DEAR SATAN SANTA: Jack Black Is A Merry Mephistopheles In First Trailer For The Farrelly Brothers' New Comedy

DEAR SATAN SANTA: Jack Black Is A Merry Mephistopheles In First Trailer For The Farrelly Brothers' New Comedy

Following a recent teaser, Paramount has released the first full trailer for Dumb and Dumber directors The Farrelly Brothers' new movie, Dear Santa...

By MarkCassidy - Nov 08, 2024 07:11 AM EST
Filed Under: Fantasy
Source: Via SFF Gazette

Paramount has released the first trailer and poster for Dear Santa, which is a live-action adaptation of popular 2017 animated short Dear Satan. The movie marks the return of the directing/producing team of Bobby and Peter Farrelly (Dumb and Dumber, There's Something About Mary), and stars Jack Black in the lead role.

Black, who worked with the brothers on Shallow Hal, plays the Devil, alongside a supporting cast consisting of Robert Timothy Smith, Keegan-Michael Key, Brianne Howey, Hayes MacArthur, PJ Byrne, Jaden Carson Baker, Kai Cech and Austin Post, aka Post Malone.

The story focuses on a young boy who writes his yearly note to Santa, but the "crappy speller" sends it to the man downstairs instead. Delighted to have a fan, a merry Mephistopheles pays the kid a visit and offers him three wishes... on the condition that he can collect his soul once he's used them up.

Though the project is based on Dear Satan, the studio decided to go with the more marketable and family-friendly title Dear Santa, which was probably a good call!

"It is a family story because it is Christmas. But you know what? Pete and I, we're the Farrelly brothers, so we wanted to put our skewed version on a Christmas story like this, but at the same time, we don't want to just blow it up. We wanted it to have a sweetness to it underneath all the edge and all that," Bobby told EW in a recent interview. "So that's the Farrelly Brothers Christmas movie."

"Yeah, we need to laugh," he added. "And comedy, in general, has sort of been on a hiatus, so I think it's going to be a good time to bring back just something to get people laughing and thinking about other things."

Check out the trailer and poster at the links below.

“Young Liam Turner (Robert Timothy Smith) still believes in Santa. To prove to all of his disbelieving friends that Santa is real, he writes a letter to the big guy inviting him to show himself. The only problem? Liam isn’t a very strong speller and addresses the letter to Satan (Jack Black) instead. “Satan, who never gets letters from kids, is flattered and goes to meet Liam. Hijinks, chaos, and hilarity ensue.”

Kevin Barnett, Pete Jones, Gretel Twombly served as executive producers, with the Farrellys and Jeremy Kramer on board as producers. Featuring a screenplay by Blitt and Peter, with a story by Blitt, Peter, and Dan Ewen, Dear Santa hits Paramount+ and digital just in time for the holidays, on Nov. 25.

THE WHEEL OF TIME: Prime Video Announces Season 3 Premiere Date With Foreboding First Trailer
Related:

THE WHEEL OF TIME: Prime Video Announces Season 3 Premiere Date With Foreboding First Trailer

WICKED Could Be Facing A Ban In Kuwait Due To LGBTQ+ Cast Members
Recommended For You:

WICKED Could Be Facing A Ban In Kuwait Due To LGBTQ+ Cast Members

DISCLAIMER: As a user generated site and platform, ComicBookMovie.com is protected under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and "Safe Harbor" provisions.

This post was submitted by a user who has agreed to our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines. ComicBookMovie.com will disable users who knowingly commit plagiarism, piracy, trademark or copyright infringement. Please CONTACT US for expeditious removal of copyrighted/trademarked content. CLICK HERE to learn more about our copyright and trademark policies.

Note that ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.

xfan320
xfan320 - 11/8/2024, 8:04 AM
I was a lot more excited for this movie until I watched the trailer.

I still can't figure out what exactly is putting me off, though... 🤔
MarkCassidy
MarkCassidy - 11/8/2024, 8:10 AM
@xfan320 - I thought it was amusing to a point... But fart/poop jokes are just lowest common denominator.
AgentofSH1ELD
AgentofSH1ELD - 11/8/2024, 8:33 AM
@xfan320 - Agreed... Maybe its the way they portrayed JB in the trailer? It like school of rock with more Devil.. Wasn't a fan of Poison singing in the background either..
Clintthahamster
Clintthahamster - 11/8/2024, 8:53 AM
@MarkCassidy @xfan320 - At the end of the day, it's still a Farrelly Bros movie. They basically have three excellent comedies and then fell of HARD.
AgentSmith
AgentSmith - 11/8/2024, 9:39 AM
@xfan320 - I think its because its "kid" humor and not adult humor. That's what throwing it off. School of Rock was way different in a fact that it is all about the kids. This one, its hard to picture Satan as a humorous character/friend in a kids comedy. As a villain in a kids movie? Sure. But how can you pull of "redeeming" Satan? There was enough there for me to be curious, but I won't go running to the theater. Violent Night will still put this movie on its a$$.
Clintthahamster
Clintthahamster - 11/8/2024, 10:05 AM
@AgentSmith - "how can you pull of "redeeming" Satan?"

IDK, the South Park musical did a pretty good job.
xfan320
xfan320 - 11/8/2024, 10:31 AM
@AgentSmith - that might be it. Satan as the "new best buddy/genie" is an odd approach for a kids movie.

