The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause

MPAA Rating: G
Released in Theaters: Nov. 17, 2006

This third installment of the Santa Clause trilogy finds Scott Calvin (Tim Allen), the bearded Jolly One, with a problem this year -- a rival for the position. The malicious Jack Frost (Martin Short) is sick of having a downer job. He whines to Santa, “You get TV specials and a postage stamp and an army of toy-building yes-men! What do I get? A few running noses and some dead citrus!”

Jack approaches the council of holiday icons (Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, Mother Nature, etc.). He decides to upstage Santa. This is where the “Escape Clause” comes in -- it’s a time-travel tool that takes Scott and Jack back to the night the previous Santa fell off Scott’s roof. You might recall that he put the red coat on, gained a few pounds, grew a beard, and assumed the role at the time.

Not this time. Jack hits Scott with a snow shovel and grabs the red coat, becoming the next Santa. But Jack is frosty, not warm. He scares kids. And he isn’t exactly cuddly when they try to hug him.

Like the first two movies, this one offers some fun twists, thanks in large part to the entertaining elves manning the toy shop. Tim Allen hasn’t had many successful movies lately, but he seems at home in family films.

This movie might not have you rolling in the aisles, but it delivers a few good, old-fashioned laughs, not to mention some touching scenes of Santa spreading joy near and far.

Unfortunately, David Krumholtz doesn’t return as the amusingly grouchy head elf Bernard, but Spencer Breslin does a great job as new head elf, Curtis. Wendy Crewson and Judge Reinhold reprise their roles as Scott’s ex-wife and her husband Neil. Aisha Tyler, Kevin Pollak, and Art LaFleur once again play Mother Nature, Cupid, and the Tooth Fairy.

The movie doesn’t offer much in the way of social commentary, history, or all those other weighty matters. But that’s ok, that’s not its intention. For a light Christmas movie, it does its job.