Should you bring the kids? Yes. It drags a bit in the middle, but it's a sweet story with very little crude humor. For more info, see "Bringing the Kids" below.

THE STORY: This third installment of the Santa Claus trilogy finds Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) still fulfilling his job as The Jolly One. And he's good at it! He makes kids laugh and has a knack for bringing joy to everyone he meets.

But he's got a problem this year – a rival for the position. As Christmas nears, the malicious Jack Frost (Martin Short) decides he's sick of having such a downer job. He whines to Scott, "You get TV specials and a postage stamp and an army of toy-building yes-men! What do I get? A few runny noses and some dead citrus!"

This is where the "Escape Clause" comes in, a time-travel tool that takes Scott and Jack back to that night when Santa fell off Scott's roof (in the first movie). You might recall that Scott donned the red coat, grew a beard, gained a few pounds, and assumed the role.

Not so this time. Jack knocks Scott in the face with a shovel and grabs the red coat, thereby becoming the next Santa. As icing on the cake, he put his special stamp on the holiday, renaming it "Frostmas" and making it all about him. But there's a problem. Jack doesn't have many people skills. He's frosty, not warm. And he scares kids.

Meanwhile, Scott is dealing with his disapproving in-laws (Alan Arkin and Ann-Margret), heading to the North Pole to celebrate the birth of their grandchild. Their daughter is Scott's wife, Carol (Elizabeth Mitchell), who surfaced in the second movie, "The Santa Clause 2: The Mrs. Clause."

Like the first two movies, this one offers some fun twists. Though Tim Allen hasn't sparked huge box office numbers with recent movies (Zoom, The Shaggy Dog), he seems at home in family films. And, let's face it, they offer a nice respite from heavy movies requiring lots of emotional energy.

This movie might not have you rolling in the aisles, but it delivers a few laughs, not to mention some touching scenes of Santa spreading joy near and far.

Unfortunately, David Krumholtz doesn't return as the amusingly grouchy head elf Bernard, but Spencer Breslin does a great job as new head elf, Curtis. Wendy Crewson and Judge Reinhold reprise their roles as Scott’s ex-wife and her husband Neil. Aisha Tyler, Kevin Pollak, and Art LaFleur once again play Mother Nature, Cupid, and the Tooth Fairy.

BRINGING THE KIDS:

PRESCHOOLERS (ages 2-5): Rated G, this movie still manages to squeeze in some crude humor (tooting reindeer) and slapstick violence: Jack Frost slams Scott in the face with a shovel, Scott careens into Jack and knocks him over, and Jack "frosts" people with his breath. Plus, Jack's got some personal issues he needs to work through. Because of these things and the fact that Santa-believing preschoolers might get confused, this movie is best suited for kids 5 and older.

GRADE-SCHOOLERS (ages 6 - 10): This is the age group they're targeting, for all the reasons mentioned above – slapstick violence, Jack's issues, and some new characters thrown in for laughs. My kids – 9 and 12 – loved it, especially Santa's colorful village at the North Pole. Ann-Margret and Alan Arkin are fun as the cranky in-laws, and it's always fun to see Martin Short do his thing. The take-away message: Don't mess with Santa!

TWEEN / TEEN (ages 11+): Ok, so this movie doesn't offer much in the way of social commentary, but that's ok. Most of the movies aimed at this age group are filled with sex ("John Tucker Must Die"), violence ("X-Men: The Last Stand"), and crude humor ("The Benchwarmers"). Take a breather. See this movie. Catch some snow globe magic.