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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,... [More]
Starring: Vince Vaughn, Paul Giamatti, Miranda Richardson, Elizabeth Banks
Director: David Dobkin
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
Top CriticIt’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.
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.
FRED CLAUS is from the 'of course' school of formulaic filmmaking, but it makes a good job of a tough sell
Santa's mother, who obviously never heard of Dr. Spock, violates important childrearing advice in 'Fred Claus.' Amusing holiday chaos ensues.
Fred Claus is the perfect post-millennial holiday film. It's funny, smart, wicked, warm, and above all, completely clued-in to our growing crass commercialization of Christmas.
Fred Claus turns out to be not bad for a Santa movie, which I suppose could be interpreted as either faint or excessive praise, depending on your view.
Top CriticIf you must haul the kids to yet another annual (per)version of A Christmas Carol, you could do a lot worse than this cheeky, modestly edgy caper from Wedding Crashers director David Dobkin and screenwriter Dan Fogelman.
I'm so glad there's another Fred movie. I've been getting Drop Dead Fred and Right Said Fred since I was in middle school.
A pleasant little seasonal gift.
Dobkin’s film is lit up by a couple of genius scenes: first, a siblings support-group attended by Frank Stallone, Stephen Baldwin and Roger Clinton; second, a superb in-joke triggering Spacey’s redemptive thaw-out, stoking a festive glow against the odds.
Neither as terrible as it could be nor as funny as it should be, this is a painless way to catch a new holiday movie without getting into a fight about what part was the lamest.
There's no more fleet talker flapping his lips with free associative aplomb than Vaughn, and he uses his edgy powers for good here.
[A] silly flick that's just a little bit profound in its goofiness, [a] wonderland of schtick that touches on the dark flipside of all the ho-ho-ho and enforced jolliment of the Holiday Season(TM).
There are plenty of cringe-worthy moments in this overlong seasonal tale ... but Fogelman and Dobkin do manage to find the right mix of sweet and sour.
Fred Claus isn't especially funny but it's well made, superbly acted and entirely watchable, provided you can stomach the sentimentality levels.
Vaughn is marvelous dancing with the elves, but plot digressions that take much too long to resolve and mangled special effects are a distraction and a nuisance.
Vince Vaughn is Superman.
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.
There are some scattered big laughs and a sweet message here, so I’m giving it a mild recommendation.
Top Critic
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. 
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.
More...
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