‘Fred Claus’ not a present worth receiving

By CHRIS KRAPEK

chris krapek

Staff Writer

Fred Claus – 5/10

Starring: Vince Vaughn, Paul Giamatti, Kevin Spacey, Rachel Weisz, Kathy Bates

Plot: Fred Claus (Vaughn) is a repo man who asks his brother Nicholas, or Santa Claus, (Giamatti) for a loan. To get the loan, Fred must go to The North Pole and help prepare for Christmas.

Good: An amazing cast, including several Academy Award-winners, adds much-needed credibility to a sophomoric film.

Bad: Vaughn’s usually amusing rants and raves are turned up high throughout the movie. It doesn’t help that he’s usually talking to an elf.

Low-Down: Vaughn is the second member of “The Frat Pack” (after Will Ferrell) to take a stab at a Christmas movie geared primarily toward children.

But “Fred Claus” is certainly no “Elf.” Kids will hardly enjoy this movie, which is void of slapstick and goofy humor and filled with sentimentality and melodrama.

Vaughn is at his best when his rapid-fire delivery allows him to go off-the-wall in films like “Swingers” and “Made.” In his newest endeavor, someone puts a quarter in Vaughn and his self-absorbed monologues comprise much of the dialogue. It doesn’t that help Vaughn is jiving in a way that almost seems contrived, even for a kid-friendly movie. The producers must have asked Vaughn to be more like himself.

Fred Claus is a foil for his brother, which is the most interesting aspect of the film. His brother is a man who gives to children unselfishly and without expecting anything in return. Fred is a repo man who impounds a little girl’s plasma-screen television.

The uninteresting story is saved by a great cast you wouldn’t expect in a holiday farce. Giamatti shares great scenes with Spacey, who plays a North Pole efficiency expert facing the looming threat of Christmas cancellation.

A scene which stands out is when Fred goes to a Siblings Anonymous support group, where people with famous siblings share their grief of living in shadows.

There, he meets Frank Stallone, Roger Clinton and Stephen Baldwin. Fred learns that even though he may be the “red-headed stepchild” of the family, he can still have love for his brother. These are life lessons for children.

“Fred Claus” drags with little laughs. Amazingly, Vaughn has ruined his own movie by watering down his trademark risqué humor to appease families.

That is so not money, baby.