Santa Fake is a 2019 American Christmas film written and directed by J.M. Burris and starring Damian McGinty, Heather Morris, John Rhys-Davies, Judd Nelson, Jeff Fahey and Tony Amendola.[1][2]
| Santa Fake | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | J.M. Burris |
| Written by | J.M. Burris |
| Produced by | Chad Burris Matthew Hanson Jonathan Delaney Marsh NaNi Rivera |
| Starring | Damian McGinty Heather Morris John Rhys-Davies Judd Nelson Jeff Fahey Tony Amendola |
| Cinematography | Ray Ortega |
| Edited by | Michael Taylor Shawn Wayman |
| Music by | Ryan Beveridge |
Release date |
|
Running time | 86 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
A young immigrant from Ireland, Pat Keeley starts a new life in New York City. He finds off-the-books employment from an Irish restaurant owner, Joe, but after a few months is asked to deliver two suitcases for his boss. After learning that he shouldn't look inside them, and then running into different police officers on the way to the drop, he gets spooked and takes the first bus out of town.
His bus journey ends at Santa Fe where he looks for a place to stay. He finds a B&B run by a Mrs. Ortega. He asks to stay one night and she invites him to dinner, where it is discovered that Pat can't handle green chilis and Mrs. Ortega is a widow. Pat calls Joe to reassure him that he will deliver the briefcases. Joe is angry that he ran off with them and demands to know his location. Upon hanging up, Joe checks the caller I.D. for an area code, discovering that Pat is in Santa Fe. He then sends two of his top lieutenants, Jim and Seb to kill Pat and retrieve the money.
Pat opens the briefcases to find that they contain $1.3 million. He then asks Mrs. Ortega where he can go to buy some nice clothes. She suggests the mall and gives him a ride.
After buying the clothes, he calls Joe from another payphone.
Then he plays Santa. He goes on a date. He gets a visit from "Santa Claus."
The film was shot in New Mexico in December 2017.[1] Judd Nelson, Jeff Fahey, and John Rhys-Davies were named as starring in the film and producer Delaney Marsh noted that the planned 12-day film schedule would be its "biggest challenge".[3] Actor Damian McGinty described the movie as "a very lovely, heartwarming family-friendly Christmas film".[4]
Santa Fake was given a limited theatrical release on October 4, 2019, after which it was released to video on demand.[5]
Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter gave the film a negative review and wrote, "J.M. Buris' debut feature severely tests the limits of how much mediocrity viewers will accept in exchange for some forced holiday cheer."[2]
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