The magic returns for a third time in the 2006 sequel in the trilogy, “The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause.” It’s a charming sequel to this trilogy that has a nice G-rated holiday niche. Tim Allen is at his best in this film, and with comedy legend Martin Short as Jack Frost at his side, it adds to the comedy.
With another Christmas fast approaching, Scott aka Santa is concerned with his pregnant wife missing her parents, played by singer Alan Arkin and Ann-Margaret. When he leaves to escort his in laws, who are now part of his family, to the North Pole, Santa leaves Jack Frost, played by Martin Short, in the care of the elves. Frost, finally seeing his opportunity to take over Christmas, starts with the North Pole, and looks to perform a bit of magic that will remove Scott as Santa, making Frost the new Santa.
Even for entertainment like this trilogy, coming up with a second sequel is hard. Brian Orndorf has commented, “Up to this point, this has been an unexpectedly rewarding franchise; giving up the Christmas spirit with mistletoe ease, and allowing Tim Allen to take the stick out of his behind and act cheerful for once, unburdened by his career-killing, sour-puss sense of humor.”
“Santa Clause 3” at least does some interesting twists with the plot. Instead of rehashing the plot, this sequel actually gets a little serious as it goes along with the holiday slapstick. It doesn’t have that many funny moments, and the times when it is funny involves Short’s innate comedic moments. Orndorf says, “The picture is hardly “Ordinary People,” but it always seems to be breathlessly chasing the knotty plot instead of leaving generous time for elf-village horseplay.” The pogo vibe of the first two films is missing in this sequel, but what lacks in laughs makes up for the steadfast amusement value – a gradually more dying art.
One worthy point about the production is that it doesn’t do as much with it as a “Back to the Future Part 2” or “It’s a Wonderful Life” spin on the story. As Frost and Santa fight for the position of Santa, they travel through the time back to the first film, when Scott first got the Santa position. Using the clip from the first film, it’s a kick to match the pre-fame of Tim Allen with the third film. Orndorf said, “The two sequences provide only minutes of screentime, but I liked the effort to play a little with the history of the franchise.”
Once Frost gets the Santa position, the film has its eyes on Short’s comedy, which Orndorf says, “even clearing room for the actor to channel his Broadway history and belt out “North Pole, North Pole” on stage, complete with elf dancers.” With Short in this movie, it’s much more fun than it should have been, and it was a smart choice to give Allen someone to play off of with their comedy.
The last 15 minutes of the film puts the sentimental moments in, and that’s why this franchise is successful and beloved to this day. To see Allen smile without being scared of a one-liner into your face afterwards is pure genius, as is a Disney-style construction of the holiday classic. “Santa Clause 3” doesn’t match the quality of the past two films, but it has some perfect moments, making this series in the trilogy a treat for the holidays.
In the end, I would give this a 10+, for I find that this film is the best amongst the three. Believe it or not, there is another “Santa Clause” movie, but it came before the Tim Allen trilogy. Find out tomorrow how it is in my 25 day countdown to Christmas reviews.
No comments:
Post a Comment