By Michael Lyons
Why some movies weren’t a bigger hit is a mystery. The 1994 re-make of the Christmas classic, “Miracle on 34th St.” is one of these movies.
It had all the makings of a holiday blockbuster that would live on for seasons to come: a built in audience who adored the beloved original; filmmaker John Hughes, who was coming off a string of Christmas hits like “Christmas Vacation,” “Home Alone” and “Home Alone 2” was at the helm as writer and producer; Mara Wilson, the adorable child actress who stole everyone’s heart the previous year in “Mrs. Doubtfire” was starring and Richard Attenborough, fresh off his role as John Hammond in the massive “Jurassic Park,” was cast as none other than Santa Claus.
And yet, this new “Miracle on 34th St.” sank at the box office and today, it’s nothing more than an “Oh yeah” Christmas movie footnote that surfaces on TV during the off afternoon in December.
This is a shame. While 1994’s “Miracle on 34th St.” doesn’t come close to its classic original and has to live in that movie’s shadow, this is a film crafted with care that has respect for its predecessor and also attempts its own vision of the story. In this day and age of reboots and remakes that seem like shot-for-shot copies, this is is most definitely something to be respected.
This Holiday Season marks the 25th anniversary of this version of “Miracle on 34th St,” which is the perfect time to look back and reflect on this unfairly ignored film.
The story of a department store Santa, who claims to be the real Kris Kringle and brings holiday magic back to an otherwise cynical world, first captured audiences’ hearts in 1947, when the original “Miracle on 34th St.” was released, making it required seasonal viewing for decades after.
The remake keeps all that is so special about the story and provides its own, contemporary (albeit ‘90’s) perspective. We get all that we remember from the original - the hardened single mother whose heart slowly melts; corporate retail greed clashing with the spirit of the Season - but this new “Miracle” brings its own touch: a dose of reality, romance and emotion, that makes the proceedings seem new.
In addition to great performances by Wilson and Attenborough, there’s solid work from Elizabeth Perkins as single career mom, Dorey Walker and Dylan McDermott, as the love struck attorney Brian Bedford, who winds up defending Kris.
Additionally, the supporting players are a “who’s who” of some of Hollywood’s finest character actors, such as J.T. Walsh, Robert Prosky, William Windom, Simon Jones, Allison Janey, Jane Leeves and James Remar.
Hughes also crafts a script that provides for new character development and plot points. We really see Dorey and Brian’s romance blossom, as well as New York City rally behind Kris. And the technique that Brian uses at the end to convince the court is a very creative surprise.
Another nice surprise in this “Miracle” is the direction by Les Mayfield. His only credit prior to this was 1992’s “Encino Man’ (!), which makes the gentle touch and craftsmanship shown in this film, during both its colorful and quiet moments, all the more surprising. The montage scene of Dorey and Brian’s date played out against New York City at Christmastime is pure Holiday Movie comfort food and the scene between Kris Kringle and a young girl who is deaf, never fails to bring a tear to the eye.
While the film falls short of perfect – it could have done without some of the scenes of Hughes’ trademark slapstick and why Macy’s didn’t sign on to be part of the film is a head scratcher.
Still, this version of “Miracle on 34th St.” illustrates its message of people united in a belief of the true meaning and power of the Christmas Season and does it in a very positive, non-saccharine way.
When it was first released on November 18, 1994, Twentieth Century Fox had so much faith in the film that, in a daring marketing campaign, they offered full refunds to anyone who didn’t enjoy “Miracle on 34th St” (only 1,500 tickets were submitted for a refund). Even with this, the film debuted at a disappointing 8th place opening weekend and eventually disappeared from the box office (eclipsed in large part by Disney’s surprise hit “The Santa Clause,” which had debuted several weeks earlier).
Why it wasn’t and still isn’t a larger part of the Holiday Movie conversation does indeed remain a mystery, but in celebration of its 25th anniversary this year, it’s the perfect time to revisit this “Miracle on 34 St.” and answer the question posed in the film…
“Do you believe?”
Sources: IMDb
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