Santa Clause 3
So my kids finally wheedled me into taking them into seeing Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause. The reviews were bad and the trailer looked silly, but they didn't care. And guess what? They loved it. Even I was pleasantly surprised. Sure, the Santa Clause franchise is a little frayed. But there are some nice It's A Wonderful Life moments as Scott Calvin gets to see what Christmas could have been like if he had never put on the big red coat. (And the kids loved the Harry Potter-like time travel moment when Scott goes back in time and sees himself). Also, I give credit to this series for never been mean-spirited about blended families. Scott is not only a devoted dad to his son by his first marriage and a good friend with his ex-wife and her husband, he is a beloved "uncle" to his ex's little girl with her husband. And Scott's second wife (played by Dallas' own Elizabeth Mitchell) feels the same way, too. The ribbon on the present? Even the bad guy warms up in the end and it's G. Really, the kids were smarter about this pick than I would have been.