Review written by Christian Garcia
On the 10th Day of Christmas, good CG gave to me: Two Tim Allen Santa’s!
and also MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE EVE!!
Background:
The Santa Clause was Tim Allen’s first major film and proved to be a major success. Allen had already proven himself as a leading man in TV on the hit series, Home Improvement. But The Santa Clause was where he proved himself as a leading man in film. The first Santa Clause film was such a success that two sequels followed and even most recently a series on Disney+.
My Thoughts:
The Santa Clause franchise created two sequels and while I am not a fan of the third film, I do believe that the first two Santa Clause films hold up as holiday classics. I personally prefer the second film to the first, but the franchise had to start somewhere and we’re going to take a look at both films today!
The Santa Clause (1994)
The original Santa Clause film tells the story of Scott Calvin, a workaholic father who tries to give his son a special Christmas Eve and gets a lot more than he could have expected. After Santa Claus accidentally falls off his roof, Scott puts on the coat and is suddenly roped into the Santa Clause and now must assume the duties and responsibilities of Santa. At first, he doesn’t want the job but cannot escape the clause as he suddenly starts craving sweets, putting on weight, and even growing a big beard. His son, Charlie, is excited at the prospect of his father being Santa but maybe a little too excited as his behavior worries his mother and stepfather.
Tim Allen at first plays Scott Calvin as a selfish man who puts his job before anything else. But he slowly becomes more charming, and we do see that he cares about his son Charlie and goes out of his way to keep his son’s belief in Santa alive. Judge Reinhold as Neil is a funny foil to Scott and him and Allen have some funny back and forth. His character’s evolution from selfish workaholic to caring father does come across well and Scott and Charlie’s chemistry really brings that home.
The film has a warm and whimsical feeling to it that feels very much like Christmas. A moment that I really enjoy is when Scott is first delivering presents and he encounters a little girl who notices he doesn’t fit the typical mold of Santa. It leads to some funny banter between the two especially when Scott refuses to drink the milk because he is lactose intolerant. It is one of the few scenes where the comedy works for me. Later in the film, when Scott has fully become Santa with big belly and beard, he returns to the little girl’s home and there’s a sweet moment between the two where Scott drinks seemingly sour milk, and the little girl reveals she left soy milk for him because she remembered he was lactose intolerant. It’s a small touch that makes the scene extra sweet and it is one of my favorite moments of any Santa Clause film.
Another big plus for this film is the design of the North Pole and its choice of using children to play the elves. The moment where Scott and Charlie see the North Pole for the first time is a magical moment accompanied by a very whimsical song. It’s another one of my favorite moments from the franchise and it gives it its Christmassy charm. The choice of elves to be played by children is a clever idea and makes for some cute interactions. Watching Scott argue with a child who says he has shoes older than him was a highlight. I also enjoyed the tender moment Scott has with Judy the Elf. And of course, there is Bernard played by David Krumholtz who is an enjoyable character and has some funny interactions with Scott. Even the Elf Squad that comes into play later in the film is likable although at times cheesy. The kids in this film all work pretty well, for the most part..
Charlie is a likable kid although I will admit that I do find him more annoying watching the film as an adult. I understand it’s a kid being a kid, but he takes his excitement of his dad being Santa to obsessive levels to where even after Christmas he is playing Santa in his room. What I find annoying is that when his father asks him to keep their trip to the North Pole and his role as Santa a secret, he doesn’t listen, and his big mouth gets both him and Scott into trouble. But that’s more the annoyance of a cynical adult rather than a flaw that hurts the film.
What I do think hurts the film is the fact that there really isn’t as much humor as one would expect from a Tim Allen film. Home Improvement is chock full of humor and surprisingly none of that humor really exists in this film. They wanted to go for a more whimsical and nicer story rather than something comedic. While I appreciate a whimsical atmosphere for a Christmas film, I feel as though it is a missed opportunity to take full advantage of Tim Allen’s comedic talents and it is what ultimately takes this film from being great to just okay for me personally.
But even so, the story is solid enough for kids to follow, Tim Allen is charming enough that in the end he does make for a good Santa Claus, and it does have that magical Christmassy feel to get kids in the holiday spirit.
The Santa Clause 2 (2002)
While I think the first Santa Clause is just an okay film, I love the sequel and it is one of my favorite Christmas movies ever. In the sequel, Scott finds out that there is another clause known as the Mrs. Clause. He finds out that he must find a wife by Christmas Eve or else he can no longer be Santa. On top of that, he finds out that his son Charlie, now much older, has been put on the naughty list and must go see him. In his absence, he trusts his elf, Curtis to create a toy replica Santa to run things which has disastrous results.
