Santa and Pete (1999)

Did you people see the same film I saw?

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Like Cheetos, this movie is dangerously cheesy. But since it's a Christmas movie, I think it can get by with it. It offers a pretty unique take on Santa Claus and I love that the Dutch folk character of Black Pete (or Zwarte Piet) has been turned into an actual helper for Santa rather than his evil opposite that delights in torturing bad children. It's also nice that the racist implications for the Black Pete character have been stripped away by making him a positive black character instead. Also, James Earl Jones is in this movie and I say that's a good reason on its own to see it. All in all, it's a fun, wholesome family movie and even adults without children can get into the story and characters. An underappreciated Christmas flick.

Oh yes! What a wonderful Christmas story. I, too, just "happened" across it when flipping channels a few years back and was mesmerized. It IS indeed a lovely story and I have watched for it every year on television, in video stores and told others (who have no idea what I am talking about). I would most definitely purchase it if it was available knowing it would be watched each year. I am perplexed as to why it has had no more play and was not advertised. It is clearly a loss when one sees the "drivel" put out each year that are called Christmas stories which are really just an excuse for a Harlequin romance. Albeit there are Christmas decorations and the characters wear red and green. Anyway, Santa and Pete..see it if you can!

I love reading stories to my children. It was great seeing James Earl Jones gently tying the movie together by playing a grandfather telling his grandson this very special story. I was delighted with the setting of early America. The story was filled with a mix of familiar and less heard elements of the Santa Claus traditions. Perhaps this stems from European origins, which fits well with the early American setting. The movie also did well to transcend multi-cultural lines that so many Christmas stories fall short of. My young children love viewing Christmas stories all year around. I am anxious for this to become available on VHS or DVD. "Santa and Pete" is a must see for those of you who love the feelings surrounding the Christmas holidays.

I usually look at everything made for Christmas viewing. I wasn't sure what this one was going to be. I have seen many movies that describe themselves as Christmas stories, simply because they take place at Christmas. "One Magic Christmas" is one of that breed. When I saw "Santa and Pete" for the first time, I was hooked. This was a delightful little story of Saint Nicholas and his helper; how he visited the new world for the first time and how he became "modernized". The story held my interest from beginning to end and stayed in my heart and mind much longer than that. Using James Earl Jones as the grandfather relating the story to his grandson for the first time was a stroke of pure genius in casting. The writers could have gone anywhere with this tale, and they wisely chose to tell it as a story of hope, peace, charity, love, and family. Their are many Christmas movies in my collection, and "Santa and Pete" ranks up with the best of them. The sooner this is released on VHS and DVD, the better The ratings That have been given are understandable when I note the demographics connected with them. I urge all who voted and gave somewhat low marks, to see this picture again after a few years and see if their perspective has changed. They may be surprised! God Bless Us - everyone.