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Movies / On DVD / Fred Claus
Fred Claus

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Fred Claus (2007)

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21 %
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Reviews Counted: 133

Fresh: 28

Rotten:105

Average Rating: 4.2/10

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.

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Release:

Nov 25, 2008

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Reviews for Fred Claus

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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A turbulent ride that shifts tonal gears and messages like oscillations in the weather, ending in mythological frostbite.

Full Review Source: Cinema Signals | comment Comment
11/26/08
Jules Brenner
Cinema Signals

Fred Claus is not an entirely bad picture, but it is a decidedly bland one.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
11/21/08
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com

Vaughn's act may be toned down a bit, but he still plays the same fast-talking, quip-spouting arrogant schmuck that he usually does, and it wears thin real fast.

Full Review Source: Watertown Daily Times | comment Comment
05/20/08
Adam Tobias
Watertown Daily Times

Rather than creating imaginative situations for Vaughn to explore, director David Dobkin merely asks that Vaughn be himself, as if his personality were big enough to wring humor out of a comic vacuum.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Examiner | comment Comment
04/09/08
Rossiter Drake
San Francisco Examiner

Unfortunately, this is a broad family comedy that depends on odd sound effects (zonks! splat!) during every scene...

Full Review Source: The Scorecard Review | comment Comment
03/04/08
Jeff Bayer
The Scorecard Review

Does it make me a Scrooge to suggest that this is one piece of holiday coal you should leave in your stocking?

Full Review Source: Colorado Springs Gazette | comment Comment
02/28/08
Brandon Fibbs
Colorado Springs Gazette

Fred Claus won't make us forget "Rudolph," "Frosty" or even "The Santa Clause."

Full Review Source: Washington Times | comment Comment
01/19/08
Christian Toto
Washington Times

It is a joyless rehash of old plots and jokes. File "Fred Claus" under lump of coal.

Full Review Source: Cinemaclips.com | comment Comment
12/12/07
Roger Tennis
Cinemaclips.com

Paul Giamatti is forced to play Santa like a socially awkward version of Vince Vaughn

Full Review Source: Film Snobs | comment Comment
12/11/07
Stephen Himes
Film Snobs

There are no laughs from the material, which wants to be edgy but can't go for broke because it's too busy being a trifling piece of holiday cheer but without the cheer.

Full Review Source: Mark Reviews Movies | comment Comment
12/01/07
Mark Dujsik
Mark Reviews Movies

Fred Claus tries desperately for a Bad Santa meets Elf vibe. Five minutes in, the man sitting next to me was sound asleep.

Full Review Source: This is London | comment Comment
11/30/07
Charlotte O'Sullivan
This is London

The actual effect of films such as this, however, is to put you in an entirely non-Christmas, non-joyous and non-charitable mood.

Full Review Source: Independent | comment Comment
11/30/07
Anthony Quinn
Independent

An archly mirthless comedy.

Full Review Source: Financial Times | comment 1 Comment
11/30/07
Nigel Andrews
Financial Times

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
Daily Telegraph

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
Guardian [UK]

DICK VAN DYKE had an excuse for doing a terrible Cockney accent in Mary Poppins – he is American. But how Brit Rachel Weisz can explain her “you wot” effort in Fred Claus is anyone’s guess.

Full Review Source: Sun Online | comment Comment
11/30/07
Sun Online

It’s not exactly It’s A Wonderful Life, with Vaughn’s trademark blokeishness starting to jar, Giamatti strangely miserable and the laughs generally thin on the ground.

Full Review Source: Daily Mirror [UK] | comment Comment
11/30/07
Daily Mirror [UK]

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
Channel 4 Film

This is one of those flicks that attempts to appeal to adults at a nudge, nudge, wink, wink, more salacious level while keeping the kids happy. It never really works.

Full Review Source: Sky Movies | comment Comment
11/29/07
Tim Evans
Sky Movies

More no no no than ho ho ho, Vince Vaughn's crime against cinema is a worthy winner of this year's Deck The Halls prize for least welcome Christmas present. Make no mistake: Fred Claus is the real Bad Santa.

Full Review Source: Total Film | comment Comment
11/29/07
Total Film
 
 
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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...

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