THE SANTA CLAUSE 2

REVIEWER REQUESTED NAME REMOVED

Our rating: 4 out of 5

Because of: thematic elements

Rated:

In The Santa Clause we met Scott Calvin (Tim Allen), a man who knocks Santa off the roof and is forced to become jolly old Saint Nick himself in order to save Christmas, much to his dismay. In the sequel, Scott is a successful Santa. The elves love him, the reindeer are finally obeying him, and life at the North Pole is peaceful... but he soon finds out that all is not well. There's a clause in the contract they overlooked... the Mrs. Clause! This tiny footnote states unless Santa finds himself a wife by Christmas Eve, he's out of a job. Christmas will be finished. Hundreds of children will be devastated. And what's worse... his son Charlie has landed on the naughty list this year! What's a guy to do? With the help of his two most trusted elves, Scott clones himself, leaving his double in charge at the North Pole while he goes wife-searching. But Things turn for the worst when the double becomes a control freak who thinks all children deserve coal in their stockings. 

Meanwhile, back in the states, Santa begins to fall for Carol (Elizabeth Mitchell), a beautiful, intelligent woman... who just happens to be Charlie’s principal! How will he ever be able to explain that he’s Santa Clause? The original film was rated PG, while this sequel has a G rating. It’s appropriate for families but not perfect by any means. The film doesn’t have any profanity except for some minor slang words such as “heck” and “golly.” Scott goes on a blind date with a woman who breaks out in song and dances slightly seductively for him. Most of the Christian reviews I’ve read don’t mention this, but it does bear referencing. There is some crude bathroom humor and violence, but it's all done for laughs.

The elves who cloned Scott lie to the rest of the elves about Santa changing his look so no one suspects the truth. Scott becomes disrespectful with Carol when it comes to disciplining his son. He also takes a few pot-shots at his ex-wife's new husband, Neil... a psychologist. Even though Neil and Scott disagree overall, they do learn to get along and even work together at one point. We find out the reason Charlie acts up in school (which is spray painting some graffiti in the gym) is because Scott isn’t around enough, thus playing into the "absentee dad" angle. When Scott tells Charlie that he has to get married, Charlie tells him that there are plenty of divorced moms who will date anybody. 

We get to see Santa in a council meeting with some other enchanted creatures like Mother Nature, Father Time, the Tooth Fairy (who worries about his wings being too girly and wants to change his name), and the Sand Man. Like most films of its gender, Christianity is nonexistent. But this is a Santa story. We can't expect anything more! It's not perfect, but appropriate enough for those who are old enough to understand the fairy tale concept. The film is a lot of fun, and viewers are reminded of simple truths like being kind to one another and the importance of family. 

SC2 turns out to be a good family film that is more likable than the first one. It’s funny, romantic, and sentimental with a charming storybook appeal.