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Movies / On DVD / The Santa Clause
The Santa Clause

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The Santa Clause (1994)

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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... 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 passed the torch to ad executive Scott Calvin (Tim Allen), who finishes the job of bestowing holiday cheer on all. When he finally reaches on the North Pole, however, Scott learns that he can't give up the job -- he's become the next Santa Claus. (THAT'S the Santa Clause!). Scott returns home, only to find himself slowly changing into the pudgy, white-haired old man so beloved of children... and to find that everyone around him considers him utterly and completely mad. [More]

Starring: Tim Allen, Judge Reinhold, Wendy Crewson, Peter Boyle

Starring: Tim Allen, Judge Reinhold, Wendy Crewson, Peter Boyle, Eric Lloyd, Mary Gross, David Krumholtz, Larry Brandenburg, Paige Tamada, Judith Scott

Director: John Pasquin

Director: John Pasquin
Screenwriter: Leo Benvenuti, Steve Rudnick
Composer: Michael Convertino

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Jan 1, 1996

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • The Santa Clause
  • Superstar comedian and Golden Globe(R) winner Tim Allen shines bright in Disney's magical, larger-than-life hit comedy that People Magazine dubbed "the most playfully amusing, inventive cinematic ... fable in several decades!" Rooftop clatter leads to merry adventure after Santa falls down on the job, and Scott Calvin's son Charlie convinces dad to try on the red suit. Eight reindeer pilot the pair to the North Pole, where they soon discover that by donning the famous suit, dad must now accept all of Santa's duties! Over the next year, a surprised, not-so-jolly Scott grows a Santa-sized tummy and beard, causing friends, family, and business associates to wonder if he's lost his marbles -- all except Charlie, who thinks his dad is perfectly suited for his new job! Each well-kept secret of the North Pole is revealed in Disney's hilarious and heartwarming tale that's "destined to become a holiday classic" (New York Post). Now you can unwrap all the magic of the holidays any day of the year!
  • Source: Buena Vista Home Entertainment
  •  
     
     
     

    Reviews for The Santa Clause

    • T-Meter Critics
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    1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating)
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    [Director] John Pasquin brings to it a heavy-handedness more appropriate to the subject matter of, say, his telefilm Don't Touch My Daughter.

    Full Review Source: Film Freak Central | comment Comment
    10/27/02
    Bill Chambers
    Bill Chambers
    Film Freak Central

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    08/14/05
    Emanuel Levy
    Emanuel Levy
    EmanuelLevy.Com

    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.

    Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    James Berardinelli
    James Berardinelli
    ReelViews
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    05/25/06
    Lori Hoffman
    Lori Hoffman
    Atlantic City Weekly

    Agreeable family fare that'll please the young 'uns but that adults will find only slightly diverting.

    Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment Comment
    01/01/04
    Michael Dequina
    Michael Dequina
    TheMovieReport.com

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    07/30/02
    Philip Martin
    Philip Martin
    Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

    Despite its charms, the movie didn't push over the top into true inspiration.

    Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Roger Ebert
    Roger Ebert
    Chicago Sun-Times
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    07/27/02
    Scott Weinberg
    Scott Weinberg
    eFilmCritic.com

    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.

    Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
    12/04/06
    TV Guide's Movie Guide

    A friend and I go to a 'sort of trashy' movie every Christmas. This was less trashy than most.

    comment Comment
    08/28/02
    Alex Sandell
    Alex Sandell
    Juicy Cerebellum

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    01/14/05
    Audrey Rock-Richardson
    Audrey Rock-Richardson
    Tooele Transcript-Bulletin (Utah)

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    08/22/03
    Carol Cling
    Carol Cling
    Las Vegas Review-Journal

    There are enough laughs to make it worth a look for Allen's legion of fans.

    Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Chris Hicks
    Chris Hicks
    Deseret News, Salt Lake City

    A minor classic

    Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
    10/13/02
    Christopher Null
    Christopher Null
    Filmcritic.com

    while 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

    Full Review Source: Moviehole | comment Comment
    11/26/02
    Clint Morris
    Clint Morris
    Moviehole

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    04/03/04
    Daniel M. Kimmel
    Daniel M. Kimmel
    Worcester Telegram & Gazette

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    03/01/08
    David Kaplan
    David Kaplan
    Kaplan vs. Kaplan

    The movie steers a shrewd course between bracing cynicism and old-fashioned make-believe.

    Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
    02/09/06
    Derek Adams
    Derek Adams
    Time Out

    Kids of most ages will be able to follow -- and enjoy -- this comic fantasy.

    Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Desson Thomson
    Desson Thomson
    Washington Post
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    The 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.

    Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Hollis Chacona
    Hollis Chacona
    Austin Chronicle
     
     
    1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating)
    Text View | 1 2 >> >|
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