Dear Santa is a 2024 AmericanChristmasdark fantasycomedy film directed byBobby Farrelly, written byRicky Blitt and Peter Farrelly from a story by Ricky Blitt, Peter Farrelly, and Dan Ewen. StarringJack Black,Keegan-Michael Key, Robert Timothy Smith,Brianne Howey,Hayes MacArthur,Post Malone, andP. J. Byrne. It tells the story of a dyslexic and meek sixth-grader who writes a Christmas list toSanta Claus to help with his problems, only for his misspelling to lead to him meeting what appears to beSatan, who decides to pose as the benevolent Christmas figure and offers the boy three wishes in exchange for his soul.

Dear Santa
Film poster
Directed by	Bobby Farrelly
Screenplay by	Ricky Blitt Peter Farrelly
Story by	Ricky Blitt Peter Farrelly Dan Ewen
Produced by	Bobby Farrelly Jack Black Peter Farrelly Jeremy Kramer
Starring	Jack Black Keegan-Michael Key Robert Timothy Smith Brianne Howey Hayes MacArthur Post Malone P. J. Byrne
Cinematography	C. Kim Miles
Edited by	Julie Garcés
Music by	Rupert Gregson-Williams
Production companies	Conundrum Entertainment Farrelly Brothers Kraymation Films
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date	November 25, 2024 (2024-11-25)
Running time	103 minutes[1]
Country	United States
Language	English

The film was released onParamount+ and digital platforms on November 25, 2024, byParamount Pictures.

Liam Turner is adyslexic, meek, but polite sixth-grader whose parents Bill and Molly are having marital problems following the recent death of his brother Spencer and their move to another town. Adding to the problem is that Liam is too insecure to properly introduce his new friend Gibby to his parents and keeps embarrassing himself over his schoolmate and crush Emma, who is the only one in his class to defend him for his specific learning disorder.

To hope for things to get better, Liam writes his Christmas wishlist and mails it out, but accidentally misspells "Santa" as "Satan". The letter's recipient appears the next night in Liam's room. Though confused by his visitor's appearance and mannerisms, Liam still believes he is Santa. Satan decides to play along and offers to grant Liam three wishes. Liam offhandedly wishes that Emma would give him a chance, so Satan appears to him the next day in school and encourages him to approach Emma. Despite his awkwardness, Liam succeeds in getting a date with her at aPost Malone concert, for which Satan even provides VIP tickets.

Liam later tells his mother and Gibby about his encounter with "Santa", whereupon Gibby informs him of his mistake. Liam confronts Satan and tries to get out of the deal, but he refuses and tries to entice him into making his two remaining wishes, with his soul as final payment. When Liam returns home, he finds his parents waiting with child psychologist Dr. Finkleman, because of their worry that Liam's "fantasies" are gradually getting out of hand. The session is interrupted by Gibby and Satan, who take Liam to the concert. With a little help from Satan, Liam is called onto the stage, where he dances alongside Emma and Malone and the former kisses him on the cheek. Gibby, who feels left out, leaves early after a girl rejects him due to hisoverbite.

Later at home, when Liam talks with Gibby over the phone about the concert, he notices his friend's disappointment. Liam uses his second wish to fix Gibby's teeth and invites Gibby to join his date with Emma at the local Christmas carnival that evening. Bill and Molly, increasingly worried after eavesdropping on Liam's phone conversation, pull him away from the carnival and bring him to Finkleman's clinic. Satan tries to make Liam use up his third wish by showing him images of Gibby and Emma apparently enjoying the carnival without him. Bill and Molly's assumption that Liam has gone delusional is shattered by a nurse who shows them a video of him at the concert.

Liam angrily locks himself in his bedroom, and his regretful parents argue, bringing up the accident that killed Spencer. Overhearing them and believing they're about to break up for good, he sneaks out and visits Satan at his motel room, asking him to use his third wish to keep his parents together and in love forever. Satan agrees, but declares that he will not take Liam's soul until he has died naturally. With the deal closed and believing his soul is lost, Liam begins to talk back to his everyday tormentors, alienating Emma.

Unknown to Liam, "Satan" is actuallyAsmodeus, a low-rankinghalf-demon posing as his boss, who has failed his trial to become a full demon: by granting at least one unselfish wish, he has rendered the deal for Liam's soul invalid. The real Satan,Lucifer, banishes Asmodeus from Hell and gives him one hour to say his goodbyes. Asmodeus visits Liam and tells him about the deal's cancellation, and Liam figures out that he is not the real Satan. Before leaving, Asmodeus confesses how much he has come to like him and explains that the third wish was negated because Bill and Molly made up on their own, so he used the contents of Liam's original letter to fulfill a third and final wish. Now wanting to use his powers to help others, Asmodeus takes the form of an angelic dove and flies away.

When Christmas arrives the next day, Liam finds his brother Spencer resurrected to celebrate Christmas with his family in their new home. However, Liam gets a call from Gibby, who has convinced Emma to give him another chance by appealing to her sympathy and telling her about Spencer's death.

In April 2023, it was announced thatBobby Farrelly would be directing and producing the film, withPeter Farrelly as producing along with Jeremy Kramer, forParamount Pictures. Peter Farrelly andRicky Blitt wrote the script from an original idea by Peter Farrelly, Ricky Blitt and Dan Ewen.^[2][3]

The film is Black's secondChristmas film, afterThe Holiday in 2006; it is also his second collaboration with Farrelly, after the 2001 filmShallow Hal.^[4]

The cast was set in March 2023 with Jack Black in the lead role.Keegan-Michael Key andPost Malone were also confirmed.^[5]

Principal photography began in March 2023 inAtlanta andDecatur, Georgia, where Decatur Square was transformed into an outdoor Christmas festival.^[6][7] In July, production was halted because of the2023 actors' strike.^[8]

Dear Santa was released onParamount+ and digital platforms on November 25, 2024.^[9][10]

On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 24% of 21 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 3.9/10. The website's consensus reads: "Straight to the naughty list!"^[11]Metacritic, which uses aweighted average, assigned the film a score of 34 out of 100, based on five critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.^[12]

Brian Tallerico ofRogerEbert.com gave the film one out of four stars and wrote, "There was a time when Jack Black reuniting with the Farrelly brothers to make a family comedy would have made a few cultural waves. This is not that time. Most people probably have no idea that Bobby Farrelly'sDear Santa has been buried on Paramount+, released on a Monday with almost no promotion at all. Why? The marketing team probably had no idea how to sell a movie that seems resolutely made for no one."^[13]The Guardian's Benjamin Lee gave it two out of five stars, writing, "Dear Santa is like watchingBad Santa slowly turn intoElf, an unsatisfying attempt to be both naughty and nice, ending up as nothing instead."^[14]

Frank Scheck ofThe Hollywood Reporter wrote, "It should hardly come as a revelation that Black's hardworking comedic efforts are the film's saving grace. Adopting a deep growl that makes him sound like late-periodJack Nicholson, the actor is clearly having a ball with his colorful role, and the fun proves infectious. He makes the many bad jokes bearable and the decent ones even funnier with his typically manic, perfectly timed delivery."^[15]

• Dear Satan, an unreleased 2024 Filipino film of the same premise; later retitledDear Santa

• Dear Santa atIMDb