Dear Santafollows a dyslexic 6th grader named Liam who accidentally sends a letter to Satan instead of Santa. This causes Satan to appear at his door, delighted by his first-ever fan letter. He is Satan though, so he has more sinister plans in mind.
Dear Santadirector Bobby Farrelly and writer Peter Farrelly are well known in the entertainment industry, having worked on many films together, including the hilariousDumb & Dumber. They reunite with Jack Black for this film, whom they previously worked with on 2001’sShallow Hal.Dear Santastreams on Paramount+ and releases on digital November 25.
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ScreenRantinterviewed Peter and Bobby Farrelly about their new holiday comedy,Dear Santa. The two discuss what madeJack Black the perfect choicefor the lead role, which was crucial to the movie turning out the way they wanted it to. The Farrelly Brothers also spoke about working with Post Malone, and why he was their first choice for the musical performer in the movie. Finally, the two revealed their favorite holiday memories.
Jack Black Was The Perfect Choice For Dear Santa Because He Is Not Scary
“We needed a guy who’s lovable, but yet he could be a little sinister.”
Screen Rant: What about Jack Black made him the perfect choice to play Satan inDear Santa?
Peter Farrelly: Well, we wanted someon to play Satan who is not scary. Who you’re not going to be afraid of, like when they did Damn Yankees, they weren’t afraid of the devil. We needed a guy who’s lovable, but yet he could be a little sinister and Jack Black fit the bill. He’s not going to scare anybody. This isn’t the exorcist. This is a family movie. I don’t think there’s anybody better on the planet to play that role.
Bobby Farrelly: Yeah, Jack’s perfect. Guys like him, girls like him, young people, old people. He checks all the boxes. And, yes, he’s a little diabolical at times, but always in a funny, likable sort of way. And that was perfect for our movie.
Screen Rant: Does he improvise a lot? Because he seems like somebody that goes off the rails.
Bobby Farrelly: He does go off the rails. But we had a great script that Pete and Ricky Blitt wrote to start with. So we always try to get what’s on the page. It’s a great starting point. And then, of course, if he has any ideas about how to do it differently or make it funnier, I’m willing to hear it. And Jack’s just that guy. He does improv and fortunately the child actors went with him too. They were really talented, because it’s not easy keeping up with Jack.
Peter Farrelly: We’ve worked with enough of the all-time funny guys, Jim Carrey, Bill Murray, Jack Black, you know to let them go wild. You know enough to just cut them loose and see what they come up with. And they’re going to bring a lot to the table.
Screen Rant: Can you talk about finding Robert Timothy Smith, who plays Liam?
Bobby Farrelly: We did a wide casting search. We looked at a lot of young kids that age and there were a lot of talented kids, but he stood out. He really had everything I was looking for. I just, inherently, really liked that young man, and he’s a good actor. He’s a really good actor. He had to check a lot of boxes on this. He had to hit a lot of notes and and he hit them all. Really good actor, very, very mature for his age. And he was fun to work with.
Peter Farrelly: Yeah, he had a sophisticated delivery. He reminded me of a young Albert Brooks, like he kind of had that same sort of self effacing thing.
Post Malone Was The Farrelly Brothers' Top Pick For Dear Santa
“We didn’t think we’d get him. He’s always touring and doing concerts all over the place.”
Screen Rant: Post Malone is fantastic in this movie. What was the process like getting him to sign on to the project?
Bobby Farrelly: Well, he was a top pick, of course. What performer would kids that age want to see? Post Malone was at the top of the list. We didn’t think we’d get him, because those guys are so busy. He’s always touring and doing concerts all over the place. But we reached out, and we were super lucky. He agreed to come. He was with us for, I think, three or four days. And man, were they fun. He sang. He performed. He played himself. We played beer pong.
Peter Farrelly: It was a lot of fun.
Bobby Farrelly: I just couldn’t believe how polite, how nice, how decent he was. He was so nice to everyone. He knew everyone’s name. He really is a special person. I really liked him.
Dear Santa Is A Subversive Idea, But It’s Something Parents & Teens Can Enjoy Together
“We wanted to take this idea and then bring it into the world of Christmas movies and have fun with it.”
