THE SANTA CLAUSE

1994, Walt Disney Pictures

Live action

Rating: PG

Approx. 97 mins.

THE STORY:

Divorced father, Scott Calvin (Tim Allen), finds himself having, unbeknownst to himself, entered into a contract to be the next Santa Claus. He tries to fight it and refuses to believe it, but eventually has to submit to the obvious.  

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

• hell
• stupid

VIOLENCE:

•  None

TEACHING POINTS:

•  Sometimes you just have to believe

THE UPSHOT:

In fairness to The Santa Clause, I watched this immediately after one of the best kids' movies I have seen to date, so it was primed to be lesser. Nonetheless, knowing that there were 2 sequels led me to expect something pretty worthy. Instead, I spent about 1.5 hours awash in mediocrity.

I like the concept, but the execution is... weak. Much like the acting, the story development, the special effects-- even for 1994, they seem a bit lacking-- and the resolution.

The 5 year-old in the room's attention wandered a couple of times, particularly during the less relatable parts of the story-- the sole custody court order, the psychology references and such. 

 3/5