The film is a Stan original and the feature directorial debut of Christiaan Van Vuuren, who honed his comedy skills on series such as Soul Mates and Squinters (directing several episodes of each) and is one of the ultra satirically woke Bondi Hipsters (whose amusing new half-hour spin-off on Stan, Dom and Adrian 2020, landed on the weekend). Written by Elliot Vella, Gretel Vella and Timothy Walke, A Sunburnt Christmas is wacky and sweet in a backhanded way, with a plot spearheaded by a costumed rascal bringing excitement to an otherwise uneventful, quintessentially Australian setting.
Daisy (Lena Nankivell) and Tom (Edan McGuinness) in A Sunburnt Christmas. Photograph: Ian Routledge/Stan
The new Stan comedy was directed by Christiaan Van Vuuren (known for
Bondi Hipsters and Stan s
The Other Guy) and tells the story of a single mum and her young kids who are living on an outback farm and going through a rough moment in their lives.
Everything is then turned upside down when Daryl (Daniel Henshall from Stan s
Bloom), a runaway criminal dressed as Santa Claus, crashes into their property in search of a secret he has hidden there, but is mistaken for the real Santa by the youngest of the kids, Daisy (Lena Nankivell).
Also in the mix are Daisy s older siblings Tom (Eaden McGuinness), a very anxious child, and her wily teenage sister Hazel (Tatiana Goode), who sees Daryl s unexpected arrival as an opportunity to get her troubled family back on track.