Santa Baby (2006)

It's never encouraging when the previews on the DVD you are about to enjoy start with Delta Farce, Bratz, Chasing Christmas, and Mr. St. Nick. Nor do you expect A-list acting when a movie stars Jenny McCarthy and George Wendt. Santa Baby was a pleasant surprise for me, however, and I wouldn't mind watching it every Christmas season -- for the story and the elves! George Wendt is almost unrecognizable, save for his voice, as Santa Claus. To his credit, he never stereotypically bellows ho-ho-ho; instead, he's a traditional Claus with a tired ticker and the father of a modern daughter. Meanwhile, said daughter (Jenny McCarthy) has made her fortune in the big city as Mary Class, a superstar marketing consultant who prefers to work through the holidays (and narcissistically knock over sidewalk Santas) rather than acknowledge what we discover (and she rediscovers) is her heritage and her home. Scenes of her working alone through the night on a big retail campaign are whimsically humorous but the best moments for cutesy physical humor are every second the elves are mise-en-scene -- what a bunch of perky putzy innocents (with a bakery substance addiction)! Mary decides to save Christmas and work through her father issues but things get potentially worse before they get better. Gotta love those elves (with their crayon-stenciled "productivity reports") as well as Mary's hot-nerd gal Friday (Kandyse McClure is Anastasia in the new Battlestar Galactica)! Santa Baby is a Christmas classic wannabe with a grown-girl twist. Nearly 4 stars, this treacly tale earns a solid 3.5 stars.