A Genteel, if Predictable, ‘Claus’

Christmas has long mixed the traditional with the modern, the idealistic with the commercial, oftentimes happily but sometimes uneasily. The same is true of “Call Me Claus,” a two-hour movie executive-produced by Whoopi Goldberg and Garth Brooks that premieres Sunday (8 p.m., TNT).

The story revolves around Lucy Cullins (Goldberg), a cynical producer at a home-shopping network who must hire an actor to play Santa Claus. As it turns out, the real Santa (a convincing Nigel Hawthorne), nearing mandatory retirement after 200 years as the jolly one, lands the job. No, he’s not hawking products such as tacky ties and red negligees to provide for those golden years; instead, he’s trying to get close enough to Lucy to persuade her to become the next St. Nick. If he fails, it means the end of the world.

Although Lucy resists, there’s really no suspense over what path she will ultimately take. The film’s comedic tension is higher, with some funny satirizing of Hollywood and the commercialization of Christmas. But many of the jokes are apt to produce more smiles than laughs.

This overall genteel approach extends to how the film handles the issue of an African American woman becoming Santa. No cutting-edge commentary here, just scenes that play out with nice subtlety. In fact, the film’s sharpest edges are references to rear ends and bodily functions that holiday classics tend to avoid.

Still, the makers of “Call Me Claus” do see it as something for posterity, which perhaps explains why it’s so easy to own a piece of it: TNT reminds us that the soundtrack’s many Brooks songs are on his CD “The Magic of Christmas,” now in stores. Also, the movie comes out on home video nine days after its premiere, just in case you want to give it as a gift or you miss one of TNT’s seven scheduled encores.