The Santa Clause

November. 11,1994      PG
Rating:
6.6
Trailer Synopsis Cast

On Christmas Eve, divorced dad Scott Calvin and his son discover Santa Claus has fallen off their roof. When Scott takes the reins of the magical sleigh, he finds he is now the new Santa, and must convince a world of disbelievers, including himself.

Tim Allen as  Scott Calvin
Judge Reinhold as  Neil
Wendy Crewson as  Laura
Eric Lloyd as  Charlie
David Krumholtz as  Bernard
Larry Brandenburg as  Detective Nunzio
Mary Gross as  Ms. Daniels
Paige Tamada as  Judy the Elf
Peter Boyle as  Mr. Whittle
Judith Scott as  Susan Perry

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Reviews

FeistyUpper
1994/11/11

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

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InformationRap
1994/11/12

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

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Cooktopi
1994/11/13

The acting in this movie is really good.

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Guillelmina
1994/11/14

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

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2karl-
1994/11/15

superstar comedian Tim Allen shines in this Disney's magical larger than life Xmas comedy a clatter on the roof leads to a merry Xmas adventure after a disturbance Santa falls down on the job and Scots son Charlie convince him he is the real deal and try on the suit 8 reindeer navigate the pair to the north pole so with clause in his suit he has accepted the contact and over the next year Scot has a mini sized breakdown as he evolves quiet latterly into something quiet large his family and business associates come quiet concerned if he is losing his marbles but not his son he believes this well keep secret Disney reveals in this Xmas classic its surprising 7/10 1hr33mins of fun enjoy great acting by a all star cast

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Adam Foidart
1994/11/16

I know what you're thinking. What?! You're giving "The Santa Clause" a bad review? How could you?! My question to you is, have you actually seen this movie, and thought about what it really is? Because if you did, you'd agree with me that this is a shallow, not particularly imaginative Christmas film with some bad child actors and the only reason people have some affection for it is because Tim Allen makes for a pretty good Santa Claus. The premise of the film is that Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) is a divorced father who is taking care of his son Charlie (Eric Lloyd) on Christmas Eve. When they hear a noise on the roof of their house, they discover that Santa Claus is real... but he has disappeared, leaving only his clothes behind. Charlie convinces his father to put on the red suit, hop in the flying sleigh and finish delivering the presents, not knowing that this means that by doing this, his father has agreed to become the new Santa Claus.My biggest problem with this movie is that the story's message is a really shallow one. If you look at the character of Charlie at the beginning of the movie, he doesn't like his father, doesn't want to be anywhere near him and is overall being a pain in the neck. Numerous times, he reiterates that he wants to spend as little time with his dad as possible during the holidays. When his father starts turning into Santa Claus though, all of a sudden these feelings change. This kid only begins loving his father because he is magically turned into a man that gives toys away for free. Let's look at some of the lessons or messages that we get from some of the classic holiday stories. Dr. Seuss' "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" teaches even cynics that Christmas is not about presents, food or decorations, but about being together with the people you love and making the best of the holiday season. "A Christmas Carol" proclaims that the true spirit of Christmas is having good will towards your fellow man and extending a helpful hand out of generosity, and then goes on further to show that this spirit of Christmas should not be limited to only the 25th of December, but to every day of the year. "It's a Wonderful Life" shows that kindness and generosity are their own reward and that even when things seem to be dire and inescapably bad, the people that love you can gather and make it all OK; that one life, even if you don't think much of it, impacts countless others in a way that you can't fathom. What is the message of "The Santa Clause"? If your kid doesn't warm up to you during the holiday, magically transform yourself into Saint Nicholas, and he'll change his mind. Thanks for that! Maybe I'm looking too much into this movie. I bet you're just saying that this is a light family comedy, that's it. It doesn't mean to have any kind of message or deep meaning, it's just a Christmas-themed movie. I'll admit that it's not all bad. Tim Allen as Scott Calvin is actually really good. He has the best lines, throws himself fully in both the role of the frustrated father and Santa Claus and he not only looks the part, he feels right. Tim Allen, more than everything else in the movie combined made me laugh. I attribute the fact that people have affection for this movie solely on his performance and you can tell that he's having a good time. Considering he's the main character, that goes a long way.Even with Tim Allen doing what he does, this movie is still wrought with problems. This film feels like it was written not around a legitimate idea, but around the pun in the title. There are so many things that are unexplained or that flat-out make no sense. If Santa is running around giving people presents, why do the adults not connect two and two together when they see all of those gifts come Christmas morning? Why is it that only children believe in Saint Nick? Does no one spot him and his flying sleigh going around? Is there some kind of evil cabal that conspires against everyone in the world to oppress the belief of Santa Claus? Why is Santa kept a secret anyway? Maybe we'll get the answers in the sequels. Even if you dismiss these questions, there are some facts about this movie that are undeniable. First, the child actors are not very good. It's bad enough that Charlie, Scott's son is as wooden as a rocking horse, but every elf in this movie is played by a child (Well, one or two of them might be teenagers) and none of them are particularly convincing in their roles. I also really didn't care for the inconsistencies in the elf's magical powers and the numerous scenes where they feel the need to insert technology into Santa's Sleigh. He's been using magic for like a thousand years, and all of a sudden it's no longer good enough so they have to gives the elves jet packs (which leads to some big eye-rolls for me) and put all of these electronic gadgets in the sleigh. It just rubbed me the wrong way.I know a lot of people think of "The Santa Clause" as a holiday classic, but it's just alright. It's just one of the endless Christmas-themed family movies that are just churned out annually that hit that soft spot for a lot of people and families have associated it with quality and the holiday ever since. The message is shallow, the acting not particularly that good and the entire plot is based off a pun. Watch it for Tim Allen, but don't forsake one of the better Christmas films in order to watch "The Santa Clause". (On VHS, December 19, 2014)

