Fred Claus Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
Santa's brother is coming to town.
Everybody has that one relative who can't help but cause problems over the holidays. Even Santa.
Meet Fred.
Christmas comes every year, but this holiday season Santa's brother is coming along for the ride.
You're invited to a very unusual family reunion.
Santa's black-sheep brother gets a much-needed shot at redemption in this holiday comedy reuniting actor Vince Vaughn and director David Dobkin (Clay Pigeons, Wedding Crashers). It's not easy being the brother of a benevolent and beloved saint, and no one knows that better than Fred Claus (Vaughn). After struggling for years to live up to the example set by his younger sibling Nicholas (Paul Giamatti), Fred has finally given up. These days Fred is working as a repo man taken to stealing the items he repossesses, and his shady tactics have just landed him in jail. While Mrs. Claus vehemently insists that Fred fend for himself, Nicholas refuses to sit idly by as his brother rots in jail and agrees to set bail if Fred will repay the debt by coming to the North Pole and help make toys for the upcoming Christmas season. But Fred isn't nearly as productive as your average elf, and he's got quite an attitude to boot. With Christmas fast approaching and Fred threatening to sideline Nicholas' entire finely tuned operation, the brother that always struggled to get out from under his sibling's substantial shadow finds out just how far the patience of a saint can be pushed before jolly old Santa reaches his breaking point.
| Vince Vaughn | Fred Claus |
| Paul Giamatti | Nick 'Santa' Claus |
| John Michael Higgins | Willie |
| Miranda Richardson | Annette Claus |
| Rachel Weisz | Wanda |
| Kathy Bates | Mother Claus |
| Trevor Peacock | Papa Claus |
| Ludacris | DJ Donnie |
| Elizabeth Banks | Charlene |
| Christian Hansen | Fireman |
| Jeremy Swift | Bob Elf |
| Elizabeth Berrington | Linda Elf |
| Kevin Spacey | Clyde Northcut |
| Rio Hackford | Leon |
| Liam James | Young Fred - 12 yrs old |
| David Dobkin |
5.60 out of 10 (4580 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Several Laugh-Out-Loud Moments in this Sarcastic Christmas Flick
posted on 21 Aug 2009
It's hard to compete with nostalgic classics like A Christmas Story and pure childish fun like Elf. Many have failed.
Fred Claus. Well, Fred nearly pulls it off. Enough for me to purchase the movie and make it a must watch at least once during the Christmas season. Vince Vaughn plays a sarcastic screw-up, and fans of his or sarcastic screw-ups are sure to find Fred Claus appealing.
Of course there are the sappy and yeah-right moments that make the movie a warm, fuzzy family movie. Cheesiness happens, but really, in the North Pole you gotta expect some sugar and/or cheese. There are a few off-color comments and/or double entendres but it is pretty clean overall.
The most amusing theme is the sibling rivalry. Nicholas (Giamatti) is a saint of course, and Fred, well, he's the older and forgotten brother, which requires a few laugh-out-loud counseling sessions. Several "cameo" appearances make the movie fun for adults and will likely keep them engaged if Vaughn isn't enough to do so. The kids will love the whole North Pole fun and frivolity.
David Dobkin is a terrible director
posted on 20 Aug 2009Fred Claus is the worst movie of the year and maybe the worst Christmas movie ever. Dobkin's "Clay Pigeons" was his first and last good movie and all he seems able to do is milk Vince Vaughn dry. He has no eye, no sense for pacing or plot, and a complete inability to keep a consistent tone. Don't just blame the writers. A better director could have done something with this idea. Like say Jon Faveau whose "Elf" Dobkin clearly saw one to many times yet somehow managed to learn nothing from beyond outright joke theft. "Fred Claus" has zero redeeming qualities. It's a jumbled mess that deserves to bomb big that suffers from all of the above as well as a general nastiness that is just no fun. On the other hand this is one of those dumps that makes you realize anybody can be a Hollywood filmmaker.
