The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006) review

Dir. Michael Lembeck

By: Steve Pulaski

Rating: ★★

There was an eight-year gap in between the first Santa Clause movie and its sequel. There was another four between the second and The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause. So, say you say the first movie in theaters at the age of four, like I suspect millions of children did. You would’ve been 16 when the third film came out. Hollywood seldom lets that happen now with cash cow franchises, and it would appear that like a typical teenager’s attitude towards Santa Claus, by the time the third movie was released, the whole series more-or-less seemed dated, lame, and maybe worst of all, uncool.

The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause is a pale imitation of its predecessors; a loud, unnecessary slog defined by a corny villain, bad writing, and sitcom-level hijinks. The most common complaint levied at The Santa Clause 2 was its overstuffed plot, yet it found a way to homogenize its many threads into a story that was captivating and inspiring. Comparatively, The Santa Clause 3 has less going on, but its foundation, which recalls It’s a Wonderful Life, is all wrong.

Again, we drop in on the North Pole as Christmas is rapidly approaching. Scott and Carol Calvin (Tim Allen and Elizabeth Mitchell) are about to welcome a baby, and despite spending a great deal of the last movie lamenting her parents’ constant bickering, which sullied the holidays for her, Carol misses her folks and feels homesick for a life she no longer lives. If only they could bring her family to the North Pole.

It turns out, her parents, Sylvia (Ann-Margaret) and Bud (Alan Arkin), are two dim-bulbs who will actually believe the North Pole is in fact Canada. The presence of the diminutive elves? That’s what Canadians look like, didn’t you know? Eh. Scott goes a step further in bringing back his ex-wife, Laura (Wendy Crewson), her husband, Neil (Judge Reinhold), and their daughter, Lucy (Liliana Mumy), to the Pole. For Carol’s parents, they put them to sleep on the sleigh ride up so they are none the wiser.

Trouble festers in the form of Jack Frost (Martin Short), who feels unappreciated being that he’s merely known for bringing cold without a holiday to call his own. His brilliant plan involves trying to trick Scott into using the “escape clause” in his Santa contract, which would result in Scott stepping down and Frost assuming the suit and the power.

Screenwriters Ed Decter and John J. Strauss predominately use this setup as a playground for Jack Frost’s antics. Martin Short is game for his turn as the icy villain, and while he’s giddy, he also isn’t given anything to do that’s very amusing. Decter and Strauss go for the low-hanging fruit in making him freeze item and people. The fact that he’s part of the Council of Legendary Figures, along with Mother Nature (Aisha Tyler), Father Time (Peter Boyle), the Easter Bunny (Jay Thomas), and more, it begs the question: is the position of Frost the same contractually required position of Santa Clause?

That’s where your mind goes when what’s happening on screen fails to excite. The Santa Clause 3 has the appearance and feel of a TV movie with cheap-looking sets, lousy special effects, and Alan Arkin actively seeming bewildered as to why he signed up for this. His own confusion is liable to shared by the viewer. There’s simply no reason to watch this unless you’re a machoistic completionist such as myself.

My review of The Santa Clause (1994)
My review of The Santa Clause 2

Starring: Tim Allen, Elizabeth Mitchell, Martin Short, Judge Reinhold, Wendy Crewson, Ann-Margret, Eric Lloyd, Spencer Breslin, Liliana Mumy, and Alan Arkin. Directed by: Michael Lembeck.