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Over the years, he has become the best Santa Clause ever. But they stumble upon another Clause that one of the elves overlooked: The Missus Clause. It states that to continue being Santa, he must get married before X-mas day. As each day passes, his beard gets smaller and continue to lose weight. To top it all off, his son Charlie ends up on the Naughty List.
As he tries to find a wife, deal with the fake Santa who is taking over the North Pole, and figure out what is bothering his son, the movie fills up with excellent comedy and fun while delivering a good message. It's not as good as the first, but it soon to be a X-mas classic.
So of course many ayear later when I heard about a 2nd one you can bet your bottom dollar I was that teenager in the front row giggling at Clone-clause, as soon as the movie started
I found myself amused (well...most of the time.) by the movie.
It had funny and touching moments, it had a few good new characters. I.e. the tooth fairy, Father time, mother nature and clone-clause. And a few not so good ones. I.e. Cupit, Cutis, the easter bunny, Comet...
But what I found myself most disapointed in was the old characters themselfs!! They seem've changed so much within what ohh, 6-8 years? Charlie was a reble? Laura and Neil were bland worring parents and the elves?!
Oh god don't get me started on the elves! I missed Judy! and the old costumes and set and I hated Curtis' mood swings!
As for Bernard? where did my gruff, protective big brother elf go? Now he's winny, pensive and unsure of hiself? Come on!
Now...I understand that David K. (Bernard) Was only 16 when he played the role in the first movie and that he was 24 in the 2nd but come on!! Why did the director have them change so much? Oooohh yeah a little birdy told me about him (Check out interviews with him on google for yourselfs) and that birdy told me he had a meeting with Tim Allen and had him change the other actors view points on their characters, you know, make them a little disney-er? Not sure if its true, watch the DVD for yourselfs and tell me if you like him on the set I sure didn't.
Over all:
I WAS disapointed in the 2nd movie, I held more hope that the characters and movie world/set would stay the same but it didn't, and I was highly upset by the new Comet, but over all. If your a fan of the first, check out the 2nd and see for yourselfs. As for me? I hold hope tight in my heart that the third and forth will be golden, after all, its the same crew/director that did the first and I'm hoping that somewhere out there Tim Allen and David K. along with the rest of the crew will find it in their hearts to dig out the old Santa Clause characters they played in the first one.
For I sure do miss em.
For more on Santa Clause 3, 4 the movie check out Google with the keywords:
"Santa Clause the movie 3 4"
Happy Holidays.
8 years ago Scott Calvin became Santa Clause due to a clause in the contract that he discovered on the previous Santa who fell from his roof. Since then he has enjoyed bringing joy to the world, but life is tough when he has a son and broken marriage back in the States. Now a new clause has been found in the small print of the contract card: he has to find a Mrs Clause to marry by Christmas Eve or else he will no longer be Santa. With this weight on his shoulders he returns home to sort out the problems with his troubled son leaving a toy Santa in his place who is a stickler for the rules and decides that maybe not that many children in the world have been good after all! Chaos ensues, will Santa find his wife, will he sort out the mess at the North Pole, and will he sort out his son, all before Christmas Eve is over!!!
Review
The Santa Clause was in my mind the definitive Santa movie, it appealed to both adults and kids alike and didn't have Dudley Moore in it nor was it so overfilled with sugary sweetness that I wanted to puke. Well may he rest in peace but thankfully Moore isn't in this film, so the alcohol content may be low but the sugar content is definitely high. So high in fact that a warning should be placed on the poster "This film is rated U and may contain some scenes that could cause tooth decay in viewers of a sensitive nature."
As a rule of thumb, Hollywood film-makers see a sequel and either add kids or animals to the mix, don't believe me check out Robocop 3 or Mad Max 3 to name two. The Santa Clause 2 has elves, who are either sleeping in the summer or are very busy at Christmas so are conveniently played here by children for the sake of the film. However this is not a bad movie, my rating of two stars acts as a guide to those that remembered the first film when the were young and thought they might get in the Christmas spirit and see the second, don't! Watch the first on TV and save some money, however if you do have kids or want to borrow a neighbours so you can see it anyway you can double the rating to four stars as any child under 10 will love it.
Tim Allen is always a pleasure to see, and the movie from an adult's perspective takes a good 20 minutes to kick in, as he then returns to his former state, Scott Calvin leaving behind a dictator Toy Santa (Allen in toy makeup and full Buzz Lightyear mode) to hold the North Pole fort. Out of the main role of the main man, Allen excels and the humour from an adult perspective is apparent and funny, while the romance shared between Calvin and Carol (Mitchell) is genuine and touching.
The Verdict
All in all, this piece of Christmas cheer is well worth the effort if you have children that you'd like to take. Its inoffensive and joyous and from that perspective is a rare treat at the cinema today, but it has little to offer anyone in their teens or older, which is a shame as based on the first film that's an opportunity that has been missed.