No script?
posted on 16 Aug 2009I don't think I am the only one who thought this was a movie without a script. I felt that over half the movie was ad-libbed. Granted I knew what I was getting when I watched this -- another Vince Vaughn cookie cutter character (exchange him for wedding crashers or Mr and Mrs smith or old school -- same character). But I couldn't get over the fact that I felt the dialogue was made up right there on the spot. It had great promise with actors and a storyline different than the rest, but fell flat with useless side-stories (momma Claus and Charlene and northcut) that in the end... you felt jipped. The scene with Fred and Slam was completely ad-libbed as well as Fred and Santa. Ah, Christmas movies... simply toss a few well-known actors in here and there, put a Christmas theme on it and release it before the holidays. Someone will buy/watch it. Good on ya. Me, I'll go back to Love Actually or some other entertaining movie.... heck, I might even watch Elf again!
Nice Film
posted on 08 Aug 2009Essentially, a nice film. No violence of any significance, sexual references will go over small children's heads. The movie explores sibling rivalry in an interesting, pleasant way: the "sibling anonymous" scene was quite amusing (I think a relative of the Smothers Brothers and Morgan Freeman was in that scene. The comments from Roger Clinton ring true to life.) This is a movie that one can explore with kids when they are a bit older and in a mood to discuss sibling rivalry. It also has a lovely use of Chicago, and I loved the assaults from unexpected quarters.Interestingly, I think this movie appeals more to adults than very small children. My kids did get a little restless; my wife and I loved it.
Your opinion of this movie rides on your opinion of Vince Vaughn
posted on 07 Aug 2009This movie has a lot going for it. The cast is great, with Paul Giamatti, Elizabeth Banks, Kathy Bates, Kevin Spacey and Rachel Weisz. Most of the movie is spent at the elaborate north pole set, which should be captivating to kids. There is even a touching, stereotypical tame Christmas plot.
But the key is, do you like Vince Vaughn. Vaughn is the star and plays Fred Claus, Santa's older, underachieving brother. Vaughn plays Fred as he has every other character (without the swearing or low brow humor.) He is a fast talking, wise cracking loser who gets a second chance. If you don't mind Vince Vaughn's schtick, then you'll enjoy this film.
Feel good holiday movie
posted on 02 Aug 2009This movie is a just plain fun holiday movie whose humor reminded me of Tim Allen's Santa Clause. Vince Vaughn will have you laughing in your seat while at the same time empathizing with his story and feeling sorry for him. Besides Fred Claus, the other actors/actresses complement each other well, and throughout the story everyone's story is accounted for in some way to give the viewers an understanding of what's to come next for them. Despite some cliché moments and a lack of complex editing and green screen work, the movie's content makes up for some of its technological shortcomings. All in all, despite what others may say, this movie is a great entertaining feel good family movie and I would suggest going to see it.
Great Movie
posted on 29 Jul 2009My husband and I just returned from seeing the movie. We are both teachers (high school and first grade) and we appreciated the content greatly. Our children are older (23 and 26) and we decided to see a holiday movie and something lighthearted. It was so refreshing to see a movie with some good ethic education as well as good moral teachings. So often movies depict the holidays as only a secular, money making time and this movie while built around that concept also intertwined the "REAL" meaning of Christmas. I thought some of the special effects were not as intricate as they possibly could have been, but I am no animator. The scene where the main character attends a self-help group was hilarious and we laughed so hard we cried. We were fortunate enough to see the movie in a theater filled with several families and it was great to hear laughter and joy from moms, dads, and children. And what a bonus to have Silent Night unedited. Hooray and Merry Christmas!
An Average Christmas Comedy
posted on 24 Jul 2009Fred Claus, the heretofore unknown brother of Santa Claus is the subject of this entirely average holiday film. This film is better than last year's horrible Deck the Halls, but not even close to the holiday [now] classic Elf (Infinifilm Edition). The best parts of this movie are the very enjoyable stars including of course Vince Vaughn, who is very funny on screen, and Paul Giamatti. There are several nice little messages in the film, but there really is not any new ground covered here. I think this is a three star movie that is enjoyable for family viewing, especially the younger viewers.
Ho, Ho, Ho!
posted on 22 Jul 2009"Fred Claus" is a madcap comedy about Santa and the problems, and love, generated by his family. Fred (Vince Vaughn) is Santa's (Paul Giamatti) older, fast talking hustler brother who irritates everyone of whom he tries to take advantage. Santa's wife wants to protect him from Fred, but Santa tries to exercise tough love when he gives Fred a job. Fred's conduct plays into the hands of a vengeful efficiency expert who is scheming to shut Santa down, forever. Ultimately, Fred pitches in to save Christmas and help his friends besides.
