The character of Doris Walker teaches her daughter Lauren not to believe in any fairy tales to the point it might get a little grating...MAYBE TOO GRATING! Maybe this could have been an interesting character trait, as it was implied that she's divorced, which does explain her bitterness. But man when she talks about dreams, magic, and fairy tales being silly, man does it get tired fast! She makes a Jehovah's Witness sound like Martin Luther King Jr.! Not surprisingly the stuff that is schmaltzy, magical, innocent, wholesome, and pretty much everything that this character is against, which is majority of the film, is far more interesting, adult, and even more real than she ever is. Way to speak of your beliefs Doris! But anyway she is just a minor problem in the film. The other characters greatly outdo her. John Payne as the attorney Fred Gailey is pretty likable and charming. Not much to him or remember him by but he's engaging enough, and again he is likable and no where near a terrible character. There is still something that is enjoyable about his charm. The main stars are Natalie Wood and Edmund Gwenn, they are the two that most people remember about the film, and are unarguably two of the most favorite characters by most. Wood as Susan you can say is like Doris, but done a ton times better. She has charm, charisma, can carry out her scenes with other actors, she was pretty much one of the most impressive child stars at the time. On top of that she succeeds in making the character pretty likable. You can tell she is influenced by her mother's beliefs but at the same time does not want to follow them fully. For a child character, one of the most impressively written and even more impressive how she's portrayed by Natalie Wood. Again, she wants to believe her mother but at the same time is too engaged and interested if there really is a Santa Claus, and what if it really is Kris Kringle. And speaking of which we come to maybe the best character of the film. Let me just start off by saying that Edmund Gwenn completely owns this role and is having tons of fun and enjoyment with it. He is dedicated to this role! Again, it is hard not to believe that this man is truly Santa Claus. He's the most weight that carries the film throughout, keeps the audience interested, and he is who makes this film a timeless classic.
In a harsh reality, this film really should be nothing special. It's the typical rebellious dreamer against the cold and snobbish cynics type of story, where the rebellious dreamer/poet blows all the cynics away by his/her dreams or motivations that it leaves no choice for those cynics to become dreamers themselves. But again, what makes this film a classic and engaging is Gwenn as Kris Kringle. He carries the film throughout and is nucleus center of the wholesomeness the film contains. He is the reason why we watch the film every year because he gives us a feeling of Christmas, which is what Christmas films and specials do, they make us happy about the holidays. Though the mother is a little annoying, and did I mention there is an unbelievable amount of Macy's product placement in this, there are a lot of things that make this film hold up all the way. The magic, the atmosphere, Natalie Wood, and of course Edmund Gwenn as Kris Kringle/Santa Claus. It may not seem like your time, but trust me and everybody else who has seen the film it is.
GRADE: AE
SANTA'S LIST: NICE
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