Things Only Adults Notice In The Santa Clause

Scott Calvin has the advantage of being played by Tim Allen, an extremely charming actor who was one of the biggest comedic stars in America when the film came out. Look beyond Allen's quips and funny faces, though, and you see an often puzzling look at a man who doesn't seem to really know what he wants.

When we first meet Scott, he's charming all of his coworkers at an office Christmas party, which shows just how well-liked and endearing he can be. In the very next scene, he's lying to his ex-wife about where he is because he's running late to meet his son for Christmas Eve. In the scene after that, he's passionately defending his son's belief in Santa Claus, but he also seems annoyed when Charlie wants to actively engage with him in terms of Christmas as a holiday. Sometimes he seems defensive of Charlie because he genuinely loves his son, while other times it seems like he just wants to get back at his ex and her new husband. He's single, doesn't seem to have any hobbies, and though he works for a toy company, he seems to leave a lot of his sense of fun at the office.

Now if you're a kid, none of this really matters. You just want to watch Scott and Charlie go on their Santa adventure. If you're an adult, though, it's easy to be left with a question: What does Scott Calvin really want out of life?