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103 reviews in total

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14 out of 15 people found the following review useful:
Very pleased, 26 October 2004

Author: jason-varble from Owensboro, Kentucky

This is a great family film/clean fun. Good to see with others. Fun to watch with children or as an adult. The focus of the film(plot) is clear. The characters/actors were well chosen. It wasn't too long, and it kept ones suspense. This is the type of film, I feel, that helps people better appreciate the holiday season. The film had no explicit scenes, so it could be watched with children.

The focus of the film was to make one laugh and to apply the romantic need for togetherness. Excellently done...

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16 out of 21 people found the following review useful:
Good Christmas Fun, 12 January 2004

Author: travisimo from Pocatello, Idaho, USA

It's been quite a while since I've seen the first Santa Clause movie, but I remember being quite surprised by it. It was a unique twist on the beloved Santa character with great comic timing by Tim Allen. But that was a while ago, and I didn't really know what to expect from The Santa Clause 2.

The movie started off kind of slow when everything is going smoothly. Everybody's happy and Santa's meeting with his fellow "legendary figures," which I admit was a fairly funny scene, but this movie just started off kind of boring. Of course this is normal with any movie until we're presented with a conflict. Santa is reverting back to his civilian self and must find a Mrs. Clause to fulfill the contract and continue being Santa. So to watch over the North Pole, a duplicate, plastic Santa clone is made, and slowly turns to a maniacal boss over his elves. I thought this was pretty funny, especially with me being a business major. I wonder if I'll act like that after school!

Anyways, back to the story, Santa goes back to his hometown with limited magic. We're introduced to a frigid principal that has punished Santa's son for displaying some Christmas spirit. More fun ensues as Santa tries to find and woo the next Mrs. Clause. To seal the deal, his Santa magic gives him the edge and results in some very nice scenes of the movie.

I won't go any further as you get the idea. Overall, The Santa Clause 2 is a nice, snuggly movie that will keep you in the holiday spirit. It's not groundbreaking material, but it has a nice message and should put a smile on anyone's face.

My IMDb Rating: 7/10. My Yahoo! Grade: B (Good)

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12 out of 14 people found the following review useful:
Better than the first. Surprisingly entertaining., 30 December 2002

Author: JamieF from San Francisco, CA USA

OK so I admit I thought this was going to be a dud. The first one was sorta clever but a sequel... oh dear. I ended up going to watch it anyway, not entirely by choice.

Well, actually it was pretty good. There were several intertwining plot lines, lots of laughs that weren't all about Tim Allen being fat and falling down, and the kids in the theatre seemed to enjoy it too. So, for what it is (clean family entertainment), it's actually pretty good.

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12 out of 16 people found the following review useful:
The Moose Hole - 'Santa' Spins Holiday Magic, 9 November 2002

Author: Joseph Kastner (JAKastner@wi.rr.com) from Delafield, Wisconsin

Released November 1st, 2002

Director: Michael Lembeck

Starring: Tim Allen, Elizabeth Mitchell, Nicole Leroux, Judge Reinhold, Spencer Breslin, Wendy Crewson, Eric Lloyd, Kevin Pollak, Molly Shannon, Jay Thomas, Aisha Tyler, Michael Dorn

Premise: Scott Calvin has been Santa Claus for the past eight years, and his loyal elves consider him the best Santa ever. But Santa's world is turned upside down when he's dealt a double whammy of bad news: not only has his son, Charlie, landed on this year's `naughty' list, but if Scott doesn't marry by Christmas Eve, he'll stop being Santa forever. Desperate, Scott turns to the elves' new invention - a machine that can replicate anything - to create Santa II and he leaves his double in charge. Things quickly go south at the North Pole when Santa II institutes some strange redefinitions of what's naughty and nice; worse, when Scott finally falls for a potential Mrs. Claus, she threatens to drive a wedge between him and Charlie. In a climactic battle pitting Santa, Charlie, the new Mrs. Claus, and the elves against Santa II and his army of tin soldiers, the future of Scott's family, the North Pole, and Christmas itself, hangs in the balance.

