The Santa Clause

Directed by John Pasquin, The Santa Clause follows Tim Allen’s Scott Calvin as he’s forced to take over for Santa Claus after the big guy falls off his roof – with complications ensuing after Scott’s transformation causes problems with his ex-wife (Wendy Crewson’s Laura) and young son (Eric Lloyd’s Charlie). Filmmaker Pasquin, armed with Leo Benvenuti and Steve Rudnick, delivers a perfectly watchable yet entirely unmemorable family-friendly endeavor that does, at the very least, benefit from Allen’s personable performance, as the actor elevates the proceedings on a decidedly ongoing basis with his predictably affable and charismatic turn as the likeable protagonist (and it’s clear, too, that Pasquin elicits engaging work from an eclectic supporting cast that includes Judge Reinhold, David Krumholtz, and Peter Boyle). The novelty of the movie’s premise goes a long way towards perpetuating the watchable vibe, as well, although it’s equally clear that The Santa Clause, even at a running time of 97 minutes, feels padded out and longer than necessary. The end result is a just-good-enough Christmas-themed production that has obviously been geared predominantly towards younger viewers, and it is, given the novelty of the setup, ultimately not difficult to see why The Santa Clause has endured in the years since its 1994 release.

**1/2 out of ****