1. The raindeer (comet) is portrayed as a fat farting slob when it's supposed to be cute
2. The lame plot of santa's son who is so upset that he can't tell anybody about his dad (isn't that so sad?) that it drives him to vadalism.
3. The very annoying, unfunny robot claus that takes over the workshop with toy shoulders
4.chessy specail effects
5. predictable ending
What I like about it- ....
make the choice yourself you'll probably turn it off. I reccomend this to noone.
First of all, I thought Tim Allen was the best comedien in this film. He has lots of laughs and lots of goofs. Tim Allen is pretty entertaining. I thought Disney The Santa Clause movies and the Toy Story movies were the best Tim Allen movies.
Second of all, the movie was about Christmas, and Christmas is my favorite holiday. Other Christmas movies I really enjoy were Elf and A Charlie Brown Christmas.
Third of all, the colors in the movie are really cool! The Santa Clause was a heart-warming film that will have everyone laugh one moment. I would give this film ****1/2 stars.
The opening of the movie fails to grab you and make you want more. The movie starts off extremely slow. There is a little tension as Santa must find a wife by Christmas, but the story from that point on is highly predictable. The viewer knows the first woman he meets will not work out. If she did, then what would they do for the remainder of the movie. The next woman Santa meets is the most unlikely choice, therefore, it is the one that works out. Again, highly predictable writing. The ending is forced. It is as if the writers ran out of time and just slapped an ending on the movie.
Your children will probably enjoy it, but adults should wait and rent it. Save your dough.
Again, in short: There is NOT A SINGLE REDEEMING QUALITY TO THIS FILM AT ALL.
Why on earth did Tim Allen agree to make this horrible movie? Was it contractual? It must have been. I enjoyed the first movie, in a light fluffy holiday movie kinda way, but this sequel is too bad to be believed.
All in all, this movie misses the magic of the first. There are none of the magic, tender moments such as "You said you were lactose intolerant," or great moments as when Bernard tells Santa about the list, and all of the elves sing the third line of the song. I have to say that if you like this one, you're very easily satisfied with a very poor movie. They should have burned this script and found another director.
The second vehicle -- though filmed eight years apart from the first -- seems like a cash-in, and nothing more. Santa (Tim Allen), a.k.a. Scott Calvin (look at the initials), is as happy as can be. He's been Santa Claus for the past eight years, and the children have been happier since he became Santa. (Who takes these polls?) But as Christmas draws closer, Scott realizes that not only is his son, Charlie, on the Naughty List, there's a second clause in the contract that states he must become married to "The Mrs. Claus" in 27 days, or he'll be history.
The head elf, Bernard, along with the help of another fellow elf (Specer Breslin, "The Cat in the Hat"), duplicates a fake Santa to watch over things as the real Scott goes home to tend to family matters. But the new Santa Claus is an evil dictator who comes to work in Hitler's outfit and demands that all children be given coal. It's the funniest part of the movie, apart from when Evil Santa says to Good Santa, "You are a sad, strange little man," which is of course a little Disney in-joke. (Tim is mimicking his own Buzz Lightyear character from Disney/Pixar's "Toy Story.")
"The Santa Clause 2" got a lot of good reviews that called it an enjoyable and charming little movie, but I missed something. The first film was something both kids and adults alike could equally enjoy. Allen was funnier, the film was funnier, and it was much more charming than this. And for a film made eight years earlier, its special effects are superior. (At the end of "2," Scott hangs off the back of Evil Santa's flying sleigh and...it simply has to be seen to be appalled by.)
There's a major plot hole in the entire idea of Santa Claus existing in our world that need not be pointed out by me -- and I won't, in case there are children reading this. But whereas the first film had fun with the notion of Santa Claus being real, "The Santa Clause 2" bashes it all over the head. Charlie cries at one point because his dad has "the best job in the world" but he is unable to tell all his friends. Boo-hoo. The thing is, "The Santa Clause 2" takes the idea of Santa Claus too far. It's not fun anymore. Just watch the first -- and far superior -- film instead.
Another thing: The first film seemed very down to earth, very simple and fun. This movie is all over the place. A television show director made "The Santa Clause 2," and it's very evident that this is so. The movie is too sporadically daffy and serious and not at all inspired. I still remember seeing the first film and being delighted by its sheer heart. This movie doesn't really have one.
I like Tim Allen's dry ironic humor because I think he knows how to make good use of it. He used it to perfection in "Home Improvement," used it even better in "The Santa Clause," voiced the witty Buzz Lightyears, and then appeared in a string of flops, including "Big Trouble" and "Who is Cletis Tout?" Here's to "Toy Story 3" -- if Pixar ever manages to break away from Disney and its stupid no-more-sequels contract.
The basic plot is that Santa (Tim Allen) finds out 28 days before Christmas that he must find a wife (which is called the Mrs. Clause) before Christmas or else he cannot be Santa any longer. Since he needs to be finding a wife and at the North Pole supervising toy making, some of his elves make a toy clone version of him to stay at the North Pole. He goes down to the town his son lives in to find a wife, and immediately latches on to the son's super hot principal. The rest I won't ruin for those who want to see it.
