A young boy accidentally mixes up his spelling and sends his Christmas wish list to Satan instead of Santa. A film by Bobby Farrelly, starring Jack Black, Robert Timothy Smith, Keegan-Michael Key, Brianne Howey, Hayes MacArthur, Austin Post, P.J. Byrne, Jaden Carson Baker, Kai Cech, Kyle Gass, and Ben Stiller.

Bill Turner (Hayes MacArthur), his wife Molly (Brianne Howey), and their dyslexic son Liam (Robert Timothy Smith) have recently moved to a new town. As Christmas approaches, Molly wants to create a special moment for Liam by decorating their house. However, she ends up in a heated argument with Bill when she cannot find the tree topper and blames him for not storing it properly.

Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that primarily affects reading and writing skills. It is neurobiological in origin and is characterized by difficulties with accurate and fluent word recognition, poor spelling, and challenges in decoding abilities. These difficulties often stem from deficits in the phonological component of language, which can be unexpected given an individual’s other cognitive abilities and the quality of instruction they receive.

In an effort to lift his parents’ spirits, Liam compliments their decorations and reminds them that Christmas isn’t just about tree toppers and ornaments; it’s about togetherness. (That doesn’t sound like how young boy would say, but whatever.) He then tells his mother that he wrote a letter to Santa, knowing that Christmas is her favorite tradition. However, Bill grows concerned that Liam might be bullied at school for still believing in Santa Claus at the age of eleven. In response, Liam becomes defensive, insisting that he has many friends at school and that his best friend Gibby is one of the most popular kids there — despite battling cancer.

Later, Liam tells Gibby (Jaden Carson Baker), who is just a regular kid with buck teeth and does not have cancer, about what he shared with his parents so Gibby can keep the story straight. Initially, Gibby is uncomfortable with the idea of lying but feels he has no choice but to go along with it. Liam also confesses to Gibby that his family didn’t move here through a witness protection program, as he had previously claimed. However, when Liam tries to explain the horrible accident that occurred in their former town, Gibby cuts him off, insisting that he doesn’t want to hear about serious stuff.

Liam and his mother stop by the North Pole Express mail collection box in town to drop off his wish list to Santa Claus. However, due to his dyslexia, Liam misspells “SANTA” and accidentally writes “SATAN” on the envelope. As he drops the letter into the mail box, a flicker of sparks surrounds it, and Liam’s letter falls through a long tunnel into the underworld.

That night, Satan (Jack Black) appears in Liam’s room, emerging from his closet. Initially confused by the unexpected visitor, Liam is taken aback when Satan throws his letter at him and claims that Liam summoned him. Satan soon realizes that Liam struggles with spelling and that he meant to send the letter to Santa.

Instead of revealing the truth, Satan decides to play along. He even briefly transforms into Santa to convince Liam that he is the real Santa Claus. He then offers to grant Liam three wishes while withholding the fact that Liam’s soul will belong to Satan after he uses all three wishes.

Directed by American filmmaker Bobby Farrelly and co-written by Ricky Blitt and Peter Farrelly, Dear Santa is a Christmas comedy that aims to achieve a variety of themes but ultimately falls short due to its uninspired narrative.

The film features characters who behave inconsistently with their ages and are underdeveloped, alongside jokes that fail to land. Additionally, it suffers from inconsistencies, outdated needle drop technique, and plot twists that come off as creepy rather than surprising.

DEAR SANTA was released on Paramount+ and digital platforms 25 November 2024.