| Vince Vaughn is enormously enjoyable as the titular Fred Claus, disgruntled older brother of the better-known St. Nicholas himself, i.e., the North Pole’s very own Santa (Paul Giamatti). A garrulous hustler running from the emotional fallout of the ultimate sibling rivalry, poor Fred keeps trying to find happiness through one failed scheme after another, pushing away the people who care about him most. When brother Santa puts the squeeze on him to help out in the toy factory atop the world, Fred turns the place into one big, raucous party. Unfortunately, he’s unaware that Santa and Mrs. Claus (Miranda Richardson) are under tight scrutiny from an oversight committee (represented by a calculating Kevin Spacey) and could be shut down. The film, directed by David Dobkin (Wedding Crashers), gleams and twinkles the way a holiday movie should, and has plenty of fun material for youngsters, including a wacky chase scene in which Fred goes on the run from a half-dozen, angry Salvation Army Santas. But Fred Claus is also supposed to appeal to hip adults with a taste for ironic farce, and on that score the movie feels like a succession of Saturday Night Live skits more than an organic whole. Still, Vaughn holds everything together with a smart, insightful performance that looks deep into his character’s torment--with more than a few laughs. --Tom Keogh |
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 Quirky Happy Christmas Film |
| Review Date: November 23, 2008 |
| Reviewer: fantasy fan 101, |
| Vince Vaughn makes an excellent jaded older brother of Santa Claus. Only Vince Vaughn can play such a sarcastic character and pull-off also having a heart of gold. It's similar to his character in Dodgeball, but with a little more bite. His clever wit alone makes this film worth seeing. Paul Giamatti makes an excellent St. Nick - a seemingly perfect and nice Santa Claus who is also very human (imagine a chubby Claus maniacally driving a snowmobile through Santa's village). The film is fresh for adults, while still being cute, and has a happy ending full of all the Christmas cheese one expects from a Christmas film. Overall the film is very satisfying. The true estimate of a good film lies in the number of watches it has, and this film has several. |
CRAZY ENOUGH FOR KIDS AND SMART ENOUGH ADULTS
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| Review Date: December 20, 2008 |
| Reviewer: fmwaalex, Austin, TX USA |
FRED CLAUS
Since it is the month of December it was a no brainier that I would have to get into some holiday films. I decided I would start this out with a new release from this month in the form of "Fred Claus", which is a really good film despite being a PG rated film [took me by surprise]. Don't get me wrong there are a lot of good PG rated films out there but one starring Vince Vaughn just seems weird at first. I bring that up because some reviews I have read say that Vince's performance was bad, mainly because he wasn't in R-Rated mode. I also wanted to do this one because I just went to see Vince's new film which is also a Christmas film, "Four Christmases" which was a really funny film.
On that note I must say that I really enjoyed this film although to be honest I knew I would because of the cast. It turns out that we really did not know everything about Santa after all, sure all the myths were true but we never knew about his big brother Fred. It seems that Fred is the exact opposite of his little bro and is actually a bitter person holding a lot of animosity towards Saint Nick. So after a not so good childhood between the two they go their separate ways and well you know what became of Nick, Fred on the other hand ended up quite different. If Santa is a giver [at least once a year] Fred is a taker, literally, he is a repo man. Fred is an unhappy man who only has one friend in a little kid named Sam, and a shaky relationship with his girlfriend Wanda. One day he gets into a little mishap with a gang of Santa's and ends up behind bars; it is here that he makes a deal with his brother about posting bail and also giving him a lot of cash. The deal is in order to get the cash he needs Fred must agree to come to the North Pole to visit his family and work for the cash at Santa's Shop.
The film really picks up here as not only is the family getting into it with each other but they are doing it in front of Clyde Northcut, a man who is there to shut Santa's operation down. So naturally Fred's being there only adds to the problems, especially since they are on a three strike rule by Clyde. I have to say that writers Jessie Nelson and Dan Fogelman have crafted a really heartfelt, warm and funny film that is much better then it gets credit for, come on any film with some "ninja action" secret service Elves is good in my book. These two along with director David Dobkin [who provides a good commentary for the film] have really done a good job of not only adding in and sticking to the mythos of Santa Claus but also making this film feel real up to date. Take for instance a scene were the family Claus call an intervention for the black sheep trouble child Fred, what other film has done that?