Ok... I really liked the crazy clone Santa plotline - I thought it was hilarious. It might be a little too scary for extremely young kids (especially since he wears a Saddam Hussein like outfit), but I think most will be able to handle it with no problems.
I could not STAND the reindeer. The animatronics were horrible and the reindeer itself was just annoying (and I really hate when a movie with so much promise stoops to fart jokes). If they had left that entire part out of the movie, I think it would have been much better.
Overall, the story is cute. I liked it - its worth renting around Christmas time with the family. It doesn't hold a candle to the original Santa Clause, in typical sequel fashion. I recommend it - just don't go in expecting to see the Santa Clause all over again!
Both The Santa Clause and The Santa Clause 2 presented Scott Calvin (a.k.a Santa Claus) with some hefty, real life problems. In the sequel, Calvin is introduced to such issues as marriage and the juvenile delinquency of his only son. However, the overall tone of it remained light and happy, whereas the first movie's issues brought about sadness and pity.
Who would have known a man as powerful as Santa could lose his magic? Returning home to help his needy son also meant Santa's magic was not of an unlimited supply. Santa is unable to return to the North Pole if his magic has run out. What is a man to do when he is unable to use all his power to save his loved ones and himself?
Upon watching this film you will definately realize Santa is not the only mythical leading (wo)man with problems! Helping out with the joyous tone of the movie were an array of silly characters, such as Chet the trainee reindeer and the toy Santa, who overtook the North Pole with his Nazi-like rules. The movie also introduced some childhood fantasy characters such as the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny. I could relate more to this movie with the presence of charcters from my own childhood.
Not only did this movie leave me with a tummy ache from all the laughter, and a warm heart, but it also reinstated my belief in fairytales. "Seeing isn't believing. Believing is seeing"
I also wanted to see more of Judge, whose therapist character is rather funny. However, he kept getting interrupted by the Tim's character which was just annoying. I also felt the main character's son's delinquacy was rather out of character and not fully explored.
Small children might enjoy this film entertaining, but I thought it was just plain silly. This film would be vastly improved by a better script, and less reliance on flashy CGI, and of course, more Judge.
Complicating matters is his son Charlie is now on the "naughty" list and Santa has to go home and find out what's going on. To keep things running at the North Pole, #2 Elf Curtis creates a phony toy Santa. Unfortunately the Toy Santa is straight out of the "Terminator" and has his own ideas about how Christmas should be.
All of the original cast members are back for the sequel, adding Elizabeth mitchell as Charlie's principal and possibly the future Mrs. Clause.
Some very funny moments, much like the first along with some genuine holiday warmth. Some decent special effects too. The Santa Clause movies have one of the best looking North Poles seen in any holiday movie.
The extras on the disc are a bit disappointing. Disney did not advertise it as a special edition and that's good. You get commentary by the director Michael Lemback along with deleted scenes. There's a few very short featurettes which are only about 3 - 5 minutes in length. There's also some DVD-Rom games you can play.
It would have been nice to get more out of this but I guess a Christmas movie sells itself. i give it a 4 for the movie and a 2 for the extras.
It seems that Scott Calvin aka Santa missed another little bit of fine print in the Santa contract. He has to find a Mrs. Clause or he'll no longer be Santa. To prevent the elves from panicing while he's gone, one of the other elves comes up with a machine that can create a duplicate full size "toy" Santa. With the temporary Santa in place, Scott begins to see the effects of his desantafying, in other words, he returns to looking like Scott Calvin. There's another problem awaiting Scott when he returns home--his son Charlie has been "tagging" (i.e. painting graffiti) the high school he's going to and has been caught his his principle Carol(Elizabeth Mitchell).
Scott returns home and ends up staying with his ex-wife and her husband (the clueless and marvelous Judge Reinhold). Scott's ex sets him up on a number of blind dates (as mentioned before we only see one but it is quite funny). When Charlie gets caught tagging again at the school, Scott negoiates detention vs. having his son expelled but there's a catch--Scott has to help Charlie serve detention. Scott suddenly notices a romantic spark between he and Carol. When Scott decides to woo her the film has some of its most effecting moments.
Back at the North Pole the Toy Santa has gone bananas--after reviewing the rule book, he decides that every child in the world deserves a lump of coal. He also decides to retool the toy factory into a coal factory. Now Scott has to save his position as Santa and Christmas.
Tim Allen is marvelous as both Scott Calvin, Santa and the Toy Santa. His natural comedic flair and timing help make the tone of the film (which veers from comedy to a number of touching moments) work. Elizabeth Mitchell also gives a nicely nuanced performance as Carol. Despite her beauty, she's believable as the drill disciplinarian princple and Scott's love interest. I was really surprised to see the young actor who played Charlie in the first movie in this one as well. Unlike a lot of child actors, he's managed to retain many of the qualities that made him so effective in the role in the first place. Although Judge Reinhold has made a number of stinker movies over the past decade, it doesn't detract from his ability to light up the screen. He's a natural, goofy comic presence.