Screen Rant: Can you talk about the importance of creating something that parents can watch with their kids and everyone enjoys it?
Peter Farrelly: We would like to point out, this is not for four and five year olds. Yes, it’s a family movie. It’s PG-13, so 13 and up. But you don’t want to give it to four or five year olds. Every movie we’ve done, we’ve always tried to have a little heart in there, because we think the more you care about the people, the more relatable they are. And we can hang better jokes on them if you like them. So we’ve always done that.
Bobby Farrelly: The main thing with this isit’s a Christmas movie, and it’s a bit of a subversive idea. But we didn’t want to make a horror movie or a really super dark movie. We wanted to take this idea and then bring it into the world of Christmas movies and have fun with it, and hopefully have an uplifting story with a happy ending. And I hope we accomplish that.
Screen Rant: Where did this inspiration come from?
Peter Farrelly: The idea came to us. Our friends, Pete Jones and Kevin Barnett brought us an idea by Dan Ewan.This is, like ten to tweleve years ago, and they said we have an idea. Here it is. A kid writes a letter to Santa, but he misspells it, and it goes to Satan. And we’re like, yeah, we’ll do that movie. We’re in. It’s easier said than done, though. It’s a great idea. It’s like a snakes on a plane pitch.
There’s never been an easier pitch. But then once you get going on it, it is a complicated thing, because you are walking a fine line, and without a Jack Black you’re going to get in trouble when you get a Satan. But it’s supposed to be a somewhat likable Satan. And in fact, it is sort of the opposite of It’s a Wonderful Life. It’s a Wonderful Life where the angel was trying to change him. Well, this kid is trying to change the devil.
Bobby Farrelly: He’s not really trying, but he actually ends up doing that by being such a good kid and getting caught up in the Christmas of it all.
Screen Rant: What would you say sets Dear Santa apart from other Christmas movies?
Peter Farrelly: You either get a Bad Santa, which is a strong, R -rated comedy, which I love, by the way, or you get something a lot softer usually, in a Christmas movie. This is right in the middle. This is for adults and for kids, 11 and up. It is not too soft, but it’s not too hard. It actually does have a message. We went out of our way to have a message. It’s got twists and turns. There are surprises. And on top of it, we got Jack Black, who is a national treasure.
Bobby Farrelly: Pete said it well. Look, it’s a Christmas movie. I really think that everybody’s going to enjoy it, and I think that it’s going to be different than what they anticipate. Even if it’s a little bit of a subversive idea, it’s done in a way that it honors the spirit of Christmas.
Peter Farrelly: Again, it’s the kind of Satan, that would be in Damn Yankees. This isn’t The Exorcist. It’s quite the contrary.
“He’d come back and tell me what’s under the tree and a lot of times you would tell me things a lot better than what was actually down there.”
Screen Rant: Speaking of Christmas, do you have a favorite Christmas tradition or memory?
Bobby Farrelly: My Christmas memory is that Pete would always sneak downstairs in the middle of the night to try to see what was down there before the official morning, when we’d all go and see what Santa had brought us. He’d come back and tell me what’s under the tree and a lot of times you would tell me things a lot better than what was actually down there.
Peter Farrelly: I wanted him to stay up. I couldn’t sleep. It’s Christmas Eve, so I’m lying there. He goes, What’s down there? I started winging it.
Bobby Farrelly: One time he told me it was a tank. An Army tank. I was like, what do you mean a REAL tank?
Peter Farrelly: He’s like, a tank I could drive down the street? Absolutely.
More About Dear Santa (2024)
When a young boy mails his Christmas wish list to Santa with one crucial spelling error, a devilish Jack Black arrives to wreak havoc on the holidays. From the hilarious minds behind Dumb & Dumber, Christmas is about to go up in flames.
Dear Santahas been rated PG-13 for some language and suggestive material. The movie is now streaming on Paramount+ and available to rent or buy on digital platforms.
Dear Santa
Cast
Due to a mix-up, young Liam, a dyslexic 6th grader, sends a letter to Satan instead of Santa, leading Satan to appear at his door, delighted by his first-ever fan letter and interested in acquiring a portion of Liam’s soul.
