
Thanks.
Now I really have one to add to my watch list! This sounds amazing! I will definitely watch it (eventually)! The message that you shared here is deeply moving to me, and resonates with me so strongly, and it really helps me to hear things like this from time to time. I absolutely love that message. Thank you so much for sharing it with me (and everyone else, of course). It really means a lot to me. And, like Godslittleprincess, it has inspired me to share something else. I’m not sure where, but I will share it somewhere, eventually. I have another post I was already planning, so I’ll get to that first, and then see if I’m ready for the other one. [Edit: I have posted the one I was already planning now. The other one, I haven’t decided about yet, but I’m considering doing that next. Again, thank you for this wonderful message.
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I remember watching this movie a lot when I was young. It used to be one of my favorite Christmas movies. Thank you for making the nice review. I hope that you will continue to make more.