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Movies / On DVD / Fred Claus
Fred Claus

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Fred Claus (2007)

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Reviews Counted:134

Fresh:28

Rotten:106

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.

Runtime: 1 hr 56 mins

Genre: Childrens

US 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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Reviews for Fred Claus

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1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
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With not even its excellent cast to recommend it, Fred Claus is an ill-conceived, charm-less film that will delight neither youngsters nor their parents. From tedium to schmalz, the film tries to be all things to everyone, and succeeds in none

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
11/10/07
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
11/17/07
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Screen International | comment Comment
11/17/07
Screen International
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
04/23/09
Alicia Potter
Alicia Potter
Boston Phoenix

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

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
Adam Tobias
Watertown Daily Times

The movie's constantly shifting timbre takes some getting used to, and it's hard to escape the feeling that a whole lot of actors (Rachel Weisz, Kathy Bates, Miranda Richardson) are wasted in a whole lot of roles.

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
11/09/07
Amy Biancolli
Amy Biancolli
Houston Chronicle

It may not be a new holiday classic, but at least it's funny.

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
11/09/07
Andy Spletzer
Andy Spletzer
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

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
Anthony Quinn
Independent

Bah. Humbug.

Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
11/08/07
Bill Goodykoontz
Bill Goodykoontz
Arizona Republic

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
Brandon Fibbs
Colorado Springs Gazette

The burden of having a famous sibling seems fraught with comedic possibilities, but whatever potential existed has been squandered and then some in Fred Claus, dumping coal into everyone's holiday stocking.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
11/06/07
Brian Lowry
Brian Lowry
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Isn't there a verse in Revelations that proclaims when Tim Allen makes a funnier Christmas movie than Vince Vaughn, end times are a-comin'?

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
11/09/07
Brian Orndorf
Brian Orndorf
eFilmCritic.com

Freely mixing reality therapy, fairy tale and satire, Dobkin's film does not maintain a consistent tone.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | comment Comment
11/09/07
Carrie Rickey
Carrie Rickey
Philadelphia Inquirer

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
Charlotte O'Sullivan
This is London

It's more like a holiday fruitcake: a lot of different chunks of stuff -- some bitter, some sweet, some awful -- half-baked and sent to people low on the Christmas list.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
11/09/07
Chris Farnsworth
Chris Farnsworth
E! Online

The film is a disaster, with an ending that is exactly the kind of schmaltz Vaughn usually makes fun of.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
11/09/07
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

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
Christian Toto
Washington Times

Reindeer roadkill.

Full Review Source: Bangor Daily News (Maine) | comment Comment
11/15/07
Christopher Smith
Christopher Smith
Bangor Daily News (Maine)

Veers awkwardly from shrill, slapsticky physical humour to diabolical meanness (courtesy of Spacey as an efficiency expert) to reheated, snuggly sentiments about the importance of love and family.

Full Review Source: Associated Press | comment Comment
11/07/07
Christy Lemire
Christy Lemire
Associated Press
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
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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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