The Santa Clause (1994)

Only a few times in my film/television viewing lifetime have I had lapses where I wasn't aware of the release or premiere of a new movie or television show. When I backpacked for two months in Europe after college in 1987, I lost track of films that came out in theaters between October and December of that year. When I worked in the film industry in the early 90s, I was working 16-18 hour days and didn't have time to watch television at night. I had no recollection of TV shows like ST. ELSEWHERE, THE WEST WING, or L.A. LAW. And when my son was born in 1994, I was consumed with learning to be a new father and missed the release of a charming holiday film two months after his birth in November called THE SANTA CLAUSE.  

It wasn't until November 1995 of the following year when my wife, one year old son, and I traveled to New Jersey to celebrate Thanksgiving with my wife's aunt that I discovered the magic of THE SANTA CLAUSE. We were trying to stay awake after a filling turkey dinner. Aunt Karin asked if we wanted to watch a movie. She pulled out a VHS tape, popped it into the VHS player and for the next one hour and 37 minutes, we were captivated by this clever holiday film starring rising stand up comedian turned television sitcom star turned movie actor Tim Allen. 

Stand up comics have been successful moving from comedy clubs to television shows. Comedians like Roseanne Barr, Eddie Murphy, Robin Williams, and Tim Allen all made the transition and had hit television shows. The tougher part is going from television to feature films. Robin Williams first attempt was George Roy Hill's THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GARP (1983) based on the John Irving novel. Williams played against type from his crazier TV space alien character Mork from MORK AND MINDY (1978-1982). Audiences didn't swarm to see Williams as a regular guy. Wild and Crazy Guy Steve Martin tried out his irreverent humor on the big screen in Carl Reiner's THE JERK (1979). Martin had a niche following as a comedian but THE JERK didn't appeal to the masses. Both Williams and Martin would eventually find the right projects and become major film stars. For Tim Allen who played blue collar DIY television show host  Tim "the Tool Man" Taylor on TVs HOME IMPROVEMENT (1991-1999), his leap to film playing a white collar toy salesman who by accident becomes the next St. Nick in THE SANTA CLAUSE was a smart, safe career move.

With an original screenplay by Leo Benvenuti and Steve Rudnick and directed by John Pasquin, THE SANTA CLAUSE begins at (where else?) a company Christmas party where Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) and his co-worker Susan (Judith Scott) are acknowledged by their toy company boss Mr. Whittle (Peter Boyle) as the top marketing team for the year. Recently divorced, Scott hustles to his ex-wife Laura (Wendy Crewson) and new husband Dr. Neal Miller (Judge Reinhold) house to pick up his son Charlie Calvin (Eric Lloyd) on Christmas Eve. Neither Scott nor Charlie are exactly in the Christmas spirit. Scott burns the turkey dinner and he and Charlie end up eating out at a Denny's filled with other divorced Dads and their kids. After reading The Night Before Christmas to Charlie before bed, Charlie asks if Scott believes in Santa Claus. Scott patronizes Charlie and tells him he's positive that a man in a red suit lives in the North Pole and flies a sleigh driven by eight reindeer.

That night, Charlie's awakened by a clatter outside. He wakes up Scott who also hears the noise. They go out front to investigate.  Scott sees a man in a red suit on his roof and shouts out to him accidentally scaring the stranger. The stranger falls off the roof onto a pile of snow. Charlie tells his Dad he's killed Santa Claus. Scott finds a card in the red suit that simply states SANTA CLAUS, NORTH POLE.  On the back of the card it says "If something should happen to me, put on the suit. The reindeer will know what to do." Santa's body disappears, leaving just the suit.  A ladder materializes. Charlie climbs up it and Scott grabs the suit and follows Charlie to the roof where a sleigh filled with toys and eight reindeer led by Comet await them. Scott and Charlie climb into the sleigh and it takes off into the night sky where Scott (after putting on the Santa suit) delivers toys all over the world. Afterward, the reindeer bring Scott and Charlie to the North Pole where they meet Bernard (David Krumholtz), the head elf of Santa's Workshop. 

Bernard gives Scott and Charlie a tour of Santa's North Pole operations and presents Charlie with a snow globe. They meet other elves including Elf-Judy (Paige Tamada). Scott just wants to go home.  Bernard informs Scott that since he read the card and put on Santa's suit, he has accepted the Santa Clause (printed in very small type on the card). Scott has 11 months to get his affairs in order before the next Christmas. Scott awakens the next morning in his own bed, dressed in satin red pajamas from the North Pole. Laura picks up Charlie on Christmas morning. Scott can't explain the crazy night before.  At a Bring Your Dad to Work Day at school, Charlie brags that his Dad is Santa Claus. Laura and Neal begin to worry about Charlie's obsession with Scott as Santa Claus. Scott wakes up one morning with white hair and a white beard. He's also put on some weight. Laura and Neal begin to freak out about Scott's transformation into a Santa Claus like figure. Laura and Neal petition to have Scott's visitation rights to see Charlie taken away.  After talking to Charlie, Judge Whalen (Ron Hartmann) sides with Laura and Neal.

