The Claus Family 3 review: A children’s film through and through

In The Claus Family 3, when Norah’s wish to be Santa with her brother results in a disaster, the siblings must work together to save Christmas and their grandfather. The film is now streaming on Netflix.

Story 

Jules and Norah go on a holiday with their mother, her boyfriend, and their grandfather, Noël. Jules and Noël plan to continue their work as Santa, even though they are away from home.

Norah overhears her brother and grandfather talking about their work and later sneaks into Noël’s room to find out what is going on. Norah comes across the snow globe that takes her to the hall of presents in the North Pole.

As Norah now knows that Jules and Noël are Santa, she wants to be Santa with them. While Noël is ready to let her work with them, Jules is reluctant, as he does not want to share the role of Santa with anyone.

A ten-year-old Norah fails to follow her grandfather’s rules, which lands Noël in trouble. The more Norah tries to help people, the more she messes up and fails to convince Jules to let her work with him. 

Will Jules accept Norah’s help and save Noël and Christmas, or will his desire to be the only Santa cause a rift between him and Norah?

Performances

Jan Decleir continues to give a convincing performance. His kind smile, gentle treatment of children, and sweet disposition make him the perfect Santa Claus.

Unfortunately, Mo Bakker, who plays Jules, fails to impress. The actor delivers his dialogues without much conviction and makes it very evident that he is acting out a part.

Amber Metdepenningen, who plays Norah, and Celest Cornelis, who plays Felix, perform their parts well. While Metdepenningen is a well-meaning girl who keeps making mistakes, Cornelis is a boy who has been turned into a bully because of the things that the adults in his life have taught him.

Positives

The Claus Family 3, like the last two films, teaches valuable lessons to children. The film uses its lead characters’ mistakes to teach the audience the importance of working together and sharing your prized possessions with friends and family.

Although Felix is a bully, once the audience comes to know his story, they will not see him as a villain. Through his story, the film highlights what happens to children when adults value their achievements more than them.

Similarly, the audience will appreciate Norah’s character and her innocence, even though she keeps making mistakes. Norah’s kindness and her willingness to break rules to help those in need are quite winsome.

Negatives

The film’s plot is not very exciting. As soon as the main conflict is introduced, it is not hard to predict the lessons that the characters will learn or how the film is going to end. 

The film tries to make the audience laugh, but it rarely succeeds in doing that. The jokes do not land, and even the comedy of errors is not very entertaining. However, it might make children laugh. 

Jules’ character development is not as heartwarming as one would have expected it to be. He changes his mind about working with Norah when he sees her in danger, and that one scene is not enough to depict the strength of their bond.

Verdict

The Claus Family 3 is a film that is enjoyable only for children. While it might make children laugh as well as teach them something good, the adult audience will neither find it entertaining nor very heartwarming. 

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Also Read: The Claus Family 3 summary and ending explained