The Santa Clause 2

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Allen's energy keeps 'Santa

Does a belief in Santa Claus mean a belief in Tim Allen? Does that mean we have to consider ''The Santa Clause 2'' a success because Allen, with hardworking charm, single-handedly saves it from family-values monotony? The answer is a begrudging ''yes,'' on both counts. Begrudging, first because the original film was just a seasonal tutorial in how Santa works (''You mean the chimney expands when he climbs down?''); second because who has time to love Tim Allen?

Perhaps glimpsing himself teetering on the brink of pop oblivion, Allen throws himself into this sequel with the indefatigable cheer of Disney-pap salesman Fred MacMurray. He's unfashionably cozy, like that tattered sweater you can't bring yourself to throw out.

The sequel is just as warmed-over as what spawned it. But now Allen's divorced Scott ''Santa'' Calvin needs a wife, as stipulated in the just-surfaced second clause of the contract he accepted in the first movie. Failure to wed means giving up his Santa post. But his bridal search is complicated by the appearance of his son Charlie (Eric Lloyd) on the naughty list. The boy is a suburban vandal with the face of an angel and the tagging skills of a South Bronx B-boy.

Straightening things out means leaving the North Pole with just 28 days left until Christmas. In his absence, Santa's elves make a life-size and ruddy plastic replica of Santa (Allen again, this time barking and grunting the way he did back in his stand-up chauvinist days). He morphs into an efficiency monster and turns the toy factory into a sweatshop. This is the best development in the whole movie. It's funny and perverse enough to freak out the more impressionable children. The sight of a movie set full of elfin child actors pretending to chisel coal is as hilarious as it is frightening.

This may be no way to spend Christmas, or the day after Halloween for that matter, but for an anonymous Saturday afternoon, it's the best lump of coal Hollywood can jam in your stocking.

Wesley Morris can be reached at wmorris@globe.com.