I told you a few weeks ago about our plans to see the Santa Clause 3 when it opened and Friday afternoon, that’s exactly what we did. The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause is the third in the Santa Clause franchise that began back in 1993. The great thing about this movie franchise is that the same actors have maintained their roles and we’ve literally watched the young man who plays Charlie grow up in the part.
When we last saw them, Scott Calvin aka Santa Clause found his Mrs. Clause in Charlie’s high school principal. Now happily married and ensconced at the North Pole, Mrs. Clause is feeling a little put out with the holiday craziness and how busy Santa is as she nears her due date with their first child. Santa’s feeling the pressure himself because Christmas Eve is coming up quick and there are toys to be finished, a list to be checked twice and Jack Frost, the angry legendary figure who wants his own holiday instead of a season as he feels upstaged by Santa all the time.
Beware of Spoilers If You Haven’t Seen the Film
In an effort to help out Carol, his wife, Scott goes south to fetch his ex-wife and her husband Neil as well as Lucy as well as Carol’s parents to bring them all back for a visit and to spend Christmas together. Charlie is grateful to his dad for understanding that he wants to go snowboarding with some friends this year instead of riding in the sleigh together. Scott’s come a long way since his early days of being an absent father, but with Jack Frost sabotaging every effort – the stress is getting overwhelming.
Parents may be a bit bored with some of the shenanigans, but the acting and the scenery are great. It’s pretty silly to see the North Pole transformed into “Canada” so the secret of Santa isn’t revealed to Carol’s parents. It’s heart breaking when Jack keeps creating more and more mischief and finally, when he succeeds in stealing away the Santa Clause mantle, he leaves Scott Calvin abandoned in a future where all the wonderful things that came into his life aren’t there – including his wife and soon-to-be born baby.
Predictably, he succeeds in getting it all back and he’s there when his baby is born. He saves Christmas and the Christmas spirit and there are definite moments of cheese, but the movie itself is great fun. No one is upstaged and no one hogs the limelight.
It’s a great bookend to the first two movies and the kids (ages 5 & 7) both give it their highest marks. Parents might be a little bored if they didn’t enjoy the first two films and the only thing I really missed in this one was the absence of Bernard – because you just know Bernard would have nailed Jack Frost on his mischief. It’s a great movie for the launch of the holiday season and I was definitely grinning at the end of it.
Did you catch The Santa Clause 3 this weekend?
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