It’s that time of year again, folks! Christmas is right around the corner and that can only mean one thing. Corny Christmas movies! And the newest addition to this ever expanding genre? Lets just say that it’s not about Him. It’s actually about his brother.
Fred Claus is not your typical heartwarming story of how So-and-so managed to save Christmas. It’s not really a holiday movie for kids, either. There wasn’t any profanity, however some scenes might be a bit too…much (for lack of a better word) for little ones.
This flick is not as brash and offensive as Bad Santa, but it is not full of all the fluff typical of this genre, either. Vince Vaughn stars as the overshadowed and underappreciated older brother of Nick Claus (a.k.a. Santa), played by Paul Giamatti. The two brothers grow estranged when, in Nick’s overflowing generosity, he commits an unspeakable betrayal to which Fred never forgets.
As an adult, Fred’s life consists of constant strife as his girlfriend wants him to commit, and his business dealings are of questionable legality. After encountering a mob of angry santa’s, Fred finds himself in a pickle and the only person he can turn to is his brother, Jolly Old Saint Nick.
Fred reluctantly agrees to visit the North Pole in exchange for Nick bailing him out, but first he barters a much more lucrative deal out of his baby brother. The moment he arrives in the North Pole, though, the reason he stayed away for so long haunts him. Matters don’t improve when his parents and a sinister efficiency expert, Clyde Northcutt, played by Kevin Spacey appear for dinner.
Fred’s task while visiting the North Pole is to determining which kids are naughty and which ones are nice. Not interested in taking his job seriously, he riles things up among the elves, which does not look good for Santa when the efficiency expert lurks around every corner waiting for the opportunity to shut Santa’s Workshop down. Dubiously pleased at the thought of being able to cancel Christmas, Clyde Northcutt does what he can to speed up the process and to sabotage the already rocky relationship between Fred and Nick.
As the story goes, Fred and Nick finally have it out in good old brotherly fashion—a snowball fight—and Fred finally admits to his brother that he resents living in his little brother’s shadow. Nick begins to buckle under the pressure of his brother’s issues and Mr. Northcutt’s threatening presence.
In the end, Fred attempts to save Christmas for the sake of his Brother and all the children. Fred learns an important lesson, along with Santa and Mr. Northcutt, about what makes a person naughty or nice.
Over all, the storyline felt a little hokey at times, and the special effects needed some work, but it’s a good story with a nice tight ending. I recommend watching it at least once…but don’t waste your money in the theater. Wait until it comes out on DVD.