This is a funny, clean, holiday movie. Ho, Ho, Ho!
FRED CLAUS: "LET'S MAKE SOME BAD DECISIONS TOGETHER"
posted on 10 Jul 2009"Fred Claus" desperately wants (and tries too hard) to be a modern Christmas movie classic in the tradition of "Elf." "Fred Claus" is actually the opposite of "Elf." Wheras Will Farrell's elf Buddy brought North Pole Magic with him into a world-weary New York City, in "Fred", several real-world problems come crashing down into the North Pole, nearly cancelling Christmas forever.
All families are disfunctional (to varying degrees) and those disfunctions always seem to come out during the holiday season. Screenwriters Dan Fogelman and Jessie Nelson take this idea and run with it to the endth degree in "Fred Claus." Tired of living in the saintly shadow of his brother Nick-- A.K.A. Santa Claus, Fred (Vince Vaughn) is completely estranged from the Claus family. Living in Chicago, Fred is a repo-man. (What Santa Claus giveth, Fred taketh away). Eventually, Fred winds up in jail and brother Nick (Paul Giamatti) bails him out-- on the condition that Fred come for a visit to the North Pole. Fred arrives just as the North Pole and Christmas come under attack from Clyde Northcutt (Kevin Spacey), an "efficientcy expert" with grudges and an axe to grind. Kevin Spacey seems out of place, and rather uncomfortable, in this role.
Your enjoyment (or lack thereof) of "Fred Claus" will depend on how you respond to the rascally, slightly smarmy, comedic persona of Vince Vaughn. The best scenes seem to be improvised by Vaughn on the spot. I particularly enjoyed the scene where Fred changes the music in the Elves' workshop from a cloyingly sweet and bland Doris Day to a rocking Elvis Presley. Vaughn races down the stairs saying to the Elves, "Let's make some bad decisions together! " Nick enters and sees Fred and the elves engaged in a rocking free for all and exclaims, "ho, ho, holy crap!"
Paul Giamatti is quite good as a very harried and stressed out St. Nick. Parents may be a bit shocked when he tells Fred that Christmas has gone right "down the crapper!" Fred and Nick engage in a snowball fight. Then, a crazed Nick tries to run Fred over with a snowmobile! The Clauses, along with Nick's girlfriend (Rachel Weisz) attend a "family therapy" session; or "intervention." Back in Chicago, Fred attends a "Brothers Anonymous" meeting with (in funny cameos) Frank Stallone, Roger Clinton, and Stephen Baldwin! Stephen seems particularly angry with Alec. Nobody believes Fred when he says that his brother is Santa Claus, but Roger Clinton speaks the magic words that convince Fred that he must save the Claus family honor, as well as Christmas itself.
The DVD includes both Widescreen and Full-Screen Versions of the film on one double-sided disc. Director David Dobkin offers an overly-effusive, self-congratulatory, ultimately boring, Commentary Track. "Fred Claus" may not be "Elf" or "Miracle On 34th Street", but thankfully it is not crass or mean-spirited like "Bad Santa." Believe me, there are much worse Christmas movies out there than "Fred Claus."
Bit the dust
posted on 05 Jul 2009Okay, during this past thanksgiving break, whilst having the whole family together everybody decided to go see a movie, and since Fred clause was voted majority, thats what we went and say. To start off the movie had so many plot holes it was pathetic. Simple explanations of why a certain event was happening was void. example; who the heck is trying to 'shut down' Santa clause? Is it some sort of corporation? A little explanation would of been lovely. Second: The movie tossed you flimsy characters that evoked no sympathy from you about their feelings or actions. example: the little elf named Willie and the only tall girl in the elf village. they see each other twice and then they are a couple and i could of cared less because this movie didn't make me care. Third: I suppose this was suppose to be a family film? Its rating was low at just PG. For a family film there were several articles of suggestive conversation. It didn't bother me, but if i were a parent i could see a problem. Through the whole movie Paul Giamatti looked extremely bored with his role, but honestly he was the only one worth watching in the movie. Vaughn had a few funny moments but played the same character he has for the last two movies. mouthy frat boy. (nothing against Vaughn, he's been good in other movies)so this movie gets a 3 out of 10 stars from me, just because somebody had to put in the effort to produce, film and release this flick. In my opinion i would definitely pass on this flick, or if you HAVE to see it save it for a rainy day rental.
