The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause
Is it really that time of year again? The time of year when we shell out ten bucks a head to buy tickets to go see a Christmas movie that tells us that Christmas isn't all about money while studio executives anxiously wait to see how much money they make at the box office so they can determine if they should make another sequel to get us to pay more money to learn about the fact that Christmas isn't about money. It must be, because Tim Allen is back in the red suit for his third (and depending on the box office, final) outing as Santa in The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause.
Now let me just say that I've never been a fan of this franchise. I enjoyed the first film when I first saw it, but like a joke that gets worn out, I enjoyed repeated viewings of it less and less; especially as it became further removed from the hey days of Home Improvement. The Santa Clause was never a Christmas classic in my mind, at least not on the level of A Christmas Story and the like. I never even bothered to see the second one, so there were a few surprises for me as I viewed Santa Clause 3. The first thing that struck me was the identity of Santa’s wife. I was astounded. Didn’t Santa know this woman is Juliet from Lost? She’s evil! She’s not to be trusted! How could Santa be married to her? It took me awhile to separate the two very different roles, and when I finally accepted Elizabeth Mitchell as Mrs. C, I was able to get on with the rest of the film. The other shock was how old Charlie was. I couldn’t believe it! It’s been twelve years since I first saw The Santa Clause and now Charlie is a surly teenager? That took some adjusting to as well. Once I finally settled in after these initial shocks, what I found was a movie that knew exactly what kind of film it was, and despite being the third outing, was still fun to watch.
Much of the fun, however, comes from the character of Jack Frost; gleefully and mischievously portrayed by Martin Short. Short was the sole reason I was curious to see this film, and he was well worth it. His portrayal of Jack Frost is the best part of the movie, and I sorely missed him when he wasn't on screen. He's such a delightful character, they could conceivably make a spin-off film all about him. Although Short is the stand-out in the cast, that isn't to say the rest don't do well. Tim Allen (who could probably do this role in his sleep by now, but thankfull still gives it his all), Judge Reinhold, Ann-Margret, Alan Arkin and the rest of the recognizable cast all look like their having a lot of fun. No one has any delusions about what sort of film this is. They're relaxed and just having a good time which adds some energy to what could have otherwise have been a tired entry in an unnecessary sequel. Still, if you go to see this film, make no mistake that Martin Short is the star.
One of the funniest parts of The Santa Clause 3 (and I’m sure it was entirely unintentional) was how it talked about what the meaning of Christmas is. After Jack Frost brings his evil scheme to take over Christmas to fruition, Scott Calvin tries to convince Jack that Christmas isn't about the toys, the stuff, the commercialism or the money. I found that to be hilarious considering this was the third film in a franchise that quite frankly never should have been a franchise. The fact that these three films have been using Christmas to bring in a big box office to assure more sequels seems to fly in the face of the Scott's heartfelt message to Jack. Even more tragic, however, was the fact that this film didn't offer any real clue as to what Christmas really is all about. It touched on family and love, but it was such a quick mention that I almost felt as though I was being told "Christmas isn't about money, it's about something else, probably family and togetherness and yadda yadda yadda this is the third time we've talked about this so you know the drill." If you want kids to know that Christmas isn't about crass commercialism, I think you need to be a bit more convincing than that. The sad thing is I think this really reflects the place we've reached in society. Christmas has become so incredibly hollow that people deep down know that there must be more to it than this, but have no idea what that may be. We simply can’t remember what the reason for the season is. I guess we need the great theologian Linus to return to the stage to remind us that "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord" and "that's what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown." There is more to Christmas, you can be sure of that. It's all about the greatest gift this world has ever known; a gift that has been given to you. We are a visited planet for Christmas marks the day that God came to live among us, and that is what makes Christmas the truly glorious holiday of love, peace, warmth and light that it really is.
The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause presents more of what audiences loved about the first films, and successfully introduces enough that's new to help it feel fun and energetic. This is a movie that knows who its audience is, knows what they want, and doesn't ever take itself too seriously. It's a fun family Christmas outing, but whether or not it's worth the king's ransom necessary to see it in the theatre is up to you. I would say wait for next year's DVD. The Santa Clause 3 is by no means any sort of Christmas classic, but perhaps more of a Christmas diversion. It's fun, it's entertaining, but it isn't really satisfying if one truly wants to experience what Christmas is all about.
