The movie steers a shrewd course between bracing cynicism and old-fashioned make-believe.
Comment
02/09/06
The Santa Clause (1994)
79
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:39
Fresh:31
Rotten:8
Average Rating:6.1/10
Consensus: The Santa Clause is utterly undemanding, but it's firmly rooted in the sort of good old-fashioned holiday spirit missing from too many modern yuletide films.
Runtime: 1 hr 37 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: When Santa Claus gets killed in a freak accident after being startled on the rooftop of a house, it looks like Christmas is ruined. But fortunately, just before his death, the jolly, gift-giver... [More]
Starring: Tim Allen, Judge Reinhold, Wendy Crewson, Peter Boyle
Director: John Pasquin
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Reviews for The Santa Clause
This movie has charm to spare and it's hard to resist.
05/26/06
This is what happens when someone takes what might have been a moderately- entertaining television Christmas special and tries to adapt it for the big screen.
01/01/00
Top CriticThe jokes are mostly funny, the divorced parents stay happily divorced, and we're treated to yet another earnestly dopey performance by the endearing Judge Reinhold.
01/01/00
[Director] John Pasquin brings to it a heavy-handedness more appropriate to the subject matter of, say, his telefilm Don't Touch My Daughter.
10/27/02
Agreeable family fare that'll please the young 'uns but that adults will find only slightly diverting.
01/01/04
Despite its charms, the movie didn't push over the top into true inspiration.
01/01/00
Top CriticThere are enough laughs to make it worth a look for Allen's legion of fans.
01/01/00
It opts for pleasant Christmas fantasy instead of phony sentimentality.
01/01/00
Balances the sugar with the spice, which Allen sprinkles on just right.
01/01/00
Top CriticThis is a hip, likable spin on the seasonal icon told with a deft mixture of comedy and sentimentality.
11/27/07
Top CriticHome Improvement fans will find plenty of laughs and may even consent to going to this movie with their little brothers and sisters.
05/20/03
Top Criticwhile still further proof Tim Allen was always better suited to Television, is one of the Toolman’s best forays into film. The bottom line is kids will get a kick out of it, and parents can rest assure by the end of it’s hour and a half they’ll have had s
11/26/02
A minor classic
10/13/02
...the closest thing we've had in the last twenty years to a genuine Christmas classic.
12/07/03
A good choice to kick back and enjoy during the holiday season.
01/01/00
Even if the film bogs down a touch in its own sense of cuteness near the end, this film will do as a family-wide X-mas time waster if everyone has It's a Wonderful Life overload.
11/07/02
Kids of most ages will be able to follow -- and enjoy -- this comic fantasy.
01/01/00
Top CriticOs roteiristas conseguiram realizar uma proeza: encontrar um novo ângulo para contar uma velha história.
05/31/02
While the film breaks no new ground, it offers the kind of simple, well-crafted, family entertainment that used to be a staple of the Disney studio.
12/04/06
Latest News for The Santa Clause
December 20, 2006:
RT's Top Holiday Thrillers -- Christmas Countdown, Day Three
Welcome to Day Three of RT's Five Days of Christmas Countdown, in which we serve up a different list each day of the best holiday flicks around. Today, we've got the... More...
December 18, 2006:
RT's Top Yuletide Comedies -- Christmas Countdown, Day One
Welcome to RT's Five Days of Christmas Countdown, where we serve up a different list each day of the best holiday flicks around. Today, feast your eyes on the Top Christmas... More...
November 02, 2006:
Box Office Guru Preview: Santa Battles Borat for Weekend Crown
A pair of new family films aimed at kids will duke it out for the top spot this weekend while a bumbling reporter from the former Soviet Union will cause a commotion for a more... More...
August 10, 2006:
Box Office Preview: "World Trade Center" Arrives in Theaters
Another frame packed with four new national releases is led by Oliver Stone's 9/11 drama "World Trade Center" from Paramount. A trio of lower profile pics round out... More...
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