Whether you’re ready for the holiday season or not, it’s here, marked by the influx of new holiday music and movies. Like any approaching holiday season, our silver screens have once again been graced by a Christmas time movie. Red One (2024) opened in theaters last week. It’s got everything; Chris Evans and a mission to save Christmas for the world — anything you could ever want in a holiday, comedy, and action movie, all in one.
When Santa Claus (J.K. Simmons) is kidnapped, his trusted bodyguard, Callum Drift (Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson), recruits Jack O’Malley (Evans) — hacker, non-believer, and general resident of the Naughty List— to help him. Of course, there’s only two days before Christmas to find and bring back Santa or Christmas is ruined.
The movie is full of Christmas cliches: The kid who didn’t believe in Santa growing up to be on the Naughty List; classic Christmas songs; the absent father who learns about reconciliation; a mall Santa scene; the age-old question, determining whether people are good or bad; a North Pole that looks like the Polar Express (2004)North Pole; and a feel-good ending montage of a successful gift drop on Christmas Eve (this could be a spoiler but if you’ve ever watched a Christmas movie before, you are probably already expecting this one to end as Christmas is saved).
But Red One also turns the classic holiday tropes on their heads in a ridiculous, laugh-out-loud, and heartwarming way. For starters, this Santa Claus, despite his huge intake of cookies and milk, is in ridiculously good shape — perhaps even better shape than The Rock’s character. And this Santa likes to get a shift in as mall Santa. “It’s so important to get out and talk to the kids,” Santa said. “The mall at Christmas time is like oxygen to me.”
Though other Christmas movies also bring mythical characters together, this one keeps you guessing who the next character will be. The Headless Horseman is a suspect in the case of missing Santa and there are Internet trolls (but actual trolls) helping the North Pole on their mission. And, though there have been other Christmas movies that frame the North Pole like a covert, highly-managed operation, this one exceeds expectations.
It’s what the three main actors bring to the movie that really makes it camp while still being a Christmas movie, as well as an action comedy.
Simmons nails the cool, modern, Santa, while also staying true to the Christmas spirit, giving one-liners like, “Somewhere inside every lost grownup is the kid they once were,” or, “Every decision is a decision to be good or not,” and asking for a Philly cheesesteak stop before leaving the Philadelphia mall.
Though at times it can be difficult to separate Johnson’s character from the actor, he shines as Callum Drift, another role seemingly made for him; the gruff, jaded, “tough,” guy who also has a sweet spot and says, “I have joy,” with the same face he has on when challenging someone to a fight. This role is very similar to some of his other buddy-comedy roles of the past, like Red Notice (2021)or any movie Johnson has ever done with Kevin Hart.
It’s Evans who rounds out the movie, bringing out his strong Boston accent to his own, “tough guy,” role, more similar to his characters in Fantastic Four (2005) and Knives Out (2019) than his time as straight-laced Captain America. But there is something lovable in his humor, his chemistry with Johnson, and the arc his character goes through.
The cast also features Kiernan Shipka, Helen Hunt, Lucy Liu, and a physically hilarious Nick Kroll scene.
This absurdly silly Christmas movie is worth watching, especially in theaters; there are laugh-out-loud moments that can only be properly enjoyed when laughing-out-loud in a movie theater with others. And you never know, this could be your new go-to Christmas action comedy.
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