The DVD comes with a number of deleted scenes and it's pretty clear why they were deleted. Still, the scene between Mother Nature and Father Time would have been great in the movie. The cameos include appearences by Michael Dorn (Worf from Star Trek) as the Sandman, Peter Boyle as Father Time and Kevin Pollack as a love challenged Cupid.
The gag reel isn't quite as funny as I would have thought but there is a chuckle or two there. The True Confessions of The Legendary Figures features "interviews" with the Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, Mother Nature and there's also Operation Toy BOx: Save Santa Set Top Game which I didn't have a chance to try.
DVD Rom features include Coloring Book Activity, a fairly lame Reindeer Games gameas well as two other games I didn't have the time to try.
The Santa Clause 2 is fun entertainment for the whole family. While it isn't quite as original as the first movie, there's still plenty of creative invention that keeps this film rolling along.
In this movie, the entire original cast returns for a story that's actually quite clever for a "part II." Colorful and fun from beginning to end, the humor is genuine, and not the 'corny' kind you might expect. Actually, my favorite line is when the "number two elf," Curtis, says, "The Desantafication process has begun!" He shouts it so loudly and rapidly it's scary--but mad humorous. If you don't already know the story, here it is in a nutshell: Scott needs a wife in order to remain Santa forever; the "Mrs. Clause." His son Charlie is falling into 'bad behavior' because he feels neglected and upset that he must keep his father's secret, when his dad's got the coolest job of all. While Scott is courting the school principal using magic, back at the North Pole, chaos is ensuing as the toy santa goes awry and develops a persona not unlike Hitler. He whips the elves into long, miserable work hours and is just basically cruel, screwing up the entire process of Christmas by deciding that most kids are naughty and they all deserve only coal.
The reindeer, Scott's ex-wife and Neil, the hilarious Council of Legendary Figures, etc., all combine to make a truly satisfying movie that is a very, very worthy successor to "The Santa Clause." I am pleased to say, a longtime fan of the original was not disappointed at all. (Warning: The most irritating character by far is Molly Shannon's small role of Tracy, Scott's first dismal attempt at finding a Mrs. Clause. Tracy has an unhealthy obsession with country music and bursts into a highly embarassing singing-and-dancing performance of a Shania Twain song with lyrics twisted to be about Christmas--UNDER THE WATCH OF EVERYONE IN A PUBLIC RESTAURANT WITHIN FIVE MINUTES OF THE START OF A FIRST DATE. Something's wrong with this woman. She's one of those, "I-am-not-with-her, I've-never-seen-her-before-in-my-life" kind of humilating freaks of nature whom you'd NEVER wanna be caught dead with in public. The scene is funny--still, I dunno about anyone else, but I felt really awful for Scott. I mean, he responded the way any normal red-blooded American would, and then Tracy storms out on him for not "supporting her ambition" when she "put herself out there" which she claims was "not an easy thing to do.") Bernard has a big role, and is even more likable in this one; he doesn't like Curtis much, but he's used to having Scott as Santa. "Chet" is the new, inexperienced reindeer-in-training who is completely horrible at guiding a sleigh--or just flying, for that matter. The Tooth Fairy, who wants to change his name to Tooth Man, Tooth Guy, Molinator, Tooth, Plaque Man, Captain Floss, or as I recall, Roy, is hysterical. "No kid will leave a tooth under their pillow for some guy named Roy," claims Cupid. Eh heh...it's probably true.
Also, BE SURE TO WATCH THE SPECIAL FEATURES!! They're excellent. The interview with the Legendary Figures is hilarious. Gotta love Cupid. "Deleted scenes" & "gag reel" are tons of fun. Watch the movie with the audio commentary from Micheal Lembeck as well as the hysterically funny ten-minute "Exploring the North Pole w/ Curtis." These are too much fun & they give greater insight into the rivalry betwixt Curtis and Bernard. Banana, anyone?!
So on the whole, it's a great film. For everybody. I'd see it if I were you. Terrific holiday movie. A new tradition will be watching the first followed by the second each year.
That impressive look comes across in the opening sequence in the North Pole. Santa's workshop is bustling with elves. They are clearly played by children who wear makeup wisely limited to the ears. At the same time the place comes across like FAO Shwartz with a gigantic upgrade. The elves are making the toys that Santa must deliver when trouble starts. A surveillance plane is approaching their territory, and picking up the sounds coming from the workshop. Aanta turns to elves who monitor a security section like NORAD in WARGAMES. (They go to "ElfCon 1", a nice touch.) Eventually the crisis is abated, and it's back to business. Santa then conducts a meeting with all the other legendary figures: The Easter Bunny, The Tooth Fairy, Father Time, Cupid, and even The Sandman. When I saw who was cast in the role of Sandman I burst out laughing. (I wouldn't dream of revealing who it is. Some great jokes will come out of it.)