Scott says good bye to Charlie. He asks Laura for a moment alone with Charlie. Bernard the Elf shows up and whisks Scott and Charlie away to the North Pole. Laura reports Charlie's "kidnapping" to the local police who put out an APB on Scott/Santa. At the North Pole, Scott/Santa and the elves prepare Santa's sleigh for Christmas Eve. The reindeer fly Scott/Santa all over the world delivering gifts. They finally arrive at Laura and Neal's house where the police arrest Scott/Santa. The North Pole deploys an E.L.F.S rescue team to pick up Charlie from the roof and extract Scott/Santa from jail. Scott/Santa brings Charlie back to Laura and Neal. Scott/Santa tells Charlie he can't always be with him now that he's Santa Claus. Bernard tells Charlie that he just has to shake the snow globe he gave Charlie and Scott/Santa will appear right away. Scott/Santa gives Laura and Neal the gifts they never received as children. Laura burns the custody papers. The police surround Neal's house. Scott/Santa and the reindeer fly over them as he heads back to the North Pole and his new role.

With all its funny one liners and sense of holiday magic to it, THE SANTA CLAUSE spotlights a serious domestic fact for a holiday film: families separated during Christmas due to divorce. Scott and Laura are newly divorced and the collateral damage is their son Charlie. THE SANTA CLAUSE begins with Scott having to pick up Charlie from his ex-wife on Christmas Eve night. Irritated with this new situation, Scott has lost the Christmas spirit and takes out his frustration on Charlie as they clash over the rules of Christmas. In THE SANTA CLAUSE'S most devastating scene, Scott and Charlie have Christmas Eve dinner at Denny's. Scott gazes around and sees several other single Dad's with their children, no mother in sight. Divorce can be a Scrooge during the holidays.

Although Charlie's parents are divorced, he's the one beacon who hasn't lost the spirit of Christmas, its traditions and legends. It's the adults like Scott, Laura, and Neal who are the unbelievers. Charlie's loyalty is rewarded when he and Scott end up in Santa's sleigh and a trip to the North Pole after a fluke accident to Santa at Scott's house. After discovering that Santa, his elves, and flying reindeer are real, Charlie's enthusiasm for all things Santa begins to frighten his mother and new husband Neal. When Scott begins to turn into the actual Santa Claus, Laura and Neal blame Scott for Charlie's Christmas zealousness, resulting in Scott losing his visitation rights to Charlie. Once again, the grown ups just won't believe. Thankfully for Charlie (and the audience), the elves will arrive to save the night.

Fortunately, THE SANTA CLAUSE is 99% fun. The film makes an interesting choice that works, casting child actors instead of little people to play the elves. Scott's interaction with the elf children is hilarious with some of the funniest lines in the film delivered at the North Pole between Scott and the elves. When Elf-Judy tells Scott she's 1200 years old, Scott tells he she looks pretty good for someone that age. Judy replies, "Thank, but I'm seeing someone in wrapping." My favorite line is when a clueless Scott first delivers toys to children after putting on the Santa suit. He comes across a young girl sleeping on a couch next to her Christmas tree. She's not impressed with Scott's appearance. When Scott prepares to fly back up the chimney, she reminds him that he didn't drink the glass of milk put out for Santa.  Scott retorts, "I'm lactose intolerant!" 

THE SANTA CLAUSE has fun playing with the Christmas norms that we are familiar with. The filmmakers have the North Pole become a James Bond like hideout. Santa's sleigh lands on a platform that descends to the subterranean Workshop. Elf-Quentin channels Bond's gadget master Q, explaining to Scott all the different gadgets that Santa's sleigh contains. Later, when Scott/Santa is arrested and thrown into the slammer, an elf SWAT team is sent from the North Pole called E.L.F.S. (Effective Liberating Flight Squad) to liberate Scott/Santa, providing some humorous sequences as they tangle with the local police. 

With THE SANTA CLAUSE, Tim Allen was on a roll. According to IMDB, not only did Allen have the #1 television show with HOME IMPROVEMENT in 1994, he had the #1 non-fiction book on the New York Times Bestseller List with Don't Stand Too Close To a Naked Man and THE SANTA CLAUSE was #1 at the Box Office for its opening week. Scott Calvin (did you notice Scott's initials are the same as Santa Claus -- SC) is not a big departure from Allen's TV character on HOME IMPROVEMENT except he's in marketing for a toy company rather than a DIY TV host. A few times, Allen let's his TV character mannerisms slip out but Allen mostly plays a new character, a mild Scrooge like curmudgeon who transforms into the benevolent, red nosed St. Nick. Allen was a now a bona fide star and his winning streak would continue with successful THE SANTA CLAUSE sequels including Michael Lembeck's THE SANTA CLAUSE 2 (2002) where Scott/Santa needs to find a Mrs. Claus (Elizabeth Mitchell) or else he will cease to be Santa; David Parisot's very funny sci-fi spoof GALAXY QUEST (1999) with Allen, Sigourney Weaver, and Alan Rickman; and John Lasseter's TOY STORY (1995) and its sequels which would forever endear audiences with Buzz Lightyear voiced by Allen.

