The Santa Clause

The Santa Clause is a 1994 American Christmas comedy film written by Leo Benvenuti and Steve Rudnick, and directed by John Pasquin. It was the first installment in the Santa Clause series.

Plot
Cynical divorced father Scott has custody of his son on Christmas Eve. After he accidentally kills a man in a Santa suit, the two are magically transported to the North Pole, where an elf explains that Scott must take Santa's place to deliver the toys across the world before the next Christmas arrives. Scott thinks he's dreaming, but over the next several months he gains weight and grows an inexplicably white beard. Maybe that night at the North Pole wasn't a dream after all -- and maybe Scott has a lot of work to do.

Why It’s Ho-Ho-Ho!

 * 1) The plot of a person agreeing to become the next Santa Claus is a pretty interesting one for a film. While the "save Christmas" story had been already done before, as well as after, the release of this film, this particular form of that storyline hadn't been done before. Or at least before this film came along. And therefore, this film itself is a good new take on that sort of incredibly popular formula.
 * 2) Most of the characters in this film are likable and well-developed, but not too complicated to the point where they become hard to keep track of (nor are there too many characters to the point where it has that effect either).
 * 3) *Scott Calvin was originally a grumpy man who wanted nothing to do with Santa. But by the end, he grows into a much nicer person who warms up to Santa as well as Christmas in general, along with the people around him.
 * 4) *Laura, while her motive for disliking Santa (him not bringing her what she wanted for Christmas) is pretty bad, still gets her character development by the end of the film. As she forgives Scott and apologizes to Charlie for not initially believing him when he told her that Scott was Santa.
 * 5) *Charlie, while he doesn't have quite as much character exploration as Scott or Laura, is still a pleasant child character for the movie. He has a cheerful and optimistic personality.
 * 6) Great backgrounds used for the movie, especially the ones used for the North Pole. They look very convincing and perfectly capture the magic of Christmas that's also the main tone of the movie as a whole. Even the backgrounds and props used for some of the more mundane locations like the neighborhood still look incredibly convincing and professional.
 * 7) There's a cool hidden Mickey in the film which is also a nice homage to Disney, the company responsible for the production for the film. As when Scott and Charlie are leaving the North Pole in the sleigh and pass by the moon, the moon has a distinct Mickey Mouse logo on it.
 * 8) There are a large amount of heartwarming moments in the film (which is pretty much to be expected given the fact that it's a Christmas film, but still). Such as basically any of the scenes that involve Bernard and Charlie, Scott and Charlie's tearjerking heart-to-heart talk leading to the former's ex-wife discovering that he's the Santa Claus (resulting in her burning their son's custody papers so that he could still be a part of their child's life) and Neal, Laura, and Charlie demonstrating how much they truly love each other (in spite of the fact that they aren't related) when Charlie comes home after going missing and the three share an embrace together.
 * 9) The costumes are very convincing and well-made. Particularly with Santa/Scott once he takes the role of the new Santa. It does look more like any other Santa costume than anything, yes. But it's still a convincing one and one that visibly had a lot of effort put into making it. The ones used for the elves and even the general people are also great.
 * 10) Top-notch acting from all of the members of the cast. From Scott to Charlie to Laura, Neal, and even some of the minor roles like Bernard and Judy. It also helps that there's a lot of well-known and professional actors in the film.
 * 11) Plenty of hilarious moments that make the film a great family comedy. Such as anytime Comet pulls one of his general pranks or general shenanigans, Scott's interrogation, and "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night! When I wake-up, I'm getting a CAT scan!".
 * 12) A great ending where Neal accepts that Scott is the new Santa Claus, and Charlie summons Scott back home via the snow globe. And once he arrives, Laura agrees to let Charlie and Scott go for a short sleigh ride so that the two can finish the remaining deliveries together.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) Laura and Neal are rather unsympathetic throughout a majority of the film due to their actions and motives for them.
 * 2) The CGI used for the reindeer and elves haven't aged well.

Reception
The Santa Clause received mainly positive reviews from critics and audiences alike upon it's release. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 72% based on 57 reviews, with an average rating of 5.9/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "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." On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 57 out of 100, based on reviews from 13 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade "A–" on scale of A+ to F.

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Trivia

 * This movie was the first lead film role for Tim Allen.
 * The role of Scott Calvin/Santa Claus was written with Bill Murray in mind. After reading the script and being offered the lead role, Murray declined, saying he didn't think it suited his humor. Other candidates considered for the role were Tom Hanks, Robin Williams, Rowan Atkinson, Chevy Chase, Alec Baldwin, Kurt Russell, Tom Selleck, Michael Keaton, John Travolta, Harrison Ford, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Mike Myers.
 * Peter Boyle, who plays Scott's boss, would go on to play Father Time in the sequels.