Everything seems wonderful, but Santa comes down with two major problems. His son Charlie from the real world is on the "naughty" list, and if Santa doesn't get married before Christmas Eve at midnight, it's all over. So, he must go back to the Real World, find out what's up with Charlie and find someone to be Mrs Clause. Charlie is in trouble at school for painting graffiti, but after meeting his principal and her feelings about Christmas, it becomes understandable why he did it.
Without giving away too many secrets, I can say that Santa only has a limited amount of Santa magic to use while he is in the real world. Meanwhile the head elf and his assistant try to cover up the fact that Santa must leave and go right on schedule. It results in a subplot that's a nice touch and is good for some funny moments. At the same time I felt Tim Allen projects a complete sense of good will and a belief that he really is Old Saint Nick. In a couple of scenes where he uses his magic I had a smile on my face.
Will kids like this film? I'm sure they will. Some adults may be turned off completely by this, but their cynicism is probably so high that it's their problem. So what? Some of my customers at Hollywood Video are parents who will like it even more than I do. I doubt it will ever become the holiday classic like A CHRISMTMAS STORY or IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, but it does bring good cheer.
Actually, this movie fights on three fronts rather than the one of the first movie. In the first corner, Scott has to deal with his son, Charlie, who has turned up on the naughty list for butting heads with his cynical principal, and using grafitti as his weapon of choice. In the second is Toy Santa, the imitation Santa Scott leaves behind to run things in his absence, but who decides he's the real Santa and ALL children are naughty, and therefore deserve coal instead of toys. And finally, the second Santa Clause -- the Mrs. Clause -- that states that if Scott doesn't locate a wife by Christmas Eve, he'll cease to be Santa forever. Much to Charlie's chagrin, Scott sets his sights on Charlie's beautiful principal, Carol Newman.
Overall this isn't a bad movie, but it lacks the magic of the first. In the original, Scott only had to deal with coming to terms about being Santa, and everything that happened in the movie was a direct link to that storyline. This time, there are three seperate stories going on (albeit linked), none of which earning much screen time. At the end, I walked away feeling as if none of the stories had been developed nearly as well as the single story was done in the first movie. Frankly, the storyline of warming the principal's heart -- she's abhored Christmas ever since her parents broke her heart by telling her the "truth" that there is no Santa. It also would have been interesting to see more of Charlie and his dilinquent behavior, handled all to quickly and neatly for my tastes. But then there's the chaos at the North Pole with the Toy Santa's takeover, an interesting storyline unto itself but one that never felt like much more than Disney showing off a few makeup tricks (as the Toy Santa, Tim does look like a giant toy Santa).
Consequently, this movie has an overall feel that's so different from the first, it never felt like a continuation of the same story. From beginning to end, it never felt as happy and comfortable as its predecessor.
Ultimately, this one will wind up on the video shelf next to the original. But it will never share the same place with the first in my heart.
Possibly the same fate would be waiting for this one, which features the titular character Scott Calvin, now called Santa and living around the North Pole with cute elves. He is happy, working for the good kids all over the world,; however, he is suddenly informed that there is one clause he should have known much earlier. That is, Santa must have a wife, Mrs. Clause so to speak, and he has to find a spouse within the deadline. And that is coming very near, like, about one month.
Five scriptwriters are credited to concoct the story, which I find very weak and even dated -- I said to myself, "must be married?" The filmmakers clearly didn't think about the possibility that not all the children watching this film share the same image of "family," but I can forget that part. That's a comedy, so just make us laugh.
And as a comedy, "Santa Clause 2" doesn't work well. There are some funny moments such as plastic Santa played by Allen in special make-up, or flatulant reindeer, but I don't think adults would find them memorable. In fact, I don't believe that kids watching the film might be bored unless they are very young pre-teens. The production designs are decently done, and Tim Allen and other cast do their best to be amusing, but how do you think when the film begins with a scene in which you see the surprised faces of airplane crew flying over the North Pole, who happen to hear the Christmas song of Smokey Robinson coming from underground? Is this tame gag so funny?
It is said that Hollywood studios, including Walt Disney company which produced this film, lack in originality, but the true problem is not that. It is that they lack confidence. If only the script pursued the premise of marrying Mrs, Clause much further, I was thinking about that while watching the film. Elizabeth Mitchell plays superbly the headmaster of a school with her rather cold, cynical attitude towards kids, and the romance between her and Tim Allen has some good moments. Of course, her cynicism is to be dismantled. But the film meanders among the unnecessary sub-plots about Scott Calvin's son, Judge Reinhold - Wendy Crewson family (did you remember they were in the original?) and the conference of traditional fairies. There are many sketches, but none of them can sustain the whole film.
People say "kids might love it"; perhaps they might, but you cannot underestimate kids. (I'd really like to know the opinions of teenagers, especially above 16.) As for adults, I don't think this is a good idea to spend the time. The premise of "Be married, be a Santa" never sounds enticing to me.
