My Secret Santa Film Evaluate: Netflix’s Christmas Comedy Tries to Channel Mrs. Doubtfire

It’s been a surprisingly strong begin for the Netflix-Mas Motion pictures of 2025! Thus far, we’ve reviewed the three massive Christmas releases – Alicia Silverstone in A Merry Little Ex-Mas, Minka Kelly in Champagne Issues, & Olivia Holt in Jingle Bell Heist – with optimistic outcomes above expectations. Every week, the films have been higher than the final, with Jingle Bell Heist at present holding our #1 spot for the vacation season. With just one movie left (I don’t suppose Kate Winslet’s Goodbye June actually belongs on this class), can this week’s entry seize the highest spot?

From producer Howard Braunstein & Netflix Studios, My Secret Santa is the most recent vacation romantic comedy from director Mike Rohl, the filmmaker behind all 3 Princess Change motion pictures for the streamer over the past decade. The movie is co-written by Falling For Christmas scribe Ron Oliver & screenwriter of a number of TV/Streaming vacation motion pictures Carley Smale (Snowed-Inn Christmas, Sure Chef Christmas). 

Now, I’ve watched my fair proportion of Netflix vacation movies over the previous a number of years since I began with The Christmas Chronicles in 2018. Some with massive stars which might be good (Jingle Jangle, The primary Christmas Chronicles), some with massive stars that aren’t so good (Greatest. Christmas. Ever! is an abomination), and each vary of star & high quality in-between. However I don’t suppose I’ve watched something actually near My Secret Santa.

The world the movie lives in appears not like something I’ve encountered in actual life. A “Mad Libs” or phrase salad of issues that sound rom-com or Christmas-related, however don’t solely sound like the best way they’d in our actuality. 

A single mom, Taylor Jacobsen (Virgin River star Alexandra Breckenridge), loses her job as a Christmas cookie manufacturing unit employee of some selection as a result of downsizing from society’s lack of curiosity in store-bought vacation cookies. She is straight away behind in her lease and might’t afford the supposedly prestigious snowboarding academy that her daughter bought into with out her data. Whereas searching for jobs, she realizes that she will be able to get 50% off tuition if she works on the ski lodge/resort at which the snowboarding academy will educate her daughter. As soon as there, she finds out that the one open place on the ski lodge/resort is that of a Santa Claus who magically will get paid 2k per week if reminiscence serves. Naturally, she turns to her brother, a fancy dress creator/make-up artist, to create a convincing Santa look & swimsuit to land her the job she so desperately wants. Sounds cheap, proper? No? I agree, however let’s proceed.

After she lands the job below an absurd pretend title and her REAL SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER, she enrolls her daughter into the academy and every part is simply positive, paid up, and rolling proper alongside (don’t suppose in any respect about how the job bought her 50% off when she’s below an assumed title that isn’t recognized to be a relative of her daughter in any respect … DON’T DO IT!). However there’s yet another catch: she meets a beautiful man named Matthew (“New Amsterdam” star Ryan Eggold) in a report store who is aware of her former band and acknowledges her because the lead singer; he desires to go on a date together with her and pursues her over many makes an attempt, however there’s a difficulty – he’s the son of the ski lodge/resort proprietor and her new boss! Taylor should work out how she will be able to have all of it and make it to Christmas with out anybody being the wiser. 

Now, setting apart the largely preposterous and logically wrongfooted framework of the primary 30-40 minutes AND the Santa voice that Taylor makes use of that may solely be described as Amanda Bynes in She’s The Man stage of dangerous (a film Alexandra Breckenridge is in btw) AND the miscasting of Eggold if he’s imagined to be a wealthy man screw-up on a tabloid stage, the film does swap to a extra fascinating, heartfelt stage because the story progresses. After Taylor as Santa nearly will get fired for poor efficiency and has a heart-to-heart together with her daughter to search out out what she actually desires for Christmas, she comes round to being an nearly therapeutic model of Santa with youngsters and adults discovering consolation in letting younger youngsters categorical their true emotions at a weak time of yr. Taylor, as Santa, additionally finds time to dig deep on the emotional state of her daughter’s bully and provides a non secular raise to the group as a complete, even after they discover out the reality. 

The creators additionally attempt their finest try at recreating the magic of the restaurant scene on the finish of Mrs. Doubtfire, which, as an enormous fan of that movie, I felt blended feelings; an homage of a traditional with a fairly humorous shot of the painted toenails of a girl and Santa boots because the sounds of thrusting come from a Males’s room lavatory will in all probability work for most individuals, however I could also be too near it to confirm. 

All in all, you may inform that enjoyable was had making this movie; possibly not on the times when Breckenridge needs to be in prosthetic make-up for a couple of hours, however positively whereas creating a number of the wildly absurd issues that happen within the movie. The script is the letdown right here, because it feels extra like an AI fever dream than any fault of its lead actors. My reward to everybody concerned will probably be my lack of commentary on the “musical performances” within the film or the liberal use of “punk rock”. Merry Christmas to all concerned. 

Perhaps I’m not used to the “in fact it’s insane, it’s a Christmas film” stage of vacation movie or possibly I like a semblance of realism in a non-fantastical model of a Christmas story, however after 3 straight high quality Netflix Christmas movies, sadly My Secret Santa ought to have stayed a secret, lengthy buried the place put the ark of the Covenant maybe. This one didn’t work for me, which in fact means it will likely be as massive as Sizzling Frosty or every other illogical, zeitgeist-crossing megahit that Netflix will produce this time of yr. 

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Watch My Secret Santa If You Preferred

• Falling For Christmas
• The Princess Change Trilogy
• Virgin River
• New Amsterdam

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MVP

Ryan Eggold as Matthew

Whereas I REALLY know that I ought to give this to Breckenridge for the trouble alone of donning the prosthetics & the costumes, I can not give something to the voice of Santa that simply took me out of the film solely. 

For me, even in all of the noise, Ryan Eggold simply has such a heat, hug-type of presence within the movie that makes him pop in each scene he’s in. He felt like a person in a Christmas film as a bearded, kind-hearted soul who simply desires to do higher and be with somebody who’s good and good for him. Eggold’s positive options and charming smile made him too straightforward a casting, particularly since he doesn’t seem to be an irresponsible trust-fund man-child within the slightest. 

One of many traditional “this solely will get made and even remotely is smart as a result of it’s a Christmas film” premises that doesn’t dwell as much as the label as a “trendy, merry Mrs. Doubtfire”.