Miracle on 34th Street (1994)

Santa Claus Goes On Trial! We need a Miracle on 34th Street to save him.

It is a busy time for department store executive Dorey Walker (Elizabeth Perkins) as Christmas nears. She is responsible for the store’s annual parade and hiring a department store Santa Claus. However, there is no joy in these preparations; past events in Dorey’s life have made her cynical about Christmas spirit and the magic of believing in Santa Claus. She has passed this cynicism on to her daughter Susan by keeping her in the loop of what goes on at work, including information about the Santa’s she hires every year. Talented young actress Mara Wilson portrays Susan, an exceedingly honest and perceptive child.

By a quirk of fate, Dorey hires an old man (Richard Attenborough) without asking questions. He makes the perfect Santa; he has a full white beard and needs no padding. When Dorey checks the mans application, she sees that he has signed his name Kris Kringle, his next of kin are reindeer, and his address is the North Pole. She knows that she should report this, but Kris is the best department store Santa the Coles department store has ever had.

A contrived incident places Coles in an embarrassing situation and Kris in a fight to keep his freedom. Dorey asks her friend, Brian (Dylan McDermott), who is a lawyer, to help Kris. Brian makes an impassioned speech in court about Kris Kringle and the spirit of Christmas, then places his faith in the people of the City. There are some actions in the new version of Miracle on 34th Street that some may question, but remember this story is about proving whether Santa Claus exists and miracles. I suggest that you remember what a very young Natalie Wood says in the original Miracle on 34th Street, “I believe, I believe” and just enjoy this family-oriented film. Others in the cast are J. T. Walsh, Jane Leeves (Frazier), Robert Prosky, James Remar and William Windom as C.F. Cole.

This lighthearted holiday drama is a remake of the 1947 film of the same name. This remake is quite good; it stays very close to the original story. As remake films go, the 1994 version of Miracle on 34th Street is one of the best.

Rated PG

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