Scott (Tim Allen) has been divorced from his marriage in the first movie and, as 'Santa', he needs to find a Mrs. Claus before Christmas Day or else... And time runs short.
Charlie, now a grown-up teenager, gets in trouble for defacing school property. Not once, but several times. And the school's outer wall has grafitti all over it.
One of the better parts of the film is that the school staff gets the toys they wanted since their childhood days ... good for a chuckle or two, but warm-hearted nevertheless.
Yet another advertisement for Christmas commercialism.
Tim Allen looks uncomfortable with the dialog and hams it up way too much. Elizabeth Mitchell, as the principal, lacks charisma and is instantly forgettable. The elves try way too hard to be cute and the idea of Santa having to marry is not something kids would be interested in; but in spite of this, it's still a colorful and cheerful Christmas movie and children will enjoy it.
I'd recommend this film for kids under 12. Preschoolers should love it.
I'll be honest, the beginning & end of the movie is kind of rough. The five-bucks-a-day kid actors at the beginning & the "believing" stuff @ the end doesn't really help. But overall, the movie was very creative & funny. (remember, Tim Allen is in that sit-com?...)
It'll probably be five stars from your kids, & something good from you, probably. If you can get throught the first five minutes, well, its just good.
I think one thing that made this movie successful was the return of so many of the actors/actresses from the first Santa Clause movie. Tim Allen, of course, is back as Santa, and so is Eric Lloyd as Charlie, and Charlie's mom and stepfather Laura and Neil. I think Lloyd did a very strong acting job here and put some good depth into Charlie's character. Charlie is hurt and angry inside because his dad has the best job in the world, and he has to keep quiet about it--thus, he falls into some behavioral problems. Later, though, he discovers how special this secret is, which is a very touching moment in the film. And of course, you can also enjoy some new characters this time around. Curtis the elf will have you laughing, and Charlie's little stepsister Lucy is quite the little charmer. She is a cutie, and a special moment between her, Charlie, and Santa at the end was my personal favorite in the movie.I don't want to give away too much in this review, but I will advise you to go see this movie because it is one of the very few movie sequels out there that really works.
Now, while I admit sweet sappy family films are not my cup of tea, if they're done right I can certainly enjoy them. Especially good Christmas films which help me settle into that holly jolly spirit. The first Santa Clause sat just fine with me, offering enough entertainment to keep me watching and avoided too much of the saccharin-drenched family goodness that can make me sick to my stomach. The story of an ordinary man, divorced and trying to have a good relationship with his son, who falls into becoming the mythical Santa Claus was perfect holiday fare. Not a masterpiece by any measure, but sweet innocent fun. It's sequel, however, falls into a retread of similar themes and worse: Using cliched Christmas movie gimmicks. In other words, there isn't much originality here.
The story this time around is that another clause (rule) has been discovered that says Santa must marry or he'll lose his powers (rather convenient they found this rule out after 7 years on the job just moments before he starts losing his magic). Meanwhile, his son Charlie is on the naughty list and he must go home to put him back on track. Despite some plot holes, it seems this idea could work. But it doesn't.
What made the original work was the slow discovery of the magical world of Santa Claus amidst our real world. While being a fantasy, it had serious roots in the world we know. But the sequel is rooted in the fantasy world, the outside world plugged in as though it were an afterthought. Then it goes a step further into fantasy when other mythical creatures such as the Tooth Fairy and Mother Earth appear, making the film seem more silly then charming.
This movie is strictly for children and their parents who are into family fare. ĘThose that fit into this category, don't let me sway your decision to see it. But for anyone who is at all serious about movies: Don't waste your time.
I feel so much better getting this off my chest.
And if you want to see a real film for children and adults alike, with real intelligence and real humor, go see Spirited Away. Problem is, most theater chains don't give their audiences enough credit to show such films.
The whole cast is perfect. (One note, a previous review stated that Molly Shannon was the school principal who is the main female - she is the obnoxious person who bursts into song in a restaurant, a bit part.) It is wonderful to see the characters from the first Santa Clause years later. Eric Lloyd is now a teen and great as the confused son of Santa who can't tell anyone who his father really is. The Tooth Fairy is a comic gem.
The special effects are terrific. The two main reindeer are a riot as they "talk" and the facial expressions are priceless. Watch the ears on the Easter Bunny!
The audiences at both performances I attended broke into applause at the end of the film - it is that good. I think it is even better than the great "The Santa Clause". It will definitely become a Christmas classic.
...
I had a great time, and Yes, I'm ready for The Santa Clause 3: The Baby Clause. (Hint, hint!)
P>I found THE SANTA CLAUSE 2 to be quite enjoyable. It's a worthy sequal to the original movie and it's only downside is that the acceptance of Principal Neuman that Scott is Santa seems a bit rushed.
Kids will enjoy the movie with all the toys, flying raindeer, and Santa. However, adults maybe surprised how much they enjoy the film too, there is much humor in the film that children will not understand. A good family film and an enjoyable way to start off the holiday season that is soon underway.
