Near perfect casting aside, the 2007 David Dobkin (“The Judge“) movie “Fred Claus” is also a successful blend of contemporary comedy and traditional holiday goodness that results in a fun and under-rated Christmas movie.
The opening narration explains that this particular Christmas story is not about the standard elements of the holiday season. We witness the comical birth of a one Nicholas Claus, much to the chagrin of his older brother Frederick who was perfectly content at being an only child.
The obnoxiously good Nicholas quickly becomes the favorite child in the house, while the forgotten Frederick turns to a life of trouble, constantly overshadowed by the deeds of his little brother.
In the present day, Frederick (Vince Vaughn) is a pessimistic repo man who hates all things to do with the Christmas season while his brother (Paul Giamatti) has of course gone on to become Santa Claus.
The two leads twinkle like tinsel in opposite character roles seemingly designed for each. Vince Vaughn in perfect as the titular character, a thirty-something slacker with the enviable mentality of a child, a role he continuously flaunts and seems to always flourish in. Paul Giamatti takes his skills as a true Hollywood thespian and blends his uncanny jovial self effortlessly to bring about a spot on representation of the much heralded Saint Nick.
Other recognizable faces round out the cast and do so in a perfect way as not to overshadow Vaughn and Giamatti. Kathy Bates plays the Claus matriarch, and Kevin Spacey is right at home as the antagonistic Clyde Archibald Northcutt – a typical number crunching company man and self proclaimed efficiency expert intent on shutting down Christmas altogether, with threats of pink slipping Santa Claus and outsourcing his operations to the South Pole.
Eye candy comes in two forms; Rachel Weisz as Fred’s girlfriend Wanda, and the always perfect Elizabeth Banks as Santa’s buxom “little” helper Charlene.
The comedy is there, as one would come to expect from Vaughn. A hysterical scene at the beginning that depicts Fred donning a red hat and pretending to be ringing bells for charitable donations (with the money being his own personal use) will have you in tears.
The theme of holiday goodness is present as well. Fred has taken a vested interest in an orphan boy named Slam who lives in his building, and while going to the North Pole to help Nicholas begins as a scam, genuine feelings of long forgotten brotherly love slowly etch their way to the surface.
The overall plot is a bit overused and somewhat predictable, with Spacey’s character being a man who has hated Christmas since childhood, but “Fred Claus” is more about laughs than well written depth.
Fred goes on a character arc that begins with deep rooted animosity towards his brother, at one point referring to him as a megalomaniac when explaining the concept of Santa Claus to Slam. “The guys in a big red suit flying around on a reindeer because he craves the spotlight he’s a fame jockey, the guys a clown.” But by the end, Fred is the only one who can save Christmas.
Predictable but funny, “Fred Claus” is a good Christmas movie, and one you may have overlooked when searching for December movies.
by – Matt Christopher
