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Santa Clause 2
Review by Mike Furches (Mike's bio)
Directed by Michael Lembeck
Written by Leonardo Benvenuti, Ken Daurio, Ed Decter, Cinco Paul, Don Rhymer, and John J. Strauss
Tim Allen... Scott Calvin/Santa Clause
Elizabeth Mitchell... Carol Newman
Eric Lloyd... Charlie Calvin
David Krumholtz... Bernard
Spencer Breslin... Curtis
Wendy Crewson... Laura Miller
Judge Reinhold... Neil
MPAA: Rated G
The Santa Clause was released some years ago and as sequels go this one took some time getting to the big screen. The original Santa Clause was an enjoyable movie with a few giggles and fun filled holiday moments. For fans of the original movie, no worry, you will be pleased with The Santa Clause 2. Virtually all of the original characters are back and there is actually a little more of a story line here.
As the story goes, Scott Calvin/Santa, (Tim Allen) has been working at the North Pole now for 8 years. He is doing a wonderful job and has an approval rating of 87% among the children, the highest ever. Things are going smoothly although there are some problems on the home front with his son Charlie, (Eric Lloyd). Charlie's mom, (Wendy Crewson) and step father, (Judge Reinhold) are doing the best they can with their psychological modern era tactics but things just aren't working out quite so well. Scott has frequent run ins with his school principal (Elizabeth Mitchell) an attractive principal who seems to have forgotten about anything related to Christmas and the joy it brings. It isn't long before Santa has to make a return trip to the lower 48 states after being informed by his trustworthy elf Bernard, of two important things. 1) Charlie is in trouble and on this year's naughty list, and 2) if he isn't married by Christmas Eve he will cease being Santa.
There are several wonderful concepts addressed in The Santa Clause 2. The love of a father and relationship of how to build a blended family is obviously part of that scenario. It is one that is touched on but could have been developed even more. There is the tendency that this movie carries on too many plot lines and doesn't spend enough time with either of those except for the romantic relationship which develops for Santa. If anything the young boy, Charlie, seems to have more maturity and ability to address his own problems and come up with his own solutions. It would have been nice to see more of those answers come from his parents. It is nice to think about the ability of one to recognize their own need to change though and Charlie does a nice job of this.
Issues of honesty are also addressed in the movie in a subtle way. Spencer Breslin, one of my favorite new child actors known for his role in Disney's The Kid, is again, wonderful and fun to watch in his role here as Curtis the Elf. He designs a fake, or plastic Santa to fool the elves as Santa goes on his trip. What follows is disaster and as a result a potential horrible Christmas for all of the children around the world. There are also issues of love, change and potential that are addressed in the movie that will keep the audience captivated throughout. There are some fun scenes involving the reindeer, especially Comet and a new kid on the block, Calvin.
There are a number of wonderful scenes in the movie that will make the audience laugh and a couple that will cause you to tear up. One memorable scene has to do with Santa bringing some life to a school teachers Christmas party. This should cause the viewer to reflect on some of the personally touching moments of Christmas from their own childhood and this scene in itself almost makes the movie worth the price or admission.
Technically The Santa Clause 2 is wonderfully made. We are introduced to numerous new characters and the set design and make up effects are wonderful and certainly in the spirit of Christmas. There are ample amounts of Christmas themes and music in the background of virtually every frame that will assist in getting the viewer ready for the Christmas season.
There were two troubling themes related to the movie for me that I must make mention of. One was the incorporation of additional holiday characters that, at least for me, took away from the Christmas theme. While the Tooth Fairy, (Art LeFleur) plays an important role in the movie, the addition of such characters as Mother Earth and The Easter Bunny could have been left out for my taste. There is almost a new age feel to the character of Mother Earth. This is a flaw that can easily be explained to children who have difficulty with these characters, especially when looking at a movie about Santa Claus.
The other problem area for me is the fact that Hollywood continues to fail to do a movie based on the real legend of Saint Nicholas. The real story is actually quite exciting and would make a wonderful movie. The real character had a definite love for Jesus Christ that could not help be ignored. Many of the symbols related to Christmas come from the original story line such as candy and gifts in stockings. When understanding that the real St. Nicholas had a definite deep love for Jesus Christ you can't help but be a little disappointed that there is absolutely no mention of Jesus or the Christ Child in this movie. To the best of my memory there isn't even a nativity, carol or mention of the name of Christ throughout the entire film. You can't help but believe that this has been done intentionally and then people must ask themselves why?
There are enough positive themes addressed in the movie to recommend it. I found myself enjoying the movie and having a good time. There are positive attributes related to the family and the importance of falling in love and helping others that makes the film worthy. It also helped get me further into the Christmas Spirit, although it is only the first of November. I expect the movie to do well at the box office, and the crowds will certainly increase as we get closer to the holiday season. See the movie, and have a good time, but also be reminded of the birth of the Savior child, Jesus, that the real Santa loved so much.
On a scale of 1 - 10, minus two messed up reindeers, the non mention of the Savior, and Mother Earth, an okay and enjoyable 6.
Copyright 2002, Mike Furches. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.
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About Mike Furches: Mike is the senior pastor of United at the Cross Community Church in Wichita, Kansas. The church, located in the inner city of Wichita has a unique ministry to former gang members, drug addicts, prostitutes and others often neglected by the church. Mike also is involved in freelance writing and speaks nationally. Check out his web page for more information: http://www.furches.org/ E-mail Mike |
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