It takes alot of make of sequal. For one you have to keep the whole cast to make it seem like the first one. Second of all you have to make a story that makes the first one and the second one are both as good. The actors and actresses all came back for the new one which is just great.
The movie takes place eight years after the first one. Scott Calvin is still Santa Clause and possibly the best one ever. All the elfs love him and they are in there busiest time yet making toys for Christmas which is coming in about two months. Scott then all of a sudden has problems. His head elf Bernard informs him that his son Charlie has landed himself on the naughty list for vandilizing the school gym. His next problem comes with he is informed by a 900 year old elf Curtis(who looks just like a kid)that he has to get married before Christmas Eve or he could not be Santa Clause anymore. He is also losing weight and losing his beard. He decides that mabey he should stay home from now on because that might be why Charlie has been acting up. Curtis then comes up with a plan. The elfs have made a quicker way to make toys.......by putting them in a machine that doubles them exactly,smaller,or larger. Scott goes into the machine and a toy like version of himself comes out. He goes back to his town bringing Comet the reindeer with him to help Charlie and find a wife. He only has a little bit of magic on him and he can't use it all otherwise he can't get back to the North Pole. Meanwhile at the North Pole the sub Santa has been reading the North Pole rule book and sees that every single child has been bad once so he decides to send them all coal. The elfs try to fight back and he uses the duplicate machine to enlarge dozens of toy soldiers. Scott has to take care of everything at home AND save the North Pole. Geez....it's alot of work to be Santa!
The movie's plot may sound a little off but once you actually see the movie you'll be glad you did. Fans of the first one should love this one and if you havn't seen the first...see it.
ENJOY!
In this movie Santa must find a new wife before Christmas or else he cannot be Santa any longer, that only gives him 28 days and de-Santification process has already started to take place. Santa/Scott also faces another problem with his son Charlie who has now made it to the naughty list by defacing school property to rebel against the school principal Carol Newman, who seems to be the female version of Scrooge as far as Holiday Cheer is concerned. Carol and Scott are at each other throats from the beginning but the sparks fly right away between the couple and one of the most beautiful scenes of the movie is when Scott uses his remaining magic to take Carol on a sleigh ride and make the faculty Christmas party fun.
Scott also faces another problem at the North Pole with the evil Toy Santa that was created to take his place during his absence. The Evil Santa wants to give all the Children Coal in their Stockings and its up to Scott to save the day.
This was an excellent movie and I know that as soon as its on a video I will add it to make collection of Holiday Movies.
Well worth the ticket price and a must buy (when it's released) for your holiday collection.
Scott's ex-wife Laura Miller (Wendy Crewson), now married to Neil (Judge Reinhold), is the legal guardian of Charlie. Her part was small.
The movie centered on Carol Newman (Elizabeth Mitchell), the principal of Charlie's school. She is constantly giving Charlie a hard time because of his behavior. Scott, or Santa, comes in to talk to her and save his son from being suspended. In the process, he (Scott) starts to pursue Carol because the "Mrs Clause" runs out Christmas Eve. Santa, now Scott because he has "desantaficated" himself, has a little Santa magic to use. If he runs out before finding a wife, he cannot return to the North Pole.
Our lovable head elf, Bernard (David Krumholtz) is back. He has the task of keeping the North Pole afloat while a duplicate (& military style) plastic Santa runs things.
The music was beautiful. The sets were superiorly designed and detailed.
The whole movie is enchanting. In this day and age with war all around us and nothing but "R" and "PG-13" rated films, it is nice to have a "G" rated movie for everyone. It was a thrill to see the typical Disney opening sequence.
You do not have to be a kid to see this. I believe in Santa Claus. Tim Allen is brilliant. I truely believe in Santa. When I turn 90 years young, I will still believe in Santa.
Go see this movie. You will believe.
It revolves around Santa starting the search for the loving Mrs. Claus. Tim Allen has been Santa Claus for the past eight years now, and his loyal elves consider him the best Santa ever (shockingly?). But Tim's got problems. His son has landed on this year's "naughty" list. The once sweet and kind Charlie has turned into a nasty boy. More problems for Santa! Apparently he signed a contract! If Ol' Santa doesn't get married by Christmas Eve, he'll stop being Santa! Confused about what he should do he leaves (for awhile), leaving a temporary Claus in charge of Santa Land. If all this wasn't stressful enough, the temporary Santa has made some nasty (not temporary) changes.
It's quite good actually but too many conflicts, too many changes, and too many surprises stop from making it better than the original.
As the clock ticks down on the efforts to find his Mrs. Claus, Scott begins the process of de-Santification, which means the beard and belly end up disappearing. The best sequence of the film is when Scott manages to actually talk himself into a date with Principal Newman and uses his entire reserve of magic to impressive her, which he does. We are impressed, even though part of what he does is the same sort of thing that convinced Charlie's step-father Neil (Judge Reinhold) that Santa was real the last time around. But for me this movie comes down to the moment when Carol has to become convinced of the truth and I did not find the movie's solution to that pivotal moment to be particularly memorable or moving, as much as I wanted it to be.
