Fred Claus

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Vince Vaughn continues his quest to be the Bill Murray of the noughties, as he attempts a much more kiddie-orientated comedy, and mostly succeeds. Fred Claus (Vaughn) is Santa's (Giamatti) older brother, and has been overshadowed by his younger sibling since childhood. Now working as a repo man, Fred needs fifty grand quick, and turns to his brother for the dough; but in return, he must go to the North Pole and assist with the Christmas rush. Meanwhile, Kevin Spacey's creepy 'efficiency officer' keeps a watchful eye on proceedings as the North Pole is threatened with an unequivocal shut down. Designed purely as a star vehicle for the comically-gifted Vaughn, Claus sets its stall out from the start as the normally potty-mouthed star berates a small child, in an innocent (but still highly amusing) manner. From then on in, the sweetness (of which there is plenty) is underlined with the typical motor-mouthed Vaughn cynicism. Sure, sometimes the obligatory improvisation doesn't sit comfortably with the candy-coated nature of proceedings, but the relationship between Fred and Santa is surprisingly touching, and never heave-inducingly schmaltzy. That is a testament to both actors, who give well-rounded and funny performances. Where Fred Claus wanes slightly is the supporting characters and poor visual effects. Rachel Weisz, Kevin Spacey and Kathy Bates are all Oscar winners, capable of much more than the cardboard cut-out roles offered to them by the sometimes patchy script, while the elves (played by regular actors with CGI heads inserted) are atrocious-looking - and inexcusable, given the budget. Well worth seeing to get you in the festive mood, and brilliantly played by Vaughn and Giamatti, Fred Claus may not scale the heights of (Vaughn cohort) Jon Favreau's Elf; however, it does offer more than enough laughs to keep you and your respective offspring entertained on the run-up to the holliers.