It's like 'Kazaam', but with the Devil...🤣
AgentSmith
AgentSmith - 11/8/2024, 10:59 AM
@Clintthahamster - Agree, but even there, that's all adult humor and a satire on, well, everyone in the world. It works there. Not like this or for kids humor. Specifically for a kids movie? IDK, I don't think it works.
Clintthahamster
Clintthahamster - 11/8/2024, 12:04 PM
@AgentSmith - I agree that it's risky, and I don't think the risk will pay off. For better or worse, the culture is just not in the place to accept a family Christmas comedy about a boy making friends with Satan.
JustAWaffle
JustAWaffle - 11/8/2024, 8:17 AM
Besides Kung Fu Panda, what has Jack been in since Nacho Libre that’s worth watching?
JustAWaffle
JustAWaffle - 11/8/2024, 8:18 AM
@JustAWaffle - and we love KFP. I hope they keep making those movies.
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 11/8/2024, 8:34 AM
@JustAWaffle - User Comment Image
Urubrodi
Urubrodi - 11/8/2024, 8:41 AM
@JustAWaffle - I don't remember when Nacho Libre came out, so maybe some of these were before, but there were Tropic Thunder, Tenacious D, School of Rock, the Jumaji movies, Mario, King Kong... When the dude puts the effort and chooses the right role he's pretty great to be fair.
mountainman
mountainman - 11/8/2024, 8:46 AM
@JustAWaffle - Was Tropic Thunder before or after Nacho Libre? Because that is by far the funniest movie he’s ever been in, although he’s the least funny person in it.
SATW42
SATW42 - 11/8/2024, 9:36 AM
@JustAWaffle - if we're using Nacho Libre as the starting point, which came out all the way back in 2006 at this point, quite a bit. Tenacious D, The Holiday (rom com, so you may not count this one, but he's good in it), Be Kind Rewind, Tropic Thunder, Bernie is kind of underrated he's good in it at least, I personally didn't hate the Big Year, but this is another mileage may vary dramedy. Sorry not sorry, I think the first Jumanji is fun, and I think he's a highlight of it, than of course, Mario Bros.



Waifuslayer2
Waifuslayer2 - 11/8/2024, 10:52 AM
@mountainman - it was after.
mountainman
mountainman - 11/8/2024, 11:01 AM
@Waifuslayer2 - So definitely his most recent great movie. Man I miss when comedy movies were good.
JustAWaffle
JustAWaffle - 11/9/2024, 1:38 AM
@bkmeijer1 - Thank you. Good call. But wasn’t that around the time of Nacho? The last 20 years kinda melds together for me with films.
JustAWaffle
JustAWaffle - 11/9/2024, 1:40 AM
@Urubrodi - You’re right. I just blanked hard on those when I thought of Jack Black.
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 11/9/2024, 5:23 AM
@JustAWaffle - I have no idea when Nacho premiered, but I know Tropic Thunder is 2008. Peak cinema imo
DarthAlgar
DarthAlgar - 11/8/2024, 8:22 AM
I've always been a huge fan of the Farrelly brothers and their work, but there has been a steady decline over the decade. I feel like they peaked with Hall Pass.
slickrickdesigns
slickrickdesigns - 11/8/2024, 8:54 AM
@DarthAlgar - I feel like Shallow Gal was their last decent watch. Dumber and Dumberer was a huge disappointment
slickrickdesigns
slickrickdesigns - 11/8/2024, 8:54 AM
This movie will bomb in theaters. I’ll probably give a try when it’s free on streaming
Shivermetimbers
Shivermetimbers - 11/8/2024, 9:33 AM
@slickrickdesigns - I’ve got good news for you. This is going straight to streaming.
bobevanz
bobevanz - 11/8/2024, 8:55 AM
The Farrelly Brothers in an R rated movie world be a nice change of pace. This looks like ass, worse than Red One lmao
Shivermetimbers
Shivermetimbers - 11/8/2024, 9:34 AM
I liked the concept but that trailer was rough. I was assuming it would bomb massively in the theaters, so it’s no surprise to see that it is going straight to paramount plus.
Clintthahamster
Clintthahamster - 11/8/2024, 10:07 AM
I feel like Black is doing late-period Jack Nicholson (A Few Good Men, As Good As It Gets) in this performance. Pretty much the only interesting thing in this trailer. The rest of it looks like a fake trailer in a movie about a washed up comedian grasping for relevancy.
Imprtracr1
Imprtracr1 - 11/8/2024, 10:49 AM
WTF..

Glad it'll bomb
PapaBear562
PapaBear562 - 11/8/2024, 11:27 AM
Absolutely horrible. I think it's time for Jack Black to into hibernation. He's clearly done as an actor.
TheNightmareVirus
TheNightmareVirus - 11/8/2024, 12:22 PM
I guess he really has a "no shave" 'Claus' in all of his movie contracts. I wonder what Caveman role is next? We've got Caveman Steve and Caveman Satan, Caveman Shallow Hal 2? Jesus.

Just stick to voice roles nowadays, Jack.
folieaturd
folieaturd - 11/8/2024, 12:36 PM
A homeless Santa on meth
sully
sully - 11/9/2024, 12:39 AM
Jack Black is another example of an actor who overstays their welcome. Just like Dwayne "im going to try and take over this studio" Johnson, he plays the same character in every movie he's in.
Urubrodi
Urubrodi - 11/11/2024, 4:37 AM
@sully - Well if studios come to him and ask him to play the same character for a bunch of cash, where he can put minimal effort in it, he's being smart

Please log in to post comments.

Don't have an account?
Please Register.

View Recorder