However, that objection will matter not a whit to the small fry who will be more concerned with flying reindeer and the final encounter with the toy Santa's army of toy soldiers (which ends up as a very weak rehash of "Babe in Toyland"). Still, a holiday movie this time of year that the kids will enjoy is a good thing. There are some nice character bits turned in by Art LeFluer as the Tooth Fairy, Peter Boyle as Father Time, Michael Dorn as the Sandman, Kevin Pollack as Cupid, and Molly Shannon as a prospective bride who is clearly Santa's #1 fan. Final note: Be sure to stick around for the first part of the end credits because you do not want to bolt out of your seats and be the first person out the door at the end of this one.
There are scenes that will have you cracking up days later. Tim Allen is one funny dude, and his delivery and timing are perfect.
And just for your information, I don't have kids. My husband and I just enjoy wholesome family entertainment. Santa Clause 2 is that and then some!! I give it a 10 out of 10. Great holiday flick!
About seven years after the events in the first "Clause", the North Pole is bustling with activity about a month before Christmas. The opening sequence gives a nice, fanciful view of Santa's village and workshops. You see Santa as a good manager/leader happily encouraging the elves in their efforts.
But trouble is on the horizon - literally in the opening sequence and figuratively in the form of two problems: Charlie, Santa's son, has grown into a teenager and is getting in trouble for rebelling against a repressive school principal with no holiday cheer; and Santa finds another "clause" that says he must find a Mrs. Claus or he will be "de-Santafied", reverting back to Scott Calvin. And he has only 28 days before this marriage must occur, coinciding of course with Christmas Eve.
A cute scene occurs at the North Pole as it is Santa's turn to host a Board Meeting of Legendary Characters: The Easter Bunny, Cupid, The Tooth Fairy, Mother Nature, Father Time (Peter Boyle) and The Sandman (Michael Dorn of Star Trek:TNG fame).
Charlie now has a six year old stepsister and this young actress does a very nice job with her role. She is charming.
While Santa is away looking for a wife and tending to Charlie's troubles, bad tidings occur at the North Pole - beware of soul-less technology and a rigid enforcement of "the rules"!
I don't like giving anything away for people who plan to see the movie. I would suggest that this movie will work much better if you have seen the first movie. So if you haven't seen "The Santa Clause", rent and watch that before this.
I also wonder how effective this movie would be for children under six. This sequel's content, while rated G, feels a bit older than the first.
The acting is well-done and comes across as genuine, though the Bernard character seems a bit overplayed with more broad physicality than seems needed.
Happy Holidays!
The storylines that the film tried to tackle could have been so much better if they all hadn't been vying for screen time. There was 1)The search for Mrs. Clause 2)Charlie being on the naughty list 3)A Reindeer in training 4)An Evil Santa Clone 5)Other figures of legend (Mother Nature, the Tooth Fairy, etc.) 6)A "Number Two" Elf who's obsessed with rules. . .the list goes on. The best parts were when Scott was being normal, without the beard, without the belly. . .he didn't suddenly change his behavior, he was still kind and a child even came up to him without his beard, etc. (That was a cute scene, btw).
Overall, I don't think this film should have been put to theatres, it would make an okay video release but even then I don't think I'll add it to my library of Christmas films. Observing the children in the theatre they seemed pretty bored with the film, especially the "romantic" parts. There was also a terribly embarassing scene where Scott tries to go on a blind date with this psycho woman who is obsessed with christmas. . .it really made no sense.
A better plot would have been to look at adults who go through the motions of Christmas (like the lady on the blind date or like most of the film itself) but who aren't really good or kind, they're just wearing holiday sweaters. Or they could have taken a page out of Terry Pratchett's "Hogfather" and looked at how a mythical figure loses power when people stop believing.
One caveat I should mention: The scenes with the "evil santa" are pretty disturbing, I don't know how children would handle the image of someone who looks like santa wearing a beret and ordering toy soldiers to harm the elves. Even though an adult would know the santa is fake, I have no doubt that it would cause a nightmare or two.
On the bright side, the previews before the film were neat -- Treasure Planet & Harry Potter especially look like great family films for November.
I loved the first "Santa Clause" and was pleasantly surprised to find all the original main characters / cast back, and not some capitalist driven attmept at an eight-years-later-rewrite of the first movie. "Santa Clause 2" is a truly original sequel that complements the first go round. Tim Allen's hilarious comedy and keen sense of wit shine once again, and the entire cast contribute awesome talent and performances.
And for those adults who, like me, are true believers - Disney actually did an incredible job bringing the North Pole with all the Christmas Magic and Citizens to life. This one's a keeper.
Q: How much does it cost to ride the Unibus?
A: 2 bits.
Everything that can be invented has been invented.
-- Charles Duell, Director of U.S. Patent Office, 1899
