 | STARRING: Vince Vaughn, Paul Giamatti RELEASE DATE: 11/09/2007 The Verdict |
The Christmas movie season kicks off with the release of Fred Claus. Movies about a “scrooge” who hates Christmas for one reason or another is a holiday staple. The twist in Fred Claus is that Fred is Santa’s brother, who has been living in his brother Nick’s shadow for 100s of years, giving him a good reason for hating Christmas. Funnyman Vince Vaughn is Fred and Paul Giamatti puts on the fat suit to play Santa.
The film begins with the birth of Nick Claus, who comes out of the womb saying “ho,ho” instead of crying. Fred is so happy to have a brother that he promises to be the best big brother ever. It’s a promise he would soon regret during their boyhood years. Nick quickly becomes his mother’s favorite, always helping others with a smile on his face. Mom always scolds Fred by asking him why he can’t be more like his brother. When Nick chops down Fred’s tree to put inside the house, that’s the final straw, and Fred wants no more to do with his brother. Nick reaches adulthood and becomes an actual Saint. Sainthood causes the entire Claus family to becomes ageless. Nick then goes on to become the famous Santa Claus. We fast forward to the present day, with Fred working for a repossession agency. He goes on a rant about Christmas as he repossesses a TV that ends up in his apartment. Needing money for a business venture, he hits the streets to collect donations for a non-existent charity. This only lands him in jail, where Fred is forced to call his brother for bail money and money for the business venture. Of course, Santa can’t say no to his own brother, but Mrs. Claus pushes for “tough love”. As a compromise, Fred must work at the North Pole to earn the money he needs. At the North Pole, Fred is put to work stamping kid’s files as “naughty” or “nice”. Unbeknownst to Fred, an efficiency expert named Clyde (Kevin Spacey) has been sent by the Board of Directors to cut Santa’s funding if his operation is not running smoothly. It’s no surprise that Fred’s arrival causes a major disruption, as he fights with the elves, fights with his visiting parents, and even fights with Santa himself. Clyde sits back and builds up his case for shutting Santa down. Christmas may not even happen unless the two brothers can work out their differences.
The story does get more and more predictable as it goes on, but I still enjoyed the telling of the story. The film kept me smiling through most of its running time. It’s not laugh out loud funny, but a nice film that the entire family can enjoy. Standout scenes would include a chase scene involving Fred and a bunch of Salvation Army Santas, a fight between Fred and an elf DJ (Ludacris) who keeps playing the same song over and over again, and a scene in which Fred goes to an AA type meeting for brothers of famous people. The movie also has a heart, as it does make a good point about the entire idea of categorizing kids as “naughty” and not giving them presents because of it. After all, a kid’s environment does contribute to their behavior, and not giving them presents on Christmas certainly isn’t going to help matters. The film also makes its point about the importance of family. I saw the movie in a theater packed with families, and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. It’s more than just a silly slapstick comedy. It’s warm and funny and the entire family should see this one in the theater.
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