The underrated Judge Reinhold once again nearly steals a film, this time in THE SANTA CLAUSE as Charlie's new step father Dr. Neal Miller. Neal is a psychiatrist who seemingly wants to analyze everyone he comes into contact with. Neal should be the villain of the film (he's now Laura's husband not Scott and he's trying to softly let Charlie know that Santa isn't real) but Reinhold makes Neal sympathetic and a little sad. Reinhold has been nailing his characters from teenager Brad Hamilton in Amy Heckerling's FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH (1982) to L.A. Detective Billy Rosewood in Martin Brest's BEVERLY HILLS COP (1984) and its sequels going toe to toe with Eddie Murphy. Reinhold would reprise Neal Miller in THE SANTA CLAUSE 2 and THE SANTA CLAUSE 3: THE ESCAPE CLAUSE (2006). 

The rest of the cast in THE SANTA CLAUSE play their parts to perfection. Canadian actress Wendy Crewson (AIR FORCE ONE) does a nice job as Scott's ex-wife Laura. She comes off as a caring mother trying to work out this new arrangement of raising and sharing her son Charlie with Scott now that they are divorced. The ex-wife role can often be one dimensional. Crewson gives Laura depth and compassion. Another tricky role is young Charlie. If the child actor isn't any good, it can come off as lame or annoying next to a comedian.  Eric Lloyd as Scott and Laura's son Charlie pulls it off. Charlie's transformation from not wanting to be with his father on Christmas Eve to idolizing Scott as the new Santa is the backbone of THE SANTA CLAUSE.  It reconnects Charlie with Scott. Lloyd would appear in all three THE SANTA CLAUSE films and Netflix's THE SANTA CLAUSES series (2022-23). 

Although most of the elves are young kids with pointy prosthetic elf ears in THE SANTA CLAUSE, David Krumholtz distinguishes himself as the taller and older head elf Bernard. Bernard cuts through Scott's sarcasm (he's probably dealt with a few new doubting Santas' in his long lifetime) and explains the clause that will forever change his Scott's life. Krumholtz would not be typecast by playing elves for the rest of his career (except THE SANTA CLAUSE sequels) and has worked with top directors including the Coen Brothers in THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS (2018) and Christopher Nolan in OPPENHEIMER (2023). Young Paige Tamada stands out as Elf-Judy who makes Scott cocoa and prepares him for his new role.  THE SANTA CLAUSE'S only glaring error is not utilizing the great Peter Boyle (YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN) to better effect as Scott's toy company boss Mr. Whittle. We only see Boyle in a couple of scenes. 

Director John Pasquin had worked with Tim Allen before THE SANTA CLAUSE, directing 39 episodes of Allen's HOME IMPROVEMENT. Pasquin mostly worked in television but would direct a few more feature films including another film with Allen called JUNGLE 2 JUNGLE (1997) co-starring Martin Short and MISS CONGENIALITY 2: ARMED AND DANGEROUS (2005) with Sandra Bullock and William Shatner. Pasquin is married to actress Jobeth Williams (POLTERGEIST). Disney took its time making a sequel (probably due to Allen becoming a bigger star). THE SANTA CLAUSE 2 would be worth waiting 8 years for, returning the original cast along with Elizabeth Mitchell as Scott's new love interest and future Mrs. Claus and some other famous folklore figures including the Tooth Fairy (Art LeFleur) and the Easter Bunny (Jay Thomas). Michael Lembeck would also direct the third in the series THE SANTA CLAUSE 3: THE ESCAPE CLAUSE (2006) with Santa battling Jack Frost (Martin Short). It was an interesting idea but THE SANTA CLAUSE 3 is the weakest of the three films.

You would think Tim Allen would have had the time of his life making THE SANTA CLAUSE and playing the big guy but that was part of the problem. Allen had to wear a fat suit for the Santa scenes which was extremely uncomfortable and hot. THE SANTA CLAUSE was filmed in Canada in the summer not winter under hot movie lights. Thankfully Allen endured and THE SANTA CLAUSE is one of those rare, good modern holiday films that can stand beside the classics like Frank Capra's IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946) and Michael Curtiz's WHITE CHRISTMAS (1954). And to think, if my son hadn't been born, I would have seen THE SANTA CLAUSE when it was originally released. Having to discover it a year later, I wouldn't change that for the world.