RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
RT's Blu-ray HQ
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | In Theaters
  • | Opening
  • | Upcoming
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Fred Claus
Fred Claus

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Get this Movie
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Fred Claus (2007)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
18 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:43

Fresh:8

Rotten:35

Average Rating:2.7/10

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:Nov 9, 2007 Wide

Box Office: $71,970,547

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.

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
  • Trailer
    >
    Video Interviews
    >
    Fred Claus Exclusive Clip
    >
1 - 3 of 3

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Get This Movie

Rent DVD
 
 

Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.

 
 
Buy DVD
 
 
Release:

Nov 30, 1999

[DVD Details]
 
 

DVD Features:

  • Region 1
  • Dual Layer

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo - English, French, Spanish
  • Subtitles - French, Spanish
 
 
 
 

Reviews for Fred Claus

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 16 (sorted by date)
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
04/23/09
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Moviehole | comment Comment
02/27/09
Moviehole
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Because of the PG rating, the comedy had to be somewhat clean, which crippled Vaughn's improv style.

Full Review Source: 7M Pictures | comment Comment
01/15/09
Kevin Carr
Kevin Carr
7M Pictures
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: DVD Authority.com | comment Comment
12/17/08
Fusion3600
Fusion3600
DVD Authority.com

Fred Claus may not be as funny or as instantly classic as Elf, but it's still a fun family holiday movie--one that didn't deserve the lambasting it took.

Full Review Source: HollywoodinHiDef.com | comment Comment
12/13/08
James Plath
James Plath
HollywoodinHiDef.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: DVDFuture.com | comment Comment
12/03/08
R. L. Shaffer
R. L. Shaffer
DVDFuture.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Ultimate Guide to Disney DVD | comment Comment
12/01/08
Ultimate Guide to Disney DVD
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: DVD Verdict | comment Comment
12/01/08
Mac McEntire
Mac McEntire
DVD Verdict

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
11/27/08
Entertainment Weekly
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: DVD Beaver | comment Comment
11/27/08
DVD Beaver
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Reel.com | comment Comment
11/26/08
Reel.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Only the youngest or most naive audiences members who have never seen one of these shows will be surprised by anything that happens in the second or third act.

Full Review Source: DVDSleuth.com | comment Comment
11/24/08
Mike Long
Mike Long
DVDSleuth.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: ComingSoon.net | comment Comment
11/24/08
ComingSoon.net
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Silly it is. Frenetic it is. Loud it is. Funny it's not. (Blu-ray Edition)

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
11/23/08
John J. Puccio
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com

A feel-bad Christmas flick, not exactly the way anybody would want to kickoff the holiday season.

Full Review Source: NewsBlaze | comment Comment
11/23/08
Kam Williams
Kam Williams
NewsBlaze

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.

Full Review Source: NewsBlaze | comment Comment
11/22/08
Prairie Miller
Prairie Miller
NewsBlaze
 
 
1 - 16 (sorted by date)
all

Latest News for Fred Claus

November 28, 2008: UK Critics Consensus: Local Critics Warm To Changeling; De Niro Delights But What Just Happened Doesn't
It's Friday, there's a new raft of movies in the UK cinemas this week, but are any of them any good? This week the UK film hacks give us their opinions on Clint Eastwood's... More...

November 24, 2008: RT on DVD: Fred Claus, Hancock, and 24: Redemption
The holidays are upon us, which makes it a perfect week to snuggle up with the superhero (Hancock), the spirited (Fred Claus), or the stealthy (Keifer Sutherland as Jack Bauer... More...

November 23, 2008: Don't make the mistake of misreading this mean-spirited production as a kid-friendly Christmas flick. Opens in new window
More...

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
More...

See All

More DVDs

Close
Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
66% 66% Public Enemies
83% 83% Harry Potter and the H…
44% 44% Night at the Museum: B…
75% 75% Julie & Julia
32% 32% Terminator Salvation

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
90% 90% District 9
86% 86% 500 Days of Summer
63% 63% Extract
06% 06% All About Steve
78% 78% It Might Get Loud

More New Releases…

See All

RT On Current TV

The Rotten Tomatoes Show on Current TV

DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...

Learn how you can be part of the show

More...

What’s Hot On RT

Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes

New clips from the detective reboot!

Iron Man 2

Iron Man 2

Watch the brand new trailer now!

Awards Tour

Awards Tour

Keep up with latest nominations and awards!

Did you see Avatar?

Did you see Avatar?

Rate/Review the film on RT now!

Other News

Close
  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Danny Trejo Talks Machete, Possible Sequels Source: Collider.com
2
  • It's Official: Jackass 3-D Coming in 2010 Source: Collider.com
15
  • Bryan Singer Returning to X-Men for First Class Source: Superhero Hype
102
  • Mark Strong Talks Kick-Ass, John Carter, and Robin Hood Source: Collider.com
1
  • How Avatar Happened: The Path to Innovation Source: CinemaBlend.com
19
  • Rob Marshall Says Pirates 4 Is Still a Maybe Source: ComingSoon.net
32
  • ET Teases Iron Man 2 Teaser Source: Collider.com
28
  • Tobey Maguire Refutes Hobbit Rumors Source: Hollywood Reporter
9
  • Prince of Persia Featurette Posted Source: Yahoo! Movies
4
  • Trailer Bulletin: Robin Hood Source: ComingSoon.net
61
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Critics Consensus: Avatar Is Certified Fresh
306
  • Awards Tour 2009: Golden Globe Noms Here!
145
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: Avatar Soars to #1 Spot
145
  • Total Recall: James Cameron Movies
88
  • Brittany Murphy: 1977-2009
71
  • Awards Tour 2009: Inglourious Basterds Lead Critics Choice Noms
44
  • Awards Tour 2009: SAG Nominations Are In!
41
  • Awards Tour 2009: Avatar Best Picture at NYFCO!
38
  • Weekly Ketchup: Bryan Singer Teaches X-Men: First Class
36
  • Friday Harvest: Alice in Wonderland, Sherlock Holmes, and more!
14
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • Robert Downey Jr. talks Sherlock Holmes & Iron Man 2 - RT Interview
21
  • Director Ruben Fleischer Talks Zombieland
2
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
17
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
12
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
23
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
8
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
24
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
9
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
29
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Fred Claus at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Fred Claus at IGN

Fresh Links

Featured
MSN's Year in Review
MSN's Year in Review External Link

Take a look at MSN's choices for the Top 10 films of 2009.

Moviefone's Year End Poll
Moviefone's Year End Poll External Link

What were your favorites? Least favorites? The funniest and scariest? Moviefone wants to know!

Tarantino's Characters
Tarantino's Characters External Link

Hollywood.com explores why QT's characters resonate so well with audiences.

Top 10 Movies of 2009
Top 10 Movies of 2009 External Link

TIME chimes in with their own list of the best films released this year.

Top 20 of the Decade
Top 20 of the Decade External Link

Click through to see which movies BuzzSugar placed in their Best-of-Decade list!

Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Follow RT on Twitter External Link

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Games| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.