Now let me just say that I've never been a fan of this franchise. I enjoyed the first film when I first saw it, but like a joke that gets worn out, I enjoyed repeated viewings of it less and less; especially as it became further removed from the hey days of Home Improvement. The Santa Clause was never a Christmas classic in my mind, at least not on the level of A Christmas Story and the like. I never even bothered to see the second one, so there were a few surprises for me as I viewed Santa Clause 3. The first thing that struck me was the identity of Santa’s wife. I was astounded. Didn’t Santa know this woman is Juliet from Lost? She’s evil! She’s not to be trusted! How could Santa be married to her? It took me awhile to separate the two very different roles, and when I finally accepted Elizabeth Mitchell as Mrs. C, I was able to get on with the rest of the film. The other shock was how old Charlie was. I couldn’t believe it! It’s been twelve years since I first saw The Santa Clause and now Charlie is a surly teenager? That took some adjusting to as well. Once I finally settled in after these initial shocks, what I found was a movie that knew exactly what kind of film it was, and despite being the third outing, was still fun to watch.
Much of the fun, however, comes from the character of Jack Frost; gleefully and mischievously portrayed by Martin Short. Short was the sole reason I was curious to see this film, and he was well worth it. His portrayal of Jack Frost is the best part of the movie, and I sorely missed him when he wasn't on screen. He's such a delightful character, they could conceivably make a spin-off film all about him. Although Short is the stand-out in the cast, that isn't to say the rest don't do well. Tim Allen (who could probably do this role in his sleep by now, but thankfull still gives it his all), Judge Reinhold, Ann-Margret, Alan Arkin and the rest of the recognizable cast all look like their having a lot of fun. No one has any delusions about what sort of film this is. They're relaxed and just having a good time which adds some energy to what could have otherwise have been a tired entry in an unnecessary sequel. Still, if you go to see this film, make no mistake that Martin Short is the star.
One of the funniest parts of The Santa Clause 3 (and I’m sure it was entirely unintentional) was how it talked about what the meaning of Christmas is. After Jack Frost brings his evil scheme to take over Christmas to fruition, Scott Calvin tries to convince Jack that Christmas isn't about the toys, the stuff, the commercialism or the money. I found that to be hilarious considering this was the third film in a franchise that quite frankly never should have been a franchise. The fact that these three films have been using Christmas to bring in a big box office to assure more sequels seems to fly in the face of the Scott's heartfelt message to Jack. Even more tragic, however, was the fact that this film didn't offer any real clue as to what Christmas really is all about. It touched on family and love, but it was such a quick mention that I almost felt as though I was being told "Christmas isn't about money, it's about something else, probably family and togetherness and yadda yadda yadda this is the third time we've talked about this so you know the drill." If you want kids to know that Christmas isn't about crass commercialism, I think you need to be a bit more convincing than that. The sad thing is I think this really reflects the place we've reached in society. Christmas has become so incredibly hollow that people deep down know that there must be more to it than this, but have no idea what that may be. We simply can’t remember what the reason for the season is. I guess we need the great theologian Linus to return to the stage to remind us that "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord" and "that's what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown." There is more to Christmas, you can be sure of that. It's all about the greatest gift this world has ever known; a gift that has been given to you. We are a visited planet for Christmas marks the day that God came to live among us, and that is what makes Christmas the truly glorious holiday of love, peace, warmth and light that it really is.
The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause presents more of what audiences loved about the first films, and successfully introduces enough that's new to help it feel fun and energetic. This is a movie that knows who its audience is, knows what they want, and doesn't ever take itself too seriously. It's a fun family Christmas outing, but whether or not it's worth the king's ransom necessary to see it in the theatre is up to you. I would say wait for next year's DVD. The Santa Clause 3 is by no means any sort of Christmas classic, but perhaps more of a Christmas diversion. It's fun, it's entertaining, but it isn't really satisfying if one truly wants to experience what Christmas is all about.
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