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Dear Santa is not a film called Dear Satan, and Jack Black is not playing Santa. The official 2024 Paramount+ comedy follows Liam Turner, a dyslexic sixth-grader whose Christmas letter is accidentally addressed to Satan. The mistake brings a devilish figure into his life and sets up an attempted three-wish bargain involving the boy’s soul.
Watch the official trailer on Paramount+’s verified YouTube channel.
What the Dear Santa trailer shows
The trailer introduces Liam Turner, played by Robert Timothy Smith, as a child writing a Christmas wish list. A spelling error changes “Santa” to “Satan,” producing a very different response to his letter.
Jack Black then appears as a horned, devilish Satan who enters Liam’s world and offers to grant his wishes. The central joke is simple but deliberately disruptive: a child expects a benevolent Christmas figure and instead gets a supernatural visitor associated with temptation, damnation and soul-selling.
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Paramount’s official synopsis says the mistake causes “a devilish Jack Black” to arrive and “wreak havoc on the holidays.” The trailer establishes the threat of a soul bargain, but it does not show that Satan successfully steals Liam’s soul.
Is the movie called Dear Santa or Dear Satan?
The official title is Dear Santa. “Dear Satan” is the mistaken greeting inside the story, not the movie’s title. Paramount Pictures and Paramount+ both list the film as Dear Santa.
Cast and filmmakers
- Jack Black as Satan
- Robert Timothy Smith as Liam Turner
- Keegan-Michael Key as Dr. Finkleman
- Brianne Howey as Molly Turner
- Hayes MacArthur as Bill Turner
- Post Malone, credited as Austin Post, as himself
- P. J. Byrne as Mr. Charles
- Jaden Carson Baker as Gibby
- Kai Cech as Emma
Bobby Farrelly directed the film. Ricky Blitt and Peter Farrelly wrote the screenplay, from a story by Blitt, Peter Farrelly and Dan Ewen. The producers are Peter Farrelly, Bobby Farrelly and Jeremy Kramer. Although Peter Farrelly is a writer and producer, the Farrelly brothers did not direct the movie together.
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What happens beyond the trailer?
Dear Santa expands the premise beyond a simple demonic Christmas prank. Liam is portrayed as a dyslexic sixth-grader dealing with school problems, bullying and a difficult family situation. His parents’ strained relationship and the death of his younger brother, Spencer, give the supernatural story a grief-centered emotional thread.
Satan functions both as a supernatural danger and as a disruptive comic presence. The completed film also complicates the trailer’s apparent setup: Jack Black’s character is not presented throughout as a straightforward, all-powerful version of Lucifer. Its resolution moves toward a sentimental Christmas conclusion rather than a conventional soul-stealing horror ending.
Is Dear Santa a horror movie?
Not primarily. Paramount classifies it as Comedy / Family, while Paramount Global Content describes it as a comedy and holiday title. It is better understood as a Christmas fantasy or dark-fantasy comedy with demonic imagery than as a conventional horror film.
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The premise is darker than the marketing category might suggest, however. The story includes Satan, a threatened soul bargain, death and grief, and jokes aimed partly at adults. Reviews from The Guardian and RogerEbert.com both pointed to the tension between its child-centered Christmas setup and its adult-oriented, broad comedy.
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In the United States, Dear Santa is rated PG-13 for “some language and suggestive material.” That rating matters: despite the child protagonist and Christmas setting, this is not an ordinary young-children’s Santa movie.
Parents should also expect rude and bodily-function humor, sexual references, demonic imagery, bullying, a punch, discussions of death and grief, and a joke involving bestiality. The Common Sense Media parents’ guide and the BBFC classification provide additional content information.
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Release date and where to watch
Dear Santa was released in the United States on November 25, 2024, as a Paramount+ original and through digital platforms. It was not launched as a theatrical release. Paramount’s current movie listing identifies it as a 2024 PG-13 film available on Paramount+; availability can vary by country and subscription plan. Check the official Paramount+ page for current access.
The official trailer arrived on November 7, 2024, through Paramount+’s verified YouTube channel.
How long is Dear Santa?
Published runtimes differ by listing and territory. Paramount+ displays 1 hour 47 minutes, while Paramount Pictures lists 108 minutes. Other records list approximately 103 minutes, including the U.K. BBFC version. For U.S. viewers, the safest description is about 107–108 minutes, or roughly 1 hour and 48 minutes.
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What critics said
Critical reaction was mixed. Rotten Tomatoes’ currently indexed listing shows 24% from critics and 39% from audiences, though scores can change as the site adds or recalculates ratings. Reviews generally recognize Jack Black’s energetic performance while questioning the film’s tonal balance, broad bodily-function humor and sentimental ending.
The result is an intentionally unusual Christmas proposition: a family-facing holiday setup, a child in emotional distress, a devil offering wishes, and comedy that frequently reaches beyond a young audience.
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