INDIANAPOLIS — Parents, check your kids' spelling when they write their letters to Santa to make sure it doesn't end up in the wrong hands.
In "Dear Santa," a young boy (Robert Timothy Smith) writes his letter and puts it in the mailbox — but he's not the best speller and unknowingly summons Satan (Jack Black) instead of Santa Claus.
Black ("School of Rock," "Nacho Libre") reunites with the Farrelly brothers – director Bobby Farrelly and co-writer Peter Farrelly – since starring in their 2001 comedy "Shallow Hal."
"It's a funny Satan, sort of how 'Damn Yankees' had a funny Satan, and you need someone who is innately likeable and not threatening, and Jack Black is that," Peter said. "He's kind of similar how he was in 'School of Rock,' where he's a little edgy to the kids but he's also appealing to adults. It doesn't work without him. It's probably the first time we ever got the first person we offered a role to."
"Jack was our first pick, and he was the right pick," Bobby said.
Acting in just his second movie, it's evident Smith ("Wolfs," "Star Wars: Skeleton Crew") has a bright future ahead of him.
"Sometimes, you can't make a movie if you don't find the right person, and that kid was the right person," Peter said. "He reminds me of a young Albert Brooks, his delivery. He's got a very sheepish, self-aware 'Why are you talking to me?' It's a sophisticated delivery for a little kid and very funny."
"We did a very wide casting search for this actor, and we looked at a lot of talented kids, but Robert Timothy stood out," Bobby said. "He checked all the boxes for me, but the main one was he's really likeable, so you really care for him."
Known for their films like "Dumb and Dumber" and "There's Something About Mary," the Farrelly brothers have worked with some of the biggest names in the movie business — and they can now say they worked alongside one of the biggest names in the music industry.
"I don't get starstruck easily because we deal with a lot of stars, but not from his world, the music world, so when we got Post (Malone), I was very excited," Bobby said. "When he came, it was so much fun. He gave us a lot. He worked so hard. We had so much fun with him. He had the perfect song for the role. It was a joy. It took about three days to do his scene. It was really the highlight of the whole shoot."
"He was very gracious. He didn't show up with attitude. He came in like, 'Hey, this isn't my world normally. How do I do it right?' He was very cool," Peter said.
"Dear Santa," also starring Keegan-Michael Key, Brianne Howey, Hayes MacArthur and P.J. Byrne, is now streaming on Paramount+ and available to buy or rent digitally.