''Santa with Muscles'' is a 1996 American Christmas comedy film starring

Hulk Hogan Terry Eugene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 19 ...

and directed by John Murlowski. It was released for two weeks in cinemas.

Plot

Blake Thorn (

) is a conceited self-made millionaire who sells bodybuilding supplements and equipment that have his picture on them. One day, while recklessly playing paintball, he is targeted by police. He is chased to a shopping mall, where he hides by putting on a Santa costume. He slides down a garbage chute to escape the police and bangs his head, resulting in

amnesia Amnesia is a deficit in memory caused by brain damage or disease,Gazzaniga, M., Ivry, R., & Mangun, G. (2009) Cognitive Neuroscience: The biology of the mind. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. but it can also be caused temporarily by the use ...

. Mistaken by Lenny ( Don Stark) as the mall Santa, Blake begins to think he really is

Santa Claus Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a Legend, legendary figure originating in Western Christianity, Western Christian culture who is said to Christmas gift-bringer, bring ...

. Meanwhile, the evil scientist Ebner Frost (

Ed Begley Jr. Edward James Begley Jr. (born September 16, 1949) is an American actor and environmental activist. Begley has appeared in hundreds of films, television shows, and stage performances. He played Dr. Victor Ehrlich on the television series ''St. E ...

) tries to take over an orphanage in order to gain access to the magical crystals underneath it and dispatches his henchmen to destroy it. However, Blake after discovering that being Santa has made him a better person and that Frost wants to destroy the very same orphanage he grew up in, manages to rescue the children. Frost and his henchmen are arrested, but the orphanage is destroyed due to the overload of the crystals. Blake than volunteers the Ebner Frost's evil compound to be the new orphanage. Thanks to the new orphanage and Blake we see there are more orphans than ever in this town as the movie ends.

Cast

as Blake Thorn * Don Stark as Lenny *

Robin Curtis Robin Curtis (born in New York Mills, New York) is an American actress. She is best known for replacing Kirstie Alley in the role of Vulcan Lieutenant Saavik in the films '' Star Trek III: The Search for Spock'' and '' Star Trek IV: The Voyage ...

as Leslie * Garrett Morris as Clayton * Aria Curzon as Elizabeth * Adam Wylie as Taylor * Mila Kunis as Sarah * Clint Howard as Hinkley * Steve Valentine as Dr. Blight *

as Ebner Frost * William Newman as Chas * Ed Leslie as Sumo Lab Assistant * Brenda Song as Susan * Pete Antico as Nose Ring

Reception

Box office

The film was released on 8 November 1996, the film garnered $120,932 in box office receipts during its opening weekend and grossed a total of $220,198 during its two-week run.

Critical response

Film critic Emanuel Levy gave the film a score of 2 out of 5. Joe Leydon in ''Variety'' described ''Santa with Muscles'' as a "weakling of a comedy" and thought that Hogan's performance was lacking the charisma of his previous work such as ''

Suburban Commando ''Suburban Commando'' is a 1991 American science fiction action comedy film directed by Burt Kennedy, produced by Howard Gottfried, and written by Frank Cappello. The film stars Hulk Hogan, Christopher Lloyd, Shelley Duvall, and Larry Miller. A ...

''. Leydon panned the direction in particular, stating: "Working from an irredeemably bland screenplay, John Murlowski directs with all the enthusiasm of someone going through the motions to pay off a debt." Chris Hicks, writing for the ''

Deseret News The ''Deseret News'' () is the oldest continuously operating publication in the American west. Its multi-platform products feature journalism and commentary across the fields of politics, culture, family life, faith, sports, and entertainment. Th ...

'', stated that films such as ''Santa with Muscles'' make films like '' Jingle All The Way'' look better, and said that Hulk Hogan "makes

Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...

seem like

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the Theatre of the U ...

". MaryAnn Johanson of ''Flick Filosopher'' called it "a deeply awful comedy" and "Believe me, it’s even dumber than it sounds."

Legacy

Reception for ''Santa with Muscles'' has continued to be negative. As of December 2011 it was listed at number 62 on IMDB's bottom 100 movies. It was listed as number 43 out of 50 worst children's films by '' Total Film'', and was included in Virgin Media's list of worst Christmas movies. The film was also included on '' Atlantic City Weeklys list of worst holiday films, ranking third behind ''

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians ''Santa Claus Conquers the Martians'' is a 1964 American science fiction comedy film directed by Nicholas Webster, produced and written by Paul L. Jacobson, based on a story by Glenville Mareth, that stars John Call as Santa Claus. It also featu ...

'' and the '' Star Wars Holiday Special''. Due to Hogan's starring role, the film has been featured on the website Wrestlecrap, which acts as a "Hall of Shame" for the worst gimmicks and storylines in pro wrestling history. When

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

nominee Mila Kunis, who made her film debut, was asked about the film in 2011 by ''GQ'' magazine, she said, "I was too young to fully understand the importance of working with Hulk Hogan. I just thought he was this huge man", while comparing the film to '' American Psycho 2'' in which she co-starred with William Shatner. In 2021, ''Santa with Muscles'' was featured on the YouTube channel

RedLetterMedia Red Letter Media, LLC is an American film and video production company operated by independent filmmakers Mike Stoklasa (formerly of GMP Pictures) and Jay Bauman (formerly of Blanc Screen Cinema). It was formed by Stoklasa in 2004 while he was li ...

as part of their series, ''Best of the Worst.''

References

External links

* * *
Santa with Muscles
on Rotten Tomatoes {{DEFAULTSORT:Santa With Muscles 1996 films 1996 comedy films 1990s children's comedy films 1990s Christmas comedy films American children's comedy films American Christmas comedy films Films about orphans Films directed by John Murlowski Films set in California Mad scientist films Santa Claus in film Sonar Entertainment films 1990s English-language films 1990s American films