Movie Review: Santa Fake
Available now on DVD and on digital, is the holiday film, Santa Fake.
The film stars Damian McGinty (“Glee;” Celtic Thunder), Heather Morris (“Glee”), John Rhys-Davies (The Lord of the Rings; Indiana Jones), and Judd Nelson (“Empire;” The Breakfast Club; St. Elmo’s Fire).
Pat grew up in an orphanage in Ireland. He was an infant when he was given to the orphanage by his mother after his father passed away. He has no family.
When Pat was old enough and aged out of the orphanage, he did jobs here and there until he was able to make his way to the United States.
Pat had no job and no paperwork. Thankfully he was able to secure a job doing bussing and doing little jobs around a bar. The bar was run by Joe, an Irish mob boss.
Pat had his suspicions about Joe and the type of “work” he did, but he never questioned it. He had a job, so that was fine with him.
One evening, Joe asks Pat to take a couple of brief cases to the train station, where he was to meet up with someone who would take them from him. The station was only a few blocks away.
Joe offered Pat $10,000 to do that small favor for him. Pat was a bit reluctant, because he knew Joe was a mob boss, but the thought of $10,000, and the fact it was just a few blocks away, Pat figured he could do it. Not only that, Joe pressured him into doing it.
Unbeknownst to Pat, Joe knew there was the possibly Pat could get caught with briefcases. Joe knew Pat would be too afraid to snitch on him, and he has no legal paperwork, so once Pat finished a stint in jail, he would soon be departed.
Feeling like he was in trouble, Pat hoped on the first bus that was leaving the station. The bus ends up taking Pat to Sante Fe, New Mexico.
Feeling guilty, and concerned for his safety, Pat calls Joe. Joe demands he returns the briefcases right away, or else he will send someone to find him and kill him. That brief phone call helps Joe to determine that Pat is in Sante Fe.
Upset that Pat took the briefcases from Joe, Joe sends two of his men – Seb (Judd Nelson) and Jim (Jeff Fahey) to Sante Fe to find him, kill him and bring back the briefcases. Since Pat has no family, no one would know he was missing.
Pat ends up in a boarding house run by Mrs. Oretga. He also builds up the nerve to open the brief cases (he thought they contained body parts of a missing employee), only to find they contained a lot of cash.
While at a local mall buying clothes, Pat mistakenly calls Joe again. Joe notifies Pat that his thugs are already in Sante Fe, and when they find him, they will kill him.
Scared for his life, Pat goes to flee the mall. That is until he bumps into Emily. Emily is in charge of the mall’s Santa and is in dire need of a Santa. Pat just happened to be the right size to fit the suit. Scared, Pat agrees to put on the suit, knowing that it will disguise him and keep him safe from Seb and Jim.
For the next several days, Pat continues to be the mall’s “fake Santa,” in hopes he can hide from Seb and Jim, who are hot on his trail.
Will Seb and Jim find him? Will Pat be able to hide from them until he can think of an escape plan? After all, once the holiday is over, Pat won’t have the Santa costume to hide behind. To find out, look for Santa Fake. You can find it on digital and on DVD.
I would consider this film a “dramady” – part drama, part comedy. It’s mostly a comedy, but there are some dramatic instances in the film (at least in my opinion).
I don’t know who Damian McGinty is. I have never heard of him until now. He has the move beautiful voice. He sings several songs throughout the film.
Here is a clip of McGinty from the film singing “O Holy Night.” Check out his beautiful voice.
I thought Heather Morris would have sung too, since she was in the television series “Glee,” but she didn’t.
The film was slightly predictable (in a good way), but it had a surprise ending that I didn’t see coming. It’s a different kind of a holiday movie. Most holiday movies don’t involve an Irish mob boss and a young man hiding from thugs trying to kill him.
If you would like to learn more about this film, check out the social media accounts (below). I’ve also included the film’s trailer for your enjoyment.
Twitter: @SantaFakeMovie
Instagram: @santafake_official
Facebook: facebook.com/SantaFakeMovie/
Hashtag: #SantaFakeMovie
Also releasing as companions to the film are the soundtrack EP from the star Damian McGinty and a children’s picture book, SANTA FAKE: You Are Never Alone at Christmas, which will be available in e-book and print.
