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THE SANTA CLAUSE 2
Director : Michael Lembeck
Cast : Tim Allen, Elizabeth Mitchell, Eric Lloyd, David Krumholtz, Spencer Breslin, Wendy Crewson, Judge Reinhold
(Disney, 2002) Rated: PG
Release date : 1 November 2002 by Cynthia Fuchs
PopMatters Film and TV Editor
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comment on this article Fascist Santa The most original idea in 1994's The Santa Clause was its premise: killing off Santa. This bizarre gambit left unhappily single (and perfectly initialed) dad Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) with the burden/gift of replacing Jolly St. Nick, which allowed him to impress his child and feel "needed" following the breakup of his marriage. As he learned that being Santa is a hugely daunting task during a certain season, no matter that the abundant vacation time, Scott's alternate moments of awkwardness and derring-do made for some sweet comedy that has made the film something of a holiday rental favorite. Now comes Michael Lembeck's 8-years-in-the-making sequel, The Santa Clause 2 , where the best idea is not its premise that Santa must be married by Christmas Eve of a certain year, this one, or the automatic "de-santification process" will rob him of his powers and children everywhere of their favorite holiday forever. Instead, the best idea this time out is the offshoot of that plot-starter, which is the creation of a second, emphatically plastic Santa (also played by Allen, under much ruddy-cheeked goop), concocted by Scott's book-smartest elf, Curtis (Spencer Breslin), so that Scott can head off to the burbs to find a mate before deadline, leaving behind the imitation, so the other elves won't feel nervous. | |
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