The Christmas Star (1986): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1986, The Christmas Star is a drama, family and tv movie film directed by Alan Shapiro, running about 94 minutes. “Two kids made a believer out of him.” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. Horace McNickle (Edward Asner) is a two-time felon serving prison time for counterfeiting. On the week before Christmas, he escapes from prison dressed as Santa Claus due to his uncanny resemblence to St. Nick resulting from his long white beard and heavyset features. McNickle hides out from the police in a nearby suburban neighborhood where he is befriended and helped by two local children who think he is the real Santa Claus. McNickle takes advantage of the kids naive ness to help him get his counterfeit money hidden somewhere in a local department store while he develops kind-hearted feelings for his two con victims that make him slowly understand the true nature of Christmas.

Who’s in it. The Christmas Star stars Ed Asner as Horace McNickle, René Auberjonois as Sumner, Jim Metzler as Stuart Jameson and Susan Tyrrell as Sara, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 5.4/10, The Christmas Star has proved divisive with audiences.

Where to watch. In US you can stream it on Disney Plus and rent or buy it from Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video and Google Play Movies. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch The Christmas Star page.

If you liked it. Fans of The Christmas Star tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.