The Santa Incident follows a long line of Christmas movies that have, without fail, popped up nearing the December holiday. In all of these films Santa is unfortunately dropped into the middle of our world, befriended by one or two children, judged by the adults, and later vindicated and revealed as the true Santa Clause. That being said The Santa Incident needs very little introduction, but for the sake of adding a quick synopsis here’s one anyway.

When a brother and sister stumble upon a homeless man, played by James Cosmo (Braveheart), passed out on the train tracks of a shipping yard they rescue him and help him to the hospital. Turns out, as their Mother (Ione Skye), a nurse at the hospital, soon finds out, the man believes himself to be Santa Clause. Meanwhile hot on his trail are agents Erickson and Cunningham, who believe it or not, think Santa is a dangerous alien who has been hoarding materials to make a WMD. In any case Santa has to avoid the agents, find time to make toys while in captivity, and await an extraction team to rescue him before its to late for Christmas.

On a positive note I think this film will work for kids 6 and under. Its a very contrived story that is extremely dumbed down for a few giggles and those few heart warming moments in-between the generic plotline that will make smaller children happy. On the other hand the film isn’t much use to anyone else. Agents Erickson and Cunningham play different levels of idiocy in the film. Cunningham being the air headed child like agent and Erickson being the extreme conspiracy nut whack job simply kill the film every time their on screen. Ione Skye’s mother character is portrayed as naïve and negligent as she not only brings home the homeless looking Saint Nick but lets her children run all over town with him without knowing much else about him other then he maybe senile. This should raise the red flag for any parent and is probably not the best example for kids who are watching the film to take into consideration. Its fluff pure and simple complete with a story that’s been done to death. Good possibly as a rainy day rental or if it airs on television and you can’t find anything else on, but definitely not a film that I would recommend as a must see.