As far as the actors go everyone does an outstanding job and really make their characters seem real. Vince Vaughn [who co-produced this film along side 4 other producers one of which is Joel Silver] as usual shines as the troubled yet quick thinker who while bad will find his way to the light, his character really is a smart guy. He is a jerk but at the same time he is really a kind hearted guy, and Vaughn brings his character to life. Paul Giamatti is nothing short of brilliant as Nick Claus, he brings a lot of emotion to the character. You can see the stress he is under from Clyde come through in his face and you can see the pain in his eyes about how he feels about his relationship with his brother. Kevin Spacey is great as Clyde who is there to end Christmas, his scene with Vince about chopping down the bigger tree is brilliant and he truly is Superman [just watch the movie]. John Michael Higgins as Willie the head elf shines as Vince's best bud up at the pole, and Bobb'e J. Thompson as Sam is really good as is Ludacris as the Elf DJ, and Trevor Peacock is great not only as Papa Claus but also as the narrator.
But this film would not have been as good if the ladies were not up to par, and they all do wonderful jobs. My favorite actress of all time Kathy Bates is great as Mama Claus who just can't seem to treat her oldest as well as her youngest. Her tension with Nick's wife is really played well, and both actresses do great jobs. Speaking of Nick Claus's wife, Miranda Richardson plays Annette Claus wonderfully and her scenes laying it onto Fred for being a screw up are great. Elizabeth Banks plays Charlene who is Willie's love interest and she does a great job, Rachel Weisz does a great job as well playing Wanda Fred's girlfriend.
I would say that this is really a good film, just go into it wanted to have a good time and you will. Maybe I liked this film so much because it is the first Christmas related film I have watched this month or maybe it is because of the significance of this month. It may be because for the first time in years I sat down and watched a movie with my mom, step dad [both came down from Maryland], brother, sister [who came down with them two], grandparents, Aunt, Uncle, 2 year old cousin and my girl that I liked it so much, either way I was really entertained. I recommend this film to everyone reading this, especially during this month. It may not be the greatest Christmas movie ever but it was still very enjoyable. Kids will defiantly like it and adults should to, it is a great story full of out there, likeable, endearing characters. I had a great time watching a funny family movie with my family gathered round.
P.S. there are some deleted scenes.
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Santa's dysfuncitonal family brings a new twist and good lessons to be learned!
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| Review Date: December 17, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Queen Robinhood, New York |
| I went into this movie with low expectations to be honest, thinking it was just a silly story about Santa having a jealous brother. But from the very beginning when they showed the boys together from the time Santa was born, I was hooked! They actually did some development of the characters, relationships, and why people sometimes turn out the way they turn out to be due to adversity, misunderstandings, etc. There were funny moments and demonstrations of true unconditional love. Even the character who was not the "sainted" Santa, Santa's brother Fred, was able to deliver an important lesson to Santa and make Santa realize the error of his ways, which is EVERY CHILD DESERVES A PRESENT AT CHRISTMAS, there are really no "bad" children, just children who have done bad things because they haven't received enough love. The North Pole Santa's workshop, etc. scenes also looked completely professional, as good as the "Santa Clause" series of movies. Excellent special effects, looked like they spared no expense here. I know why it's rated PG but since Santa doesn't look like your typical cutesy jolly soul, and since the messages are a little bit mature, I wouldn't recommend watching it with your 3 year old. My 10 year old daughter and I enjoyed it thorougly and decided this will be a family favorite when Junior is asleep! |
Excellent
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| Review Date: November 18, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Christean, California |
| This creative movie is a delight to watch. A new idea is developed into a film that concludes with warmth, heart, and wholesome moral values. Vince Vaughn, Paul Giamatti, Kathy Bates, and Kevin Spacey are excellent, and their talents are well utilized. The movie is funny and enjoyable throughout, with a loving yuletide spirit at the end that is truly moving. Of course suspension of disbelief is required, but so it is in most children's movies. My ten-year-old grandson loved it as did his grandfather and I. It is rightfully billed as this season's holiday classic. |
Hilarious! Vince Vaughn scores again.
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| Review Date: December 8, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Kathi D, Central Coast of California |
I don't even remember this movie being on my radar last year when it was in theaters, so I didn't expect much from it in its DVD release. I was wrong. It is hilarious, with a top-notch cast, featuring Vince Vaughn, who makes Fred Claus nearly as funny as Billy Bob Thornton's Bad Santa. Paul Giamatti, Kathy Bates, and Kevin Spacey also perform brilliantly.
I love Christmas movies, the old and the new, but only when they are good movies on their own merits. This one rates. I bought the DVD because I know this one will be on the playlist every December from now on. |
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