I must have been a naughty boy this year to have to sit through this... *CONTAINS SPOILERS*
posted on 27 Jun 2009Come with me my friends, as I show you unspeakable horrors. The Hydra Pit. The Haunted Dungeon. The Slaughter House. Alison Hammond naked. All of these pale in comparison however, compared to the last 45 minutes of this movie. But first, let's take a chill pill, and press rewind.Yep, Sunday Afternoon. Bored. Nuffink to do. What's that? Another Christmas movie at the flicks? Sounds boring. Hang on... this might be different. It has PAUL GIAMATTI IN A BEARD! It has Vince Vaughn doing his schnik as a Lovable LOSER! It has thrills! Spills! And Elizabeth Banks in a revealing Xmas outfit. Ho ho ho indeed. So I thought what the hey, let's hang out the tinsel and put up the tree, this cats going' to the CINE-MA.The film started. Hmmm... first ten minutes not bad. Flashback to when they were kids. Baby's first words are cute. Sad that the bird flew away, but wotcha gonna do? Present day now... Hee hee, all those Santas having a fight in a department store! My God, is that supposed to be a Cockney accent from Rachel Weisz?! Pathetic! And somehow I knew Fred would be best friends with a black kid. Let's keep the PC flag flying everyone!! And so it went on, and as the movie unfurled I started to get into it. Sure, it was far from a masterpiece and the dialogue could do with a bit o' work, but it was a pretty cute plot and the set pieces were well handled. I particularly liked the crowd-surfing with the elves, and the snowball fight with Santa. "This could actually turn out okay" I thought as I finished my Diet Coke.WHOOPS. BANG. Hear that? That's the sound of my expectations jumping off a cliff. Me and my big mouth. I don't know exactly when it all started (probably when Fred opens that package from his bruv with a BIRD HOUSE... you see where I'm going with this? ) but the movie suddenly came to a grinding halt. Instead of funny jokes and clever scenes we got scene after scene of glutinous sentimentality. Now I've seen many a Christmas film, but never has it been laid on as thick, as nauseatingly as it is here.You can literally hear the cogs and the wheels start to turn as the screenplay leaps through hoops to give the viewer EXACTLY WHAT IT FEELS THEY WANT. So we get couples reunited, Santa Claus's precious factory is saved and loads of children are happy being given nothing but baseball bats and hula hoops for Christmas (Er, no not in the 21st century grand-dad). Even the bad guy is redeemed, as he discovered *SNIFF* the true cause behind his angst... he wasn't given a Superman suit for Yule. Boo hoo. If that is supposed to be an in-joke because Kevin Spacey played the villain in Superman Returns well, I reckon that David Dodkin is the only one that is laughing.As soon as Fred's little birdy friend returned to him, I was about ready to electrocute myself with the tree lights in the bath. The film had abandoned any vestige of quality it possessed, and had contented itself with one fake Hallmark moment after another. I can appreciate good sap, but this was enough sugar to make one lose their teeth. None of it came across as being genuine or convincing, and the denouncement is impossible to sit through without making you want to throw up. If you shed a tear, it would be caused by your love of the holiday, not by any of the facile situations the movie gives us. Or perhaps you felt sorry for so many talented actors (bar Ludricous) who signed up without having read the final draft.Either way, its a disaster. Fortunately, I have enough Christmas spirit to block out the mental scars caused by this affront To All That Is Holy, and shall continue to look forward to the visit of Saint Nick. Hopefully, come December 24th 2008, when Fred Clause is out on DVD, THE REAL Father Christmas can do us a favour. After finishing his mince pies and brandy, he can scan the homeowner's DVD collection, grab hold of any copies of this (and Practical Magic if he doesn't mind) put them in a sack and take them back to the North Pole. Then, he can smash 'em to bits, and use the pieces as reindeer litter. And don't forget to pay a visit to Warner Bros headquarters to nick the original negative. You can just chuck that in the Arctic Ocean. That really WILL make is a happy new year for all parents who would otherwise be forced to sit through this saccharine dross. I'll now sign off with a warning... if you want a VERY MERRY Christmas... don't see this movie!!! C'ya!! 3/10
Could have been SO much better
posted on 18 Jun 2009When I heard about the storyline to this movie; making a film about Santa Claus' brother Fred, played by Vince Vaughn, I thought, "Wow, this is gonna be great!!" Unfortunately, that turned out to be anything but the truth.