After a horrorific Halloween, the last thing you would expect would be a Christmas themed film. But here we are with the sequel to the 1994 smash hit, The Santa Clause. The movie opened modestly but soon gained popularity and was selling to packed houses over the Thanksgiving weekend. It just made natural sense for the Walt Disney Company to return with a sequel. The Santa Clause 2 was originally slanted for release in 2001 but the executives at Disney became aware that sequels to moderately old films won't automatically become the same hit as the original after 102 Dalmatians flopped in 2000 thanks in part to The Grinch. After the script was revised, Tim Allen finally returns as the big guy after eight years. But this time around, he doesn't have his hit TV show to bring in the sure-fire crowd like before. Will The Santa Clause 2 be as magical as the original or will the sequel follow the same steps as 102 Dalmatians?

The story goes that Scott Calvin has been Santa for eight years and it declared the best Santa ever by his elves and the children of the world. But his helper elves find that they missed a clause in his contract that states that he must get married before Christmas Eve or else he will not be Santa ever again. On top of this delema, his son Charlie has been found on the naughty list for incidents at school that involve his principal, who Scott soon falls head over heels for. But he soon must return to the North Pole as the temporary toy replacement takes in new order at the North Pole. The story was very well done. It introduced all the original characters in very nice fashion and brings good attention to brand new ones like Curtis, the keeper of the Santa handbook. One of the especially good parts was how they introduced Miss Mitchell and how she soon came to be the love interest of Scott Calvin a.k.a. Santa Claus. There were little or no problems with the story that tries hard to live up to the original.

The characters in The Santa Clause 2 are very funny and do a great job of bringing the audience into the holiday world of the North Pole. Tim Allen is as funny as ever reprising his famous role as the big guy himself, Santa Claus. Spence Breslin is very amusing as Curits and really shows off his mature acting abilities in a comedy, which will be needed when he appears in The Cat in the Hat with Mike Myers in 2003. Elizabeth Mitchell is great as Charlie's principal. She really brings the romance into this familty comedy that is needed to offset some of the goofiness that happens all around but doesn't draw too much attention away from other important scenes. All the original characters are back and do a extraordinary jobs returning to their old roles.

Overall, The Santa Clause 2 is as funny or better then the 1994 original in many areas of the story and characters. Though the movie does seem perfect but there are slight flaws to this beautifully wrapped package. The main problem is the moral lesson expressed in the film. They are stated in lines of the film and come off as way too tacky especially with the emotional music playing. This is okay for a family audience but can get on nerves to older audience. This does not ruin the film in the least. The Santa Clause 2 does everything it sets out to achieve and does so with great flare. If this film does well enough, you might expect another sequel but even if this is the last chapter in the Santa Clause films then it goes off on a fabulous note. If there is one holiday film to take your kids to see this November, take them to see The Santa Clause 2. You won't forget it and neither will your kids after they are done laughing their heads off. And no worries for adults, the jokes appeal to both children and adults. Look for hidden Disney jokes and even a few Buzz Lightyear lines slipped into the story. One of the few films that lives up to the original.

My Rating: ****1/2 out of 5

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13 out of 20 people found the following review useful:
cute kids film, 20 November 2004
Author: MLDinTN from TN

This was much better than I anticipated. It made me laugh a few times. In the sequel, Santa Claus (Allen) is losing his magical powers. There was a hidden clause in his contract that he had to marry by a certain time or he would lose them all. So, he goes back home to date and help straighten his son out who was on the naughty list. While away, Santa's lead elves make a plastic replica Santa so the other elves won't worry. And a lot of the funny parts have to do with plastic Santa as he learns the enjoyment of cocoa and goes on a power trip.

I wish the movie would have shown more than one dating disaster with Santa. Molly Shannon does a cameo as his date and loudly sings this funny song in a restaurant. And the flying reindeer and tooth fairy bring even more cuteness to the film. The principle was so annoying and you knew she was going to be the one. But it felt so fairy tale like because Santa knows her like a week and he's saying, "I'm so in love" and all they did was go to a faculty Christmas party. Does Santa stop the evil plastic Santa and save Christmas? What do you think? Duh!

