Tuesday, December 11, 2007
 | Based on the trailer, and Vince Vaughn's fondness for motorboating, one might assume that Fred Claus is a Bad Santa rip off. However, outside of guest starring on Sesame Street, this family flick is the closet thing Vince Vaughn will ever come to G-Rated. I am a huge fan of everything Christmas. The music, the food, the giving, the receiving and, yes, even the movies. However, for every Elf or Christmas Vacation there is a Deck the Halls and The Santa Clause 3 so naturally I walked into this movie wanting the best, but expecting the worst. On paper, the thought of Vince Vaughn playing Santa's (Paul Giamatti) bitter older brother seemed like comedic gold, but on screen it doesn't translate quite as well. Fred Claus is basically a story of a family dynamics and quarrels that just so happen to revolve around the question "what if this happened in Santa's family?" Wouldn't that be funny? Well yes and no. That's not to say that this movie doesn't have its moments of hilarity, because director David Dobkin (The Wedding Crashers) wisely lets Vaughn have his moments of rapid fire monologue. Fred Claus, like many siblings, has lived his entire life trying to live up to the perfect example his younger brother, Nicholas, has set. Fred means well, but with a mother like Mother Claus (played with annoying perfection by Kathy Bates) he'll never be the son his parents wish they had. As a child, Fred is pushed to the brink emotionally and decides to be naughty as opposed to nice. As an adult, Fred is pushed to the brink financially and decides that he would like to make money by opening a gambling establishment. Problem is, he's $50,000 short of what he needs to jump on this opportunity. Having been in this predicament before I know exactly why Fred turns to family for cash…it's harder for them to say no. I mean, they know where you live and they will nag you every day until you repay them, but at least there's no interest. Anyway, It turns out that Santa is no push over and requires that Fred earns the money by helping him in his workshop in the North Pole. This leads for some lavish sets and costumes that are sure to be forgotten come Oscar time, but they're still visually stunning. Kevin Spacey shows up in full villain mode as the man who tries to shut Santa down. Does Fred ruin Christmas? Does Fred save Christmas? Does Fred make amends with his family and learn valuable lessons about life and love? It's a PG-Rated Christmas movie so you figure it out. I actually highly suggest seeing this movie to help get you in the holiday spirit. I saw this movie on a preview in which half of the audience was children and, trust me, they loved it. Anytime I can sit through a kid's movie, and still be entertained, I consider it a win. The cast is likeable enough, and it's kind of fun to see 2 Oscar nominees, 3 Oscar winners and seasoned comedic actors like John Michael Higgins in a holiday film. It's no White Christmas, but it's no Jim Carrey's How the Grinch Stole Christmas either and that's a gift we can all be happy with. |
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