Hustler and repo man Fred Claus (Vince Vaughn) has lived his entire life in the shadow of his famous brother Santa (Paul Giamatti). Now he needs his brother's help to get out of jail. Reluctantly providing bail, Santa makes Fred work off his debt at the North Pole, helping the elves prepare for the coming holiday. Will Christmas be ruined? "Fred Claus" could ruin your holiday cheer. It is a joyless rehash of old plots and jokes. Vince Vaughn may have reached his cynical peak while Paul Giamatti makes the gloomiest Santa of all time. By comparison, "Bad Santa" is uplifting. Director David Dobkin, who did such a great job with "Wedding Crashers", drives this sleigh off the cliff. After a slightly inventive look at sibling rivalry, he quickly veers in the direction of the plot to destroy Christmas. Instead of Martin Short as Jack Frost ("The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause") trying to change the holiday, we have Kevin Spacey as corporate axe man Clyde Northcut. The cast is impressive. Among the supporting players are Miranda Richardson as Mrs. Claus, John Michael Higgins as Willie The Elf, Rachel Weisz as Fred's girlfriend Wanda and Kathy Bates as Mother Claus. The visual effects are par for seasonal fare, but not worth a trip to the theater. File "Fred Claus" under lump of coal.