FINAL VERDICT: It was pretty good for a kid's film. I recommended it if you don't think movies like this are too childish.

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5 out of 5 people found the following review useful:
Very enjoyable sequel, 22 December 2003

Author: Jeff from Gainesville, Va.

This was a very fun movie! Easily as fun as the first. It had a great mix of humor, romance and 'feel good'. The first movie gave me the feeling of joy at the thought of grownups finding the wonder of Christmas again (Laura and Neal realizing Scott was indeed Santa). The second gave me that same feeling (the staff Christmas party). I'm kind of partial to these kind of movies because I like to take the Spirit of Christmas and share it throughtout the year. I liked the attitude of Bernard more in the first one. He seemed more on top of things, a little cocky, very in control. Other than that, I can't think of a thing I didn't like about this movie. And no bad language! Great for the entire family. 10/10

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8 out of 12 people found the following review useful:
A very good movie for kids, 4 November 2002
Author: perni from Owensboro, KY

Now, I cannot really describe what sort of expectations I had coming into this movie. I barely remember the first Santa Clause, which came out over six years ago, so the idea of a sequel after such a long break made me rethink its possibilities. Then my family and I went to go see it today, and for what it is worth, SC2 is pretty decent. Okay, so there isn't a lot of humor that will appeal to the older siblings or parents in the audience, but the colorful sets, simple story, and a good cast make it worth the trip. Tim Allen is just fine as Santa, although for such a good comedian I was hoping he would improvise some more sly humor or gags into the role. One wonders what Robin Williams or, heck, Chris Rock could do with the role of the big guy. The woman who plays Allen's possible love interest was also pretty good, but her character fell in love with Scott Calvin so fast it seemed like the script was forcing the relationship. Pretty much everyone from 1996's Santa Clause is back, including Charlie, who is now all grown up and as cute as a button. They try to present him as somehwhat of a delinquent, but considering all he does is throw snowballs and do a little light grafitti work, it seems like he's more of a Disney thug than anything you would see on the streets of reality. The only actor I could have nixed from the film and not missed was the chubby kid who was also in Bruce Willis' The Kid and provided voicework for the Peter Pan sequel. It just feels like Disney is recycling him into every movie they have, and he isn't even that good of a child actor. Oh, and did anyone catch the insanely obvious product placement for McDonald's? Sheesh, I have a problem with such blatant advertising like this, but at the same time it is kind of funny to watch the Marketing Gears groan and grind (look, Charlie is having a BIG MAC). Oh, and the reindeer character eats a lot of brand name candy (including a yummy CRUNCH BAR). I liked Comet, even if he is an obvious animatronic creation, and appreciated the fact that the filmakers didn't get lazy and just use CGI, but what if he had just spoken English? Why the weird reindeer language? Tim Allen had to repeat everything Comet said just so we could understand, and that got a little old. What's that Comet? You can't fly? You say Timmy is at the bottom of the well and he is hemmoraging? Hee hee...sorry, I couldn't resist. Anyway, this review is getting kind of long, so I'll wrap it up by saying that The Santa Clause 2 is a great movie to take the family to, but don't expect long-lasting memories. It certainly looks better than Adam Sandler's animated PG-13 movie. What was that man thinking? I give SC2 3/4 stars.

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3 out of 3 people found the following review useful:
This movie was great!, 7 December 2002

Author: jerry_smart from Oregon, USA

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

***** spoilers ahead! *****

This movie had me laughing and moved me almost to tears a couple of times. There are some who have not given this movie a good review, don't listen to them. Tim Allen was great, his co-star (what's her name?) was great. This was an excellent feel good movie for the holidays. I liked it better than the first one. The thing with the reindeer talking by making noises was very funny. I also liked the parts with the other characters from legend... Mother nature, Tooth Fairy, Father Time etc. Go see this movie, you will not be wasting your time.

