The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause
Because Christmas without a Tim Allen movie in theaters is like a home without a tree, the comedian returns for a third time in the latest addition to his lucrative holiday series. The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause finds Allen fighting off the evils of the in-laws and the allure of a normal life in this cheerful - and possibly unnecessary - sequel to 2002’s The Santa Clause 2.
This time around, Santa takes it upon himself to keep Mrs. Claus happy as she struggles through the last few weeks of pregnancy with the couple’s first child together. Realizing the sacrifices his wife made by marrying him in the last film, Santa decides to fly the in-laws in to be with their daughter and ease her anxiety. Despite the trouble Santa goes through trying to make the in-laws warm up to him, the real dilemma begins when Jack Frost, played hilariously by fellow funny-man Martin Short, vents his jealousy of Santa’s glory by attempting to steal the holiday for himself.
The film gets a bit tangled in its own string of plot lines as Santa pursues Frost through time as his mortal self, Scott Calvin, trying to take back his stolen title. Along the way, after wishing he had never put on the big red suit in the first place, Calvin begins to see how the lives of his loved ones would have been affected if he had never become Santa. While it’s nice to see Calvin realize his importance in the eyes of his family, let alone the millions of children around the world, the pace of the film slows more than it needs to, particularly for the young ones most likely to be flocking to see the movie.
Yet despite the film’s somewhat plodding middle portion, and the expected tacky dialogue, the movie manages to bring a good measure of heartwarming cheer by the end. Returning characters, including the Millers and son Charlie, add a boost of nostalgia for 1994’s soon-to-be classic first installment.
Elizabeth Mitchell, Spencer Breslin, Aisha Tyler and Peter Boyle are among the noteworthy supporting cast.
Written by: Kevin Manahan
Reviewers Rating: 7
Reader's Rating: 9.33
Reader's Votes: 3
Added: 8-Dec-2006
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