The world has gotten so cynical these days that it’s hard to remember a time when certain events held a magical quality to them. I’m a card carrying member of the Bah Humbug Club when it comes to Christmas. I want to believe in the spirit of the season, but when seasonal marketers start pounding to get into my pocket book earlier and earlier I get down right crabby. That’s why I wasn’t really looking forward to seeing “The Santa Clause 2” before the Halloween candy was gone from the dish by the door.
But thanks to the delightful combination of a decent script by too many writers to mention, and the charms of Tim Allen and his supporting cast, this film makes even a Scrooge like me want to start my Christmas shopping.
Scott Calvin (Allen) has been Santa Claus for a good number of years and everyone agrees that he’s the best Santa ever. He likes to work, but he knows how to have fun too. Unfortunately, there’s one little thing he doesn’t know about — and that’s the “Mrs. Clause.” Santa’s elves, Bernard (David Krumholtz) and Curtis (Spencer Breslin) break the bad news to Santa that if he doesn’t get find a wife by Christmas, then he won’t be Santa any more. In fact, the “desantafication” process is already starting to happen.
Santa must return to his former identity as Scott, father to Charlie (Eric Lloyd) to find a wife. But Charlie is in trouble at school. His principal, Carol Newman (Elizabeth Mitchell) is threatening to expel him for painting graffiti on school property until his dad intervenes. While it may not be love at first sight, sparks certainly start to fly between Carol and Scott, but will love bloom in time to put the color back in Santa’s cheeks?
As a counterpoint to Santa Claus’s squeaky clean image, there is the dreaded clone Santa (also played by Allen) who is created by Curtis the elf so that the real Santa can be freed up to go in search of a wife. This clone Santa goes bad very quickly and turns Santa’s magical toy shop into a forced labor camp where the elves are chipping up coal to give to the world’s children because let’s face it — they’ve all been naughty at one time or another.
Good use is made of the desire on the part of all us grown-ups to return to the childlike joy of Christmas. There’s one funny scene at the middle school faculty Christmas party where all the teachers are standing around like statues, until Scott starts handing out presents which are just what these adults wanted to get as kids. These now vintage toys bring a child’s delight to everyone’s eyes and before you know it, the dead party has come to life as these teachers unpack their presents and start playing with them. Guess we’re all just kids at heart.
Tim Allen goes back to basics with this film and ends up doing what he does best — which is to make the audience believe that if special things can happen to him, they can happen to us too. After the failure of his past two films, “Big Trouble” and “Joe Somebody,” he can use a hit and I think he will have one with this film.
Do yourself and your family a favor; get into the holiday spirit by taking them to see “The Santa Clause 2.”
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
