The Santa Clause (1994)

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Here's a title from my childhood that wasn't really given the proper chance by yours truly. I missed it in theatres, and only saw it once or twice after that, once it was released on VHS (that's pre-DVD media for all you youngins). As the years passed, this never really made it onto my list of Christmas movies to be annually watched, but despite it being pretty solid as a family-friendly flick, I could never quite put my finger on what it was about this movie that genuinely kinda bothered me. This time around, it slapped me in the face pretty hard.

Now, just to be clear, on the whole, this is a pretty great Christmas movie that the whole family can gather 'round and watch. It certainly manages to provide some of that good old Christmas magic, whether you're a kid, or an adult who hasn't felt that spirit in a while. On top of that, now, there's a bit of a nostalgia tied to it, with a lead actor like Tim Allen, bad 90s CG effects that add to its charm, and the simple fact that I was 12 when this came out, maybe 13 by the time I actually saw it, and therefore, hanging on to those last little strands of my childhood.

I still remember that specific feeling of starting to lose some of that Christmas magic, but this movie came along and reinvigorated things for me. I remember loving it at the time, feeling like a kid again (as far as that can go at 13), and even going so far as to imagine how lucky the kid in this was to have Santa as his Dad. I mean, really, how awesome would that be? I may have been the age I was, but I could still imagine and appreciate what Christmas magic was to a younger kid.

Toy-maker and businessman, Scott Calvin (Tim Allen), now separated from his wife Laura (Wendy Crewson), still manages to spend time with his son, Charlie (Eric Lloyd), but also has to deal with Laura's new man in her life, Neal (Judge Reinhold). This clown feels that Charlie is too old to believe in Santa (he's 8), and wants him to grow up a bit faster. Neal's also a child psychologist, so that makes me dislike him so much more. To my delight, Scott interjects enough to mention that a kid having an imagination is a great thing. But this is the aforementioned "slap in the face." I just can't stand to see a kids imagination get stifled.

Anyway, on Christmas Eve, Charlie is staying with his Dad, and hears a clatter on the roof. Scott goes to check it out, finds Santa, scares him, and causes him to fall off the roof to his death. Long story short, Scott must now take Santa's place, as part of the "Santa Clause". Somehow, he manages to finish Santa's work that night (I think?), and makes it to the North Pole where he meets head elf Bernard (David Krumholtz). But when he wakes up Christmas morning, he believes it all to be a dream, despite Charlie's insistence that it was real.

As the next year unfolds leading up to Christmas, Scott transforms both in physical body and spirit, becoming the next Santa Claus. And I have to say, one wouldn't think immediately that Tim Allen would work at all as a Santa, but once he starts growing that beard and getting bigger, he plays the role pretty amazingly, and it all boils down to his charming smile. You can tell he's having fun with the role, and I appreciate how the movie not only adjusts his looks, but his overall attitude as well. One could think of him as transforming from Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor to the Santa we see on the side of our Coca-Cola cans.

Even after praising the good things about this movie, however, it still doesn't quite make my list of annual, or even bi-annual watches, and I think it's the character of Neal that repels me. I get that we're not necessarily supposed to like the guy, but he just wants to suck the magic out of everything, and as a result, he drains some of the magic from the film itself. On the other hand, it makes it much easier to side with Scott, and that very well may be the underlying point. Either way, this is still a good time, and even though it's not a regular watch for me, I can't blame anyone for coming back to it every year.

3/5

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