After he accidentally makes Santa Claus fall of his roof on Christmas
Eve, a man must now take his place and become the new Santa Claus. FAMILY/FANTASY
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The Santa Clause (1994)Directed by John Pasquin
Written by Leo Benvenuti and Steve Rudnick Starring Tim Allen, Eric Lloyd, Judge Reinhold, Wendy Crewson, David Krumholtz |
The Santa Clause is a movie that's been in my holiday rotation for as long as I can remember. It's a heartwarming family comedy about the spirit of belief and who doesn't love that? Tim Allen makes a surprisingly great Santa Claus, and his entertaining holiday trilogy began here with this giant 1994 hit. It's not particularly funny or well-written or clever. It's just sweet and endearing, and sometimes that's enough for films like this.
The premise is intriguing but also really creepy if you think about it too much. Scott Calvin (Allen) is a divorced businessman who doesn't really have time for his son Charlie (Lloyd). On Christmas Eve, they hear a noise on the roof, and when they check it out, they see Santa Claus. Scott makes him lose his concentration, and makes Santa fall off his roof. For reasons unknown, Scott puts on Santa's outfit and keeps his route going, only to end up at the North Pole and find out that he's unknowingly signed a contract making him the new Santa. The rest of the movie is Scott's slow but hilarious transformation into Santa, and his fight to keep custody of his son after his ex-wife thinks he's losing his mind. It's a neat story with just enough Christmas spirit to keep it alive. The Santa Clause isn't one of the best Christmas movies of all time, but it certainly isn't one of the worst. It's one you can watch with your kids and reinforce their Christmas spirit. I've always enjoyed it, mostly because it's always just kinda been there. |