Fred Claus

Starring: Vince Vaughn, Paul Giamatti, Rachel Weisz, Elizabeth Banks, Kathy Bates, Kevin Spacey, John Michael Higgins, Miranda Richardson, Ludacris, Bobb'e J. Thompson
Directed by: David Dobkin
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy
2007

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: Fred Claus (Vince Vaughn) reluctantly travels to the North Pole to see his brother, Santa (Paul Giamatti).

Review:
Tim: I was not a fan of Fred Claus at all. I understand the need to make family-oriented children's movies that appeal to a wide range of childreen. However, I also believe those movies can be made with adults in mind. The best family movies appeal to the whole family. This film is just such a stupid, lowest common denominator movie. It wasn't funny, wasn't original, and wasn't very entertaining at all. It was a big disappointment.

At the heart of the story, I admit, is a good idea. It's kind of fun to think about Santa Claus having an older brother, and it's even more fun to think about Vince Vaughn in that role. The idea is a solid one, and I applaud the film for trying to make a unique Christmas movie. Unfortunately, the execution just wasn't there at all. This is a movie that will appeal to kids and people who don't know any better. Anyone with real intelligence or any kind of standards would have to admit this movie is pretty stupid.

The story is just a complete mess. We have Fred Claus, who is just such an awful, selfish, stupid, manipulating character. I hated him. I hated his character, and I hated that he was the protagonist. I couldn't root for him or care about him in the least. He wants a bunch of money for some stupid investment, so he goes to the North Pole to visit his brother, Santa Claus (their whole backstory is told in a kind-of-cool, kind-of-ridiculous intro) to get the money. While there, he struggles to play a role in the whole Christmas toy production. There's also an efficiency expert there to examine the manufacturing side and potentially shut the North Pole down (who he works for and why Santa reports to him wasn't exactly clear). The whole thing just seems slapped together and the various elements don't mix particularly well. This all makes the movie feel disjointed and silly.

Vince Vaughn isn't great as Fred. It does fit in his wheelhouse and allows him to speak quickly and throw funny one-liners out there. However, as I mentioned, the character is just awful. Vaughn was fine, but the dialogue is mostly terrible. Paul Giamatti was wonderfully cast as Santa Claus, and he definitely looks the part. The role itself isn't exactly great, because the character just feels silly and one-dimensional. I thought he was better than most of the cast, but not great at all. Rachel Weisz was completely wasted, and I kept thinking, "Why on earth was she in this?" Elizabeth Banks was likewise completely wasted. Kathy Bates was fine in a small, supporting role. Kevin Spacey seemed far too over-the-top and ridiculous. It physically hurt me to see him slumming in such a cheesy role and in such a bad film.

The whole film feels like it recycled ideas or events from other Christmas movies. The film isn't funny (Vaughn is greatly restrained by the PG rating) and it isn't very entertaining. It was horribly predictable. I suppose Fred Claus would appeal to kids, so it gets credit for that. However, adults will likely have a very difficult time making it through this movie (and I suffered through it twice). This isn't a classic Christmas movie- it's a big failure.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Arthur Christmas, The Santa Clause