Santa Clause 2

Fact: Most Tim Allen movies, with a few notable exceptions, are rubbish. So you don't have to be in possession of unworldly powers of deduction to realise that any sequel which openly boasts the involvement of Mr Allen should be approached with extreme caution. And unless you're in possession of very young children who don't like their Christmas movies to be all that interesting or moving, Santa Clause 2 should be best left out in the cold (ho-hum).

A few weeks before Christmas, Scott Calvin (Allen), who has been Santa for the last eight years, is told that he must find himself a bride immediately or risk 'De-Santafication' (don't ask). To make matters worse, his son, Charlie (Eric Lloyd) is on the naughty list this year. Realising that he has to go home to find himself a missus and sort his kid out, Santa and his elves make a fully functioning plastic Santa. Unfortunately, the replacement isn't quite as genial as the real thing and show shows his dark side. Although it's the product of seven (yes, seven) writers' imaginations, Santa Clause 2 is a film with no depth, imagination or feeling. The script is lumpy and lacks guidance and pacing throughout, while Lembeck's direction is eager but lacks finesse. Yes, I know they're doing it for the kids, but the youngsters deserve a little more credit than Santa Clause 2 is prepared to offer them.