What I really love about this film is that it does everything that a great sequel does. It takes the ideas set up in the first film and expands upon them. For instance, the look of the North Pole is expanded, and we get to see more of Santa’s workshop and the village. Seeing Tim Allen in full Santa mode is fun to watch. The opening moments where he is playing football with his elves and having fun letting them win really shows how much Scott has fully embraced his role and is making for a great Santa. The elves in this film are very cheery and the atmosphere feels more Christmassy than the first film.
I also really love that the film has some genuine romantic moments as well as some heartwarming moments that come with Christmas. Scott decides to court Carol, his son’s school principal, who at first, he thought was cold and mean but as he gets to know her better, he realizes there is more to her than he thinks. He picks her up and they have a romantic sleigh ride to the party. This is another favorite moment of mine as there is romantic chemistry between them and the Christmas spirit is there as well with them drinking cocoa and even snow falling.
It leads to my favorite moment of any Santa Clause film where Scott accompanies her to a Christmas party and at first it is a very sour experience as no one has any Christmas spirit. Scott takes the stage and uses his Christmas magic to hold a secret Santa, revealing presents that bring the staff back to their childhood. Watching the staff glow with happiness seeing toys from their childhood is a moment that has stuck with me always. It reminds why I love the giving part of Christmas so much and inspired me create moments like this for the people that I love. One year, I got my roommate an old game console with his favorite game and even last year, I tracked down an old baby doll that my girlfriend used to have as a child. Seeing the excitement on their faces is what I love most about Christmas, and I will always be thankful to this movie for inspiring that.
Another aspect that I love about this film is Tim Allen’s performance as the evil Toy Santa. It is so over-the-top and silly that you cannot help but laugh at him. Watching him drink cocoa for the first time is my second favorite Santa Clause moment and it has inspired many memes and gifs. The idea of a robot Santa turning evil and declaring everyone naughty isn’t anything new as Futurama did it first. But where their Santa turned into a homicidal killing machine, Toy Santa just wants to give the world coal. It’s a funny setup for an antagonist and the final battle between Scott and Toy Santa brings a lot of laughs. I always pop hearing Toy Santa call Scott a sad and strange little man.
As much as I love this movie, I would be remised to say it is a perfect movie as it isn’t. The weakest part of the film would have to be the storyline with Charlie. It’s not bad nor done badly but it is not as interesting as the rest of the stuff going on. Charlie is acting out because he is frustrated having to hide the fact that his dad is Santa. This is a good dilemma for him to go through, but it isn’t focused on enough that it could have been cut out and not affected much of the story. The moment where Charlie vents his frustrations to his dad is a good moment and acted well but again, it doesn’t stand out enough compared to what’s going on with Scott or the Toy Santa.
The film also does the cliché of the misunderstanding leading to a breakup and the characters sulking over it for the third act. It’s been done in every romantic comedy ever done and it is a tired cliché because we know that the characters are going to realize they’ve made a mistake and get back together, and it feels like useless padding. Thankfully, it doesn’t last too long and they get to the climax shortly after.
Despite these obvious flaws, the romantic and Christmassy moments of this film are strong enough to withstand them. I remember watching this film for the first time on Disney Channel and I look forward every year to putting it on each Christmas. It’s in my top five favorite Christmas movies of all time and one that I would watch repeatedly.
Conclusion:
The first two Santa Clause films, especially the second one, hold up as timeless Christmas classics. They carry a whimsical spirit that screams Christmas and Tim Allen shines as a fun and charming Santa Claus. While I do not love it as much as the sequel, the first film does a solid job of laying the foundation that the sequels would follow (and some would stumble).
I purposely did not include the third film as I believe that to be the weakest and most inferior of the films and most fans of these films would agree. Even Disney agrees, having poked fun at the third film in their recent show, The Santa Clauses. And before anyone asks, I have watched and completed that show but won’t go deep into my thoughts on it here. In short summary, I liked it but didn’t love it. I believe that it does have potential and that there is a lot of room for improvement in the coming second season.
The Santa Clause has become a popular holiday franchise for Disney and the first two films are proof as to why. They are charming holiday classics that I highly recommend, especially Santa Clause 2. They will give you that warm Christmassy feeling along with some solid laughs to keep you in the holiday spirit.
Comments