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moviemattb
1994/11/17

"The Santa Clause" is about a name Scott Calvin who accidentally let Santa Claus to fall on his roof on Christmas Eve as he now takes over as the new Santa during the holiday season, and learns about what it takes to become Santa Claus as well as the spirit of Christmas. I don't how much I can say about this movie, but I will try on why I enjoy it. I thought that Tim Allen does an outstanding job as for both playing Scott Calvin, and for also playing Santa Claus. Moreover, I do thought Eric Lloyd does a fine job to play Charlie as well as the rest of the cast in this movie. The movie is very well written, which it does provides some really good laughs. The direction is very well directed, and I thought the sets that were design for the North Pole are really impressive. The special effects in this movie are okay, but I find some that are really dated such as some of the CG effects. The animatronics on the reindeers are really good, and I loved on how they were designed. This movie really does feature that good old Christmas spirit as you are watching it, and I too feel that spirit and it really is a great Christmas movie by Disney. I don't know if there are any more Christmas movies that are made by Disney aside from "The Santa Clauses" movies, but what do I know if there are any more Christmas movies. With that said, I also thought the movie works really good to not have a villain in it. Of course, the sequels do which I will get to but I never saw the third so I guess I won't be bother by talking about it. However, I will talk about the second movie which I thought was good too. Anyway, "The Santa Clause" is a great Christmas movie by Disney, and I say check it out! I give "The Santa Clause" a 9 out of 10.

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xsophietaylorx
1994/11/18

The Santa Clause deserves so much more credit then it gets I really disagree with how low the rating is on IMDb. Every Christmas I find myself looking forward to watching this film, I've grew up watching it & it really makes me feel very festive. The film is just really lots of fun, entertaining and puts you in the Christmas spirit. Tim Allen is great in it, and you find yourself falling in love with all the cast. The way the sets are set out the effects the santas work shop is just magical to watch. The Santa clause tells the story of a man who begins to transform into Father Christmas. I laughed a lot through out this film and feel it really is something for all the family to enjoy! With a lovable cast a great storyline you feel yourself beginning to fall in love with the film, I certainly did. Great for adults and children a must watch at the Christmas time of year!!

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