This movie was pretty much a monumental flop. I don't know who they were trying to cater to in this movie -- kids, adults, or both. It was kind of a jumbled mess, all the way throughout. A few funny parts here and there, but nothing to write home about.
Vince Vaughn, I love him dearly, but he was off his game throughout the entire film. Almost as if he didn't feel comfortable in the role, or comfortable on set, or something. The entire movie, it just failed to click. Every time I thought the film was picking up steam, it fell flat on its face again.
I'd give this movie 1 star, but I'm giving it an extra 1 star for the ending of the movie, which actually saved it. I walked away from the movie thinking, "Ok, wasn't the WORST movie ever, but wasn't too good." If it weren't for the ending, I might have called it the worst movie of 2007. Harsh, but true.
With that said, I just saw 4 Christmases last night, and Vince redeemed himself. It was hilarious.
The pinnacle of bad movies
posted on 17 Jun 2009So, we have encountered countless holiday movies, all involving Santa Claus. But there are those movies that just SUCK. Well, I enjoyed Elf a good bit, so I decided I just might as well check it out to see if it sucks or not. Paul and Vince are my favorite movie actors, and well, this time, they just sucked on the screen. Now, as for the plot, they actually tried doing something new, which is add Santa Claus's brother. Now, that actually wouldn't be such a bad idea for a Christmas film, I though, but no, I was wrong.The jokes were so old, pretty drawn out. The dialouge was predictable every second. Nothing really looked fascinating. It reminded me too much of The Santa Claus 3 (shivers). I think this movie wouldn't be too bad for children, but the fact that it wouldn't be even entertaining to ME, now that's a ground breaker. I think parents wouldn't enjoy this movie as a two year old would. So, I think this movie should be canned.
If you don't like Vince Vaughan, this ain't gonna be for you
posted on 17 Jun 2009For adults (kids have different criteria) enjoyment of "Fred Claus" is going to be completely down to if you like the character Vince Vaughan has been peddling since "Swingers". You know that guy. Selfish, crass, loud, brash and supremely confident. If you don't like that character, stay away. "Fred Claus" ain't gonna be for you.However, if you do like that character, and I do like Vince Vaughan an awful lot, "Fred Claus" is a really enjoyable movie. Yes, there is a headlong lurch into sentimentally towards the end (de riguer for any family comedy?), but most of it is scurrilous and funny and silly. Plenty of entertainment for kids (I particularly liked Santa's ninja bodyguards), adults (the sibling support group joke is really funny) and film fans (the nod towards Kevin Spacey's role in "Superman Returns").Or if none of that is interesting enough, you could always just ogle Rachel Weisz and Elizabeth Banks. I know I did.
Fifteen Random Thoughts During Fred Claus
posted on 28 Aug 20091) Kathy Bates has been playing loving, clingy mothers for so long that I'm starting to forget she once smashed a guy's feet with a sledgehammer.2) That scrumptious Elizabeth Banks is showing a lot of cleavage for a kid's movie.3) Somebody call a doctor...Vince Vaughn seems to have been neutered by Warner Brothers!4) Wait, should I be laughing yet? The movie has been playing for 40 minutes now and my gut is not even close to being busted.5) Paul Giamatti should either play Santa as 100% Mister Nice Guy or as a hypocritical putz...not a weak mixture of both.6) Will Ferrell in Elf got more laughs in 3 minutes than all of Fred Claus is getting.7) Man, this theatre is small. I can hear the heater running. It's almost as loud as the dialogue. This isn't really a complaint, though.8) Elizabeth Banks' looooooow neckline is saving this disaster from being a total disaster.9) Kevin Spacey is one of those "one movie a year" guys...and as a discriminating movie-maker, he chooses to do THIS script?10) Alright,now HERE'S a funny scene---Siblings Anonymous.11) A Vince Vaughn riff without a few F bombs is basically a waste of F'ing time.12) Yeah, Miss Banks, one day your body and beauty will be put to good use by a funnier director. Hey, she's in Kevin Smith's next movie. There ya go!13) Oh, no, the climax of this "comedy" has cranked up the schmaltz meter. Brother, you've got to earn your schmaltz.14) Santa Claus' jerky older brother is a great concept. Too bad they did squat with it.15) Well, that sucked. I wonder if it's still snowing outside...