Movie Review: The Santa Clause 3

Stars: 4 out of 5
Pros: Fun story, great acting

Cons: No Bernard, Canada jokes, eh?

The Bottom Line:

Still not the first one

But a clever final film

That brings Christmas cheer

Third Dose of Holiday Fun with Santa Clause

Christmas is coming, and things are busier then ever at the North Pole. Not only does Scott Calvin, aka Santa (Tim Allen), have to get ready to deliver toys all over the world, but his wife Carol (Elizabeth Mitchell) is getting ready for a delivery of her own.

She is also missing her family. So Scott decides to invite her parents (Alan Arkin and Ann-Margret) to visit for the holiday. Scott's ex-wife and her family also manage to get an invitation as well. But the visiting family only adds to the stress load.

But that's the last of Scott's problems. Jack Frost (Martin Short) feels left out. He wants his own big holiday, not just to be the front-runner of the big red guy. When he is almost tossed from the Society of Enchanted Beings, he talks Scott into letting him help get everything ready for the big day.

Unfortunately, Jack's real mission is to sabotage Santa's job and learn the secret of the escape clause. If he can do that, he'll take over the role of Santa and leave Scott with nothing.

The original movie is one of my all time favorite holiday films. I watch it every year and love every minute of it. While the second one lost much of the wonder and enchantment, it was still fun. This movie falls into the same camp.

While the story is predictable, surprise endings have never been the hallmark of the series. Still, the story is entertaining and heartwarming. I was drawn into the film and felt like cheering at the end.

And the actors continue to do a great job. The entire cast from the first two movies is back, with one noticeable exception. David Krumholtz wasn't able to return as Bernard. While his character was missed, it didn't hurt the film too much. Tim Allen is entertaining as always as Santa. His dry wit adds plenty of laughs yet he brings real warmth to the tender scenes scattered through out the film. It's easy to image him as Santa. Martin Short is obviously having fun as the villainous Jack Frost. He plays his character just slightly over the top, but not enough to be annoying.

There is lots to laugh at in this movie. Besides the great puns on elves (I didn't know you could twist quite so many words so they would have elf in them), some of the visual gags are great.

To keep the location of the North Pole a secret, everyone pretends to be Canadian for Carol's parents. Unfortunately, these jokes wear thin fast, eh?

As with the previous two films, the visuals are stunning. Santa's workshop looks like so much fun, I would love to go and visit. Thanks to modern technology, we get to see pieces of the first film again as part of the plot for this one. And Jack Frost's hair is something else.

While this doesn't quite capture the magic and wonder of the first film, The Santa Clause 3 is still fun and entertaining. Not a holiday classic, but an entertaining Christmas film the entire family can enjoy together.