Vince Vaughn (“Wedding Crashers”) plays his standard word-a-minute, sarcastic character in this holiday film, which proves to be both a positive and a negative. While his comedy still works and he is the forward momentum of the story, it would have been nice to see a slightly different personality for his Fred Claus character. As portrayed by Vaughn, Santa’s oldest brother appears to be a bitter, self-involved person, making the film a bit sour.
If Paul Giamatti’s (“The Nanny Diaries”) Santa had been less of a pushover, perhaps Vaughn could have been reined in a little. However, it didn’t work out that way. While there are laughs to be had in “Fred Claus,” the adult world intervenes too much in this holiday film, not allowing us to forget our cares and worries and get lost in Santa‘s wonderland.
Fred wanted to be a good older brother when Nicholas was born, but they were too different, often butting heads. Nick/Santa was creative, giving to a fault and a jolly, pudgy boy while Fred was a normal kid who just could not understand his younger brother. This lack of understanding soon grew to resentment and anger at the now grown up Santa Claus.
Most of the story is set in the modern world, as the film explains that since Santa is immortal, so is his entire family. Fred has a life in the city with a job, an unstable relationship with a meter maid, and a dream of making more of his life. When he gets into a tight spot, he has to call the one person he doesn’t want anything to do with for help - his brother. A deal is struck, and Fred is headed to the North Pole to see his family and complete his end of the bargain. However, not all is rosy at Santa’s Workshop, with an efficiency expert (Kevin Spacey, “Superman Returns”) snooping around, looking for a reason to shut Santa’s operation down for good. Spacey’s nosy corporate hack is a bit too dark and mean in the context of the story, causing both you and Santa to feel anxious most of the movie. His character’s motivations are never explained adequately to justify his actions.
Meanwhile, Santa himself is worse for wear, looking stressed and tired instead of jolly or saintly. The character was poorly written, and Giamatti is the wrong man for the job - who wants to see a worried and sad Santa Clause? I felt bad for the guy most of the movie.
The film is not without its lighter moments, as Fred proves not to be that bad of a guy when his family’s not around. There are a few cute sequences where Fred tries to get the elves to lighten up and enjoy their work. Fred’s attempts at teaching Willie the elf to dance was quite amusing and made you feel something for both characters. Even with the occasional belly laughs and physical comedy, however, “Fred Claus” feels a little too mean-spirited to gel with its holiday pedigree.
The end does give you a warm feeling - problems get resolved, as they inevitably do in Christmas tales. Overall, “Fred Claus” is not a bad film and it will give you some glee that, on the sliding scale of Christmas films, is good enough.
Rated PG for mild language and some rude humor.
