Dear Santa's Heartwarming Ending Completely Ignores Jack Black's Film's Own Message

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Paramount+ Dear Santa Claus film, as well as a brief discussion about the death of a child.Dear Santa Claus on Paramount+ is packed with a surprising amount of lore when it comes to Christmas movie magic rules, but the ending forgets the biggest limitation of Jack Black's character. Although Black does an excellent job leading the Dear Santa Claus cast, the film overall has some leaps in logic and notable flaws in the plot. It's still a fun ride, though Dear Santa ClausThe ending of is already proving divisive for more than one reason.

Dear Santa ClausThe rules of Jack Black's wishes are laid out clearly and simply by Jack Black's Satan, who later reveals himself to be a deceitful demon named Asmodeus. Although the fictional laws are largely followed as the story progresses, the most notable rule is filed away in the film's final moments to allow for a last-minute injection of wholesome festive cheer. Unfortunately, the scene in question doesn't fit with the film's lore. It's perhaps a little demanding to highlight such a moving moment, but its lack of logic in the world of the film really makes it stand out.

Spencer's resurrection goes against Dear Santa's rule about changing the past

Asmodeus makes it clear that he cannot change history (but he does anyway)

Dear Santa Claus begins with Robert Timothy Smith's Liam Turner writing his annual letter to the North Pole, intending to tell Saint Nicholas exactly what he wants for Christmas. It is revealed at the end of the film that Liam's greatest wish was to have his brother Spencer (Leo Easton Kelly) back, as he died shortly before the events of the film. Before Liam makes any of his three wishes to Asmodeus later in the film, Black's character clearly states that he “Can't change history.” So changing events so that Spencer never actually dies breaks that rule.

Asmodeus essentially describes his powers as identical to those of genies in traditional folklore and even references Disney powers. Aladdin at one point to drive the comparison home. With rules so well known in popular culture, It seems like a huge oversight for Liam's wish to be grantedas jinn are also incapable of resurrecting the dead. Although it could be argued that Amodeus's contextualization of the rule using the War of 1812 suggests “history“means anything in the distant past, rather than fairly recent events, which would be a rather tenuous and convenient theory.

How Jack Black's Beloved Santa Character Could Have Brought Spencer Back

Dear Santa may have a hidden solution to explain Liam's wish fulfillment

Asmodeus never clarifies whether changing the past falls into the category of things he is physically unable to do or things he is not allowed to do. It could simply be something that has been achieved before, but it created a lot of problems with branching timelines and other science fiction temporal tropes. If yes, then Maybe the real Satan (Ben Stiller) banished desires that changed the pastand Asmodeus was simply following these instructions. It seems unlikely that a demon would be such a stickler for the rules, but it's not impossible.

Either way, once Stiller's character discovered that Asmodeus was impersonating him, Black's character had very little to lose. So while he can't routinely mess with the past, Asmodeus may not have seen the harm in bringing Spencer back to life, especially since he recently died. Strangely, although the wish made Liam's parents ignore the fact that their son had been resurrected, Gibby (Jaden Carson Baker) appears to have somehow retained the memory of Spencer's deathwhich adds another wrinkle to the logical confusion of the scene.

Dear Santa's Ending Ignores the Movie's Message

Liam's growth as a character is largely undone by the end of Dear Santa

Dear Santa Claus It's very uplifting in some parts and revolves around the theme of overcoming personal struggles and, as a result, growing from them. Other times, the film tends to get a little confused about whether magic is strictly necessary for these battles to be fought. Liam experiences both scenarios in Dear Santa Clausas he uses a combination of the supernatural and his inner strength to solve his problems and deal with his trauma. The final scene, however, completely leaves out the more grounded elements of Liam's story, as Spencer is simply wished back into existence.

Although it is a largely positive time, Spencer's resurrection is an imperfect solution. Not only does this hurt Liam's arc, but he's also left with the horrible memory of his brother's suffering, and he can't talk to his parents about it either, as they ignore the fact that Spencer was once dead. Also, when viewed from a certain point of view, bringing a child back to life is a kind of dark plot for a fun Christmas movie like Dear Santa Claus.

Source: Rotten tomatoes