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4 out of 5 people found the following review useful:
Very Entertaining!, 17 November 2002

Author: Mandy Stefaniak (SummerRain445) from Cleveland, Ohio

This movie was very entertaining! I laughed almost the whole time, the music was phenomenal, and the graphics were awesome....The first was funny, but this was a whole heck of a lot funnier, along with a great cast of some new characters....a great movie for the whole family!

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3 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
This Film's as Good as the Original., 6 December 2003

Author: (moderndaydelilah) from United States

The Santa Clause" is a holiday movie that my family has watched and loved multiple times every year. It really captured the spirit of the day in a way that EVERYONE can appreciate. "The Santa Clause 2" was something I didn't bother to see in theaters, because it's been my experience that Disney can't do sequels right. Based on past failures, this could have truly been a terrible film. Luckily, I heard from a friend who became absolutely obsessed with it and counted down the days to its DVD release. She said it was not only, in her opinion, slightly better than the first, but that it was a generally wonderful and very funny movie. Sufficiently persuaded to purchase the DVD, I now can honestly say that I'm glad I did.

In this movie, the entire original cast returns for a story that's actually quite clever for a "part II." Colorful and fun from beginning to end, the humor is genuine, and not the 'corny' kind you might expect. Actually, my favorite line is when the "number two elf," Curtis, says, "The Desantafication process has begun!" He shouts it so loudly and rapidly it's scary--but mad humorous. If you don't already know the story, here it is in a nutshell: Scott needs a wife in order to remain Santa forever; the "Mrs. Clause." His son Charlie is falling into 'bad behavior' because he feels neglected and upset that he must keep his father's secret, when his dad's got the coolest job of all. While Scott is courting the school principal using magic, back at the North Pole, chaos is ensuing as the toy santa goes awry and develops a persona not unlike Hitler. He whips the elves into long, miserable work hours and is just basically cruel, screwing up the entire process of Christmas by deciding that most kids are naughty and they all deserve only coal.

The reindeer, Scott's ex-wife and Neil, the hilarious Council of Legendary Figures, etc., all combine to make a truly satisfying movie that is a very, very worthy successor to "The Santa Clause." I am pleased to say, a longtime fan of the original was not disappointed at all. (Warning: The most irritating character by far is Molly Shannon's small role of Tracy, Scott's first dismal attempt at finding a Mrs. Clause. Tracy has an unhealthy obsession with country music and bursts into a highly embarrassing singing-and-dancing performance of a Shania Twain song with lyrics twisted to be about Christmas--UNDER THE WATCH OF EVERYONE IN A PUBLIC RESTAURANT WITHIN FIVE MINUTES OF THE START OF A FIRST DATE. Something's wrong with this woman. She's one of those, "I-am-not-with-her, I've-never-seen-her-before-in-my-life" kind of humiliating freaks of nature whom you'd NEVER wanna be caught dead with in public. The scene is funny--still, I dunno about anyone else, but I felt really awful for Scott. I mean, he responded the way any normal red-blooded American would, and then Tracy storms out on him for not "supporting her ambition" when she "put herself out there" which she claims was "not an easy thing to do.") Bernard has a big role, and is even more likable in this one; he doesn't like Curtis much, but he's used to having Scott as Santa. "Chet" is the new, inexperienced reindeer-in-training who is completely horrible at guiding a sleigh--or just flying, for that matter. The Tooth Fairy, who wants to change his name to Tooth Man, Tooth Guy, Molinator, Tooth, Plaque Man, Captain Floss, or as I recall, Roy, is hysterical. "No kid will leave a tooth under their pillow for some guy named Roy," claims Cupid. Eh heh...it's probably true.

Also, BE SURE TO WATCH THE SPECIAL FEATURES!! They're excellent. The interview with the Legendary Figures is hilarious. Gotta love Cupid. "Deleted scenes" & "gag reel" are tons of fun. Watch the movie with the audio commentary from Micheal Lembeck as well as the hysterically funny ten-minute "Exploring the North Pole w/ Curtis." These are too much fun & they give greater insight into the rivalry betwixt Curtis and Bernard. Banana, anyone?!

So on the whole, it's a great film. For everybody. I'd see it if I were you. Terrific holiday movie. A new tradition will be watching the first followed by the second each year.

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