When Santa Claus (Douglas Seale) comes to town, all of the children immediately recognize him. Throughout the film, kids flock to Santa because they see him for who he is.
Santa comments on it not being “as bright at night”. The sun bothers him. His sight is clouded in this sunny, Florida environment. That is why he keeps making mistakes. He loses his bag, gets arrested, and almost does not find a replacement. Had his sight been clearer, he might not have had so many problems.
Joe (Oliver Clark) cannot believe he is the next Santa Claus. His vision, like Santa’s, is clouded. Joe’s agent blocks his view of what he is meant to do. After leaving his agent, his destiny becomes clearer and clearer.
Joe’s innocence makes him the next Santa Claus. He can’t even curse in front of children. Later, he openly disagrees with the content of the film, sees Ernest flying the sleigh, and realizes what he wants to do. Because he could not act violently and cuss in front of kids, he realizes he is the next Santa.
Although he can see Santa is actually Santa, he does not have the power and sight to pull the correct gifts from the magic bag. Santa can see what everyone wants for Christmas and make it happen, but Ernest “couldn’t get the right stuff out of [that] sack”.
The different disguises Ernest puts on also represent the clouding of people’s eyes. He always convinces others of his authority. His disguises get Ernest what he wants.
When the military planes pursue Ernest and Santa’s sleigh, Ernest decides to “drop under their radar”. He utilizes his ability to fly close to the ground in order to get away from danger. Their radar/sight gets cutoff.
Everyone should approach Ernest movies with a glass of wine (please drink responsibly) and an open mind. Dylan Brandsema nailed this movie on the head and makes you think more critically about choices made by the creators of this movie.
Tropes and idioms! Check out what you did not think about when you watched the movie.
Thanks for reading!!! See you next week for a happy holiday!