I don’t normally bother with the movies network TV shows around Christmastime, because they’re pretty much the same ones every year. Santa Who? and Miracle On 34th St played on Christmas Eve for about three years running.

Last year though, there wasn’t a lot else to do. I’d wrapped all my presents, the Christmas tree wasn’t going up because there wasn’t going to be anyone there on Christmas Day, and I’ve long since outgrown my habit of going to bed early so Santa will bring me what I want. He never seemed to get the message. I’m lucky if I ever get one thing I’ve actually asked for. So, I left the telly going after Shortland St. and figured I’d watch the movie, seeing as they were actually playing something different.

Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) and his ex-wife Laura (Wendy Crewson) have been divorced for a while, and it would seem they alternate custody of their son Charlie (Eric Lloyd) for Christmas. This year, Charlie will be spending Christmas with his father. Unfortunately for Scott, that means fielding questions regarding whether or not Santa is real. It’s not just that Charlie’s at that age where the question is raised in kids minds, he’s also been talking to his stepfather Neal (Judge Reinhold) about it. Neal doesn’t believe in Santa and has told Charlie everything about the Santa Claus story is simply too illogical to be true.

After providing Charlie with a couple of somewhat dicey answers about the matter, Scott sends him off to bed and crashes out himself. It’s not long before they’re both awaken by a sound on the roof. Scott rushes out to see what’s going on. He doesn’t realize it, but the man on his roof is Santa. Scott calls out, and Santa falls off the roof and dies. Searching Santa’s pockets for some ID (apparently the red suit, beard, and reindeer on the roof didn’t give it away), Scott pulls out a card that reads "If anything should happen to me, put on my coat and hat. The reindeer will know what to do". By now, Charlie has joined Scott and they head up onto the roof to investigate. To keep Charlie happy, Scott does what the card says. Soon they’re flying around town and Scott finds himself coerced into delivering presents. They end up back at the North Pole, where Scott looks for answers. In the morning he wakes up back in his house and thinks it was all just a dream. Problem is, Charlie seems to have had the same dream, and over the next eleven months, Scott finds himself gradually becoming Santa Claus…

Tim Allen has been playing Tim Taylor on TV’’s Home Improvement for many years. So long, in fact, it would seem like he has a bit of trouble playing anyone else. His portrayal of Scott Calvin is eerily similar to Tim Taylor. Had Allen started grunting and asking the neighbour over the fence for help I would’ve been a bit concerned. As the movie goes on though, Allen has to stop playing Scott Calvin and start playing Santa Claus, because that’s who his character has become. It’s here where Allen’s performance shines. He’s a very down-to-Earth, very human Santa, who cares about his job. A lot of the time Calvin doesn’t realize he’s doing it, but he projects Santa mannerisms. In one scene, Calvin (looking more and more like Santa by this stage), is in a boardroom meeting of the toy-manufacturing company he works for, when he disagrees with a guy making a presentation and starts telling the others how to make a toy that lasts. This scene kind of shows such companys as being money-hungry and greedy, and while that’s hardly a state-secret, the scene is more about Calvin’s transformation. Normally, he’d be agreeing with everyone else, but becoming Santa has caused him to start caring about the world, and Allen pulls this off deftly.

The character of Charlie (Eric Lloyd) is nothing more than symbolism for the eternal Christmas spirit. He represents the little kid that’s deep down inside all of us. He wants to believe in Santa, so he does. He questions Santa’s existence right at the start, but as soon as Calvin puts on that suit Charlie’s faith is renewed, and he never loses that faith. It doesn’t matter what people try to tell him, he’ll always believe. Not just because he’s a kid and that’s what kids do, but because he’s been to the North Pole, met elves, and believes his father is the real Santa Claus.

If Charlie is the eternal believer, Neal (Judge Reinhold) is the eternal disbeliever. By profession, he’s a doctor, but he’s got more of a scientists demeanor. He doesn’t believe in Santa because the story of Santa doesn’t make any sense to him. How can one man travel around the whole world in one night? How does he fit all the presents into one sack? What happens when a house doesn’t have a chimney? They’re all commonly asked Christmas questions, and as the eternal disbeliever, Neal does more than just ask those questions – he puts them into others’ heads; particularly Charlie. Despite the fact that Charlie’s seen the magic of Christmas and has answers for Neal, he still refuses to believe.

If you’ve ever wondered what Santa’s cave looks like, "The Santa Clause" has your answer. It’s not easy to describe in words, but all those grottos you see at malls around Christmastime aren’t too far off. Lots of colour – that’s the important thing. Santa’s cave is run by the elves, with one elf, Bernard (David Krumholtz) seeming like the boss. He’s not the boss, of course, Santa is, but Bernard likes taking charge and he’s the one elf in particular Calvin deals with. The elves may as well be kids, because that’s what they look and act like, and it’s not a silly idea to have kids run Christmas. After all, they know what it’s all about better than any adult.

The message of "The Santa Clause" is simply to believe, but unfortunately the film spends it’s entire time shoving that message down our throats. There ain’t much here in the way of subtlety. The only way they could have emphasized the message any further would be to have the word "believe" in neon flashing lights at important points / locations throughout the film. What the film fails to realize, it would seem, is that it gets the message across perfectly with just one scene – the very last one. Had you missed the rest of the film and walked in just in time for the final scene, you’d know exactly what the message is just as well as if you’d seen the whole thing.

Ultimately, what "The Santa Clause" tries to teach us is that Santa does in fact exist if you want him to exist. If you believe it’s possible, then it is. There will always be skeptics who say there’s no way Santa can be real, but by putting the eternal believer (Charlie) and the eternal disbeliever (Neal) together, the film contrasts these two ideals, and in the end, it takes one side over the other. That made me feel cheated out of a compromise that would’ve kept both parties happy, but then again, what do you expect from a Christmas movie?

Since "The Santa Clause" raises the question of Santa’s existence, I feel compelled to answer. I, like Neal, do not believe that one man could possibly go all around the world delivering presents in one night. When most people say that I don’t think they’re taking time zones into account, but even with time zones it’d be a stretch. The other major flaw with the Santa theory, in my opinion, is that his cave is located at the wrong pole. Because of time zones, New Zealand and the islands around it are the first to get Christmas. We’re a good two hours ahead of Australia, our closest neighbour, and twelve hours ahead of other parts of the world. If I was Santa, I’d have my cave at the South Pole. Having it at the North Pole means he has to come all the way around the world before he start to get rid of what must be a very heavy load. Starting at the South Pole would mean he can do it all without going around the world more than once. I also don’t like the result you get if you move the "ta" from the end of "Santa" and put it between the first "a" and the "n".

However, in saying that, I do believe in Santa Claus. I don’t believe he’s a real man, I believe he’s a spirit that leaves inside all of us. Santa Claus is our good conscience, that little voice inside our heads that tells us when we’re doing something naughty and makes us feel bad about it. He makes us learn from our mistakes, and helps us not to make them in the future. Santa Claus is that part of us that wishes we could do more for the world than we are. Having him represented by Charlie in this film is perfect. Kids can listen to Santa a lot easier than adults can – kids don’t know what naughty is, they just know not to be it. Kids rationalize things a lot easier than adults do – we make things more complicated than they really are. Santa lives inside each one of us. He’s our giving spirit and our voice of guidance. That’s what I think. It doesn’t matter that he’s not a real person, he doesn’t need to be.

"The Santa Clause" is pretty good as far as Christmas movies go. At times, the message can seem forced and Tim Allen’s acting abilities are somewhat questionable through the first third or so, but overall, it’s a decent movie with a lot of imagination.

Recommended:
Yes