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Movies / On DVD / Fred Claus
Fred Claus

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Fred Claus (2007)

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Reviews Counted:12

Fresh:2

Rotten:10

Average Rating:3.5/10

Consensus: A slew of talent is wasted in this contrived and overly sentimental Christmas film, which can't quite get the balance between slapstick humor and sentimental family moments.

Rated: PG [See Full Rating] for mild language and some rude humor.

Runtime: 1 hr 56 mins

Genre: Childrens

Theatrical Release:30-11-2007

Synopsis: Sibling rivalry takes on a new dimension in director David Dobkin's (WEDDING CRASHERS, CLAY PIGEONS) third collaboration with actor Vince Vaughn, FRED CLAUS. Ever since his younger brother,... Sibling rivalry takes on a new dimension in director David Dobkin's (WEDDING CRASHERS, CLAY PIGEONS) third collaboration with actor Vince Vaughn, FRED CLAUS. Ever since his younger brother, Nicholas (Paul Giamatti), was born, it seems that nothing Fred Claus (Vince Vaughn) does is good enough. Nicholas literally becomes a saint and is beloved by millions worldwide, but Fred is just a regular Joe. When Fred finds himself in need of big money in a hurry, little brother Santa is the only one he can turn to. Soon, Fred is working at the North Pole to earn some quick cash and shaking things up with the elves to the delight of efficiency expert Clyde Northcutt (Kevin Spacey), who is on a mission to close down Santa's operation. Can the dueling Claus brothers work together to save Christmas? A sweet lesson is thrown in amongst the sibling rivalry and hijinx: there are really no naughty children at Christmas, just kids who may need a little or love or a second chance. Vaughn plays a character familiar to us now, fast-talking but likable with good intentions. He's at his best when teaching the elves the merits of rock & roll, or talking himself out of sticky situations. Giamatti is endearing as Santa Claus, who compensates for the stress of his job by overeating. Spacey's emotionally frozen Clyde Northcutt harks back to WILLY WONKA's Slugworth as a villain. Frank Stallone, Roger Clinton, and Stephen Baldwin appear in the film's funniest scene as siblings with rivalry issues. Rounding at the cast are Miranda Richardson as Santa's wife, Kathy Bates as Mother Claus, Elizabeth Banks as Santa's assistant, John Michael Higgins as Wiilie the Head Elf, Rachel Weisz as Fred's girlfriend, and Chris "Ludacris" Bridges as DJ Donnie. [More]

Starring: Vince Vaughn, Paul Giamatti, Miranda Richardson, Elizabeth Banks

Starring: Vince Vaughn, Paul Giamatti, Miranda Richardson, Elizabeth Banks, John Michael Higgins, Rachel Weisz, Kathy Bates, Kevin Spacey, Trevor Peacock, Ludacris

Director: David Dobkin

Director: David Dobkin
Screenwriter: Dan Fogelman
Story: Jessie Nelson, Dan Fogelman
Producer: Joel Silver, Jessie Nelson, David Dobkin
Composer: Christophe Beck
Studio: Warner Bros.

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Reviews for Fred Claus

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1 - 12 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Fred Claus is in the grand tradition of a certain type of Yuletide farce - one that's about as funny as a crushed bauble in your egg nog.

Full Review Source: Daily Telegraph | comment Comment
11/30/07
Tim Robey
Tim Robey
Daily Telegraph
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The spirit of Scrooge surges strong within me having watched this chillingly cynical and unfunny Christmas movie.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
11/30/07
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]
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You'll have a better time if you spend Christmas wedged up a chimney.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
11/30/07
Jim Hall
Jim Hall
Channel 4 Film
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Dobkin’s film is lit up by a couple of genius scenes: first, a siblings support-group attended by Frank Stallone, Stephen Baldwin and Roger Clinton; second, a superb in-joke triggering Spacey’s redemptive thaw-out, stoking a festive glow against the odds.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
11/29/07
Jonathan Crocker
Jonathan Crocker
Time Out
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It creates a seasonal glow, but inconsistencies keep Fred Claus off the ‘Nice’ list this Christmas.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
11/28/07
William Thomas
William Thomas
Empire Magazine
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What seems like fertile comedy territory turns out to be as barren as the North Pole.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
11/27/07
Stella Papamichael
Stella Papamichael
BBC
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The movie is less ho-ho-ho than uh-oh, or oh-no.

Full Review Source: TIME Magazine | comment Comment
11/12/07
Richard Corliss
Richard Corliss
TIME Magazine
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Fred Claus turns out to be not bad for a Santa movie, which I suppose could be interpreted as either faint or excessive praise, depending on your view.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
11/09/07
Carina Chocano
Carina Chocano
Los Angeles Times
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Fred Claus is a tacky would-be comedy about family dysfunction that fronts some Scrooge attitude only to dissolve into slobbering sentimentality and canned uplift.

comment Comment
11/09/07
Manohla Dargis
Manohla Dargis
New York Times
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[Fred Claus] has apparently studied Elf and figured out everything that could have gone wrong with its fish-out-of-water Christmas fable.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
11/09/07
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
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With Santa Claus movies like Fred Claus, who needs Ebenezer Scrooge?

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
11/06/07
Kirk Honeycutt
Kirk Honeycutt
Hollywood Reporter
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The burden of having a famous sibling seems fraught with comedic possibilities, but whatever potential existed has been squandered and then some in Fred Claus, dumping coal into everyone's holiday stocking.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
11/06/07
Brian Lowry
Brian Lowry
Variety
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1 - 12 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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November 23, 2008: Don't make the mistake of misreading this mean-spirited production as a kid-friendly Christmas flick. Opens in new window
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November 22, 2008: Vince Vaughn's famously rude Wedding Crasher gets macho with Ludacris as a m-igitalized feisty Santa elf, while huddling over the pint-sized urinals in the john with another, to clue him about North Pole dirty dancing and romance. Opens in new window
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