Director Les Mayfield's previous credit, California Man, held out little hope of any subtlety in this second remake of the story of an elderly man hired to be a Christmas store Santa Claus who really believes himself to be Claus.

If finesse is predictably lacking in the treatment, Richard Attenborough turns out to be inspired casting as Kris Kringle, as perfect as Edmund Gwenn was almost 50 years before.

Elizabeth Perkins is a down-to-earth heroine and Mara Wilson an uncute moppet, though Dylan McDermott is a boring hero.

The courtroom scenes, although foolish, just about work.