This sequel to the 1994 holiday movie fails to live up to its predecessor. In the original, Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) becomes the new Santa Clause. In the sequel, which takes place eight years later, he is informed that he must get married before Christmas Eve or he will cease to be Santa Clause (why it took eight years for this qualification to kick in is never explained). Alongside this news, Scott finds out that his son Charlie (now sixteen) is on the naughty list. So he leaves the North Pole right before his busiest time of the year to see his son and find a wife.
The overall story has something lacking. It's never very interesting or entertaining. The sub-plot about a life-sized toy Santa filling Scott's shoes at the North Pole is at first fairly funny; but as the replacement starts to completely take over, it gets to be rather ridiculous. What makes this movie (like the original) is the humor of Tim Allen. Allen is still funny in his role, and he keeps the laughs coming. His comedy is the only really good thing about the movie. But again even in this regard it falls short of the original.
The Santa Clause 2, in common with the first movie, also has some questionable themes. One being the typical, modern-day mindset that Christmas is all about presents. Although many holiday movies these days don't know exactly what the true meaning of Christmas is, they at least know it's about more than just presents. Not so with this movie. Instead, Christmas will be completely ruined if Santa fails to deliver presents.
Another aspect also present in the first movie is the light treatment of divorce and remarriage. Just as the remarriage of Scott's ex-wife with another man was treated naturally enough in the first film, Scott's search for a new wife is also treated as natural in the second. It's also worth mentioning that when Scott does find someone, the presider of the marriage is none other than Mother Nature (oh brother...).
The Santa Clause 2 is still funny, but it doesn't meet the level of the original while at the same time retaing some of the original's problems. If you enjoyed the first movie, the sequel may be worth seeing; but don't expect too much out of it. |
