Fred Claus (2007)

Fred Claus, Santa's bitter older brother, is forced to move to the North Pole to help Santa and the elves prepare for Christmas in exchange for cash.

Director:

David Dobkin

Writers:

Dan Fogelman (screenplay), Jessie Nelson (story)

Stars:

Vince Vaughn, Paul Giamatti, Elizabeth Banks

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Vince Vaughn	...	Fred Claus
Paul Giamatti	...	Nick 'Santa' Claus
John Michael Higgins	...	Willie
Miranda Richardson	...	Annette Claus
Rachel Weisz	...	Wanda
Kathy Bates	...	Mother Claus
Trevor Peacock	...	Papa Claus
Ludacris	...	DJ Donnie (as Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges)
Elizabeth Banks	...	Charlene
Jeremy Swift	...	Bob Elf
Elizabeth Berrington	...	Linda Elf
Kevin Spacey	...	Clyde
Rio Hackford	...	Leon
Bobb'e J. Thompson	...	Samuel 'Slam' Gibbons
Allan Corduner	...	Dr. Goldfarb

Storyline

During childhood, Fred Claus suffered his younger brother Nick's saintliness. Jump ahead: Fred is a fast-talking, genial but self-centered guy in Chicago looking for $50,000 to open an off-track-betting shop. When one scam goes awry, he calls Nick at the North Pole for a loan: Nick will give him the money only if Fred comes up to help a few days with the Christmas rush. After his girlfriend dumps him, Fred heads north. Santa's facing an audit from an efficiency expert, and it's not pleasant. Fred's job is to review charts and determine who's naughty and who's nice. Is there any fraternal feeling left, can either learn from the other, and what about Santa getting fired?

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Plot Keywords:

close up of eyes | north pole | efficiency expert | christmas | cape the garment | 

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Taglines:

Meet Fred.

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Genres:

Comedy | Family | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for mild language and some rude humor

Details

Official Sites:

Official UK DVD & Blu Ray site Warner Bros [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 November 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Untitled Vince Vaughn/David Dobkin Project

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$100,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$18,515,473, 2 November 2007, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$72,006,777

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$97,838,349

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Silver Pictures, David Dobkin Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The wardrobe department consulted Levi Strauss and Company, and had special 501s created to accommodate Vince Vaughn's sizes exactly.

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Goofs

The background in the scene where Nick gets a present from Fred is clearly fake.

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Quotes

Willie: Love is so complicated.
Fred Claus: Yeah, can be.
Willie: It hurts.

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Crazy Credits

The opening logos are covered in snow and Christmas tree lights.

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Connections

References Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends (1984)

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Soundtracks

What a Wonderful World
Written by Bob Thiele (as Robert Thiele) and George David Weiss
Performed by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole (as Israel "Iz" Kamakawiwo'ole)
Courtesy of Mountain Apple Hawai'i / Big Boy Records

User Reviews

Probably in my top 5!

As an avid lover of traditional Christmas movies, I was not expecting a lot out of Fred Claus. However, I bought it because I wanted something new for my 6 year old, and I really like Vince Vaughn. Many people I talked to didn't like Fred Claus because Vince Vaughn is "the same as he is in every movie." I happen to love that. The rest of the cast was A+ and gave perfect performances. I LOVED THIS MOVIE and would recommend it to anyone who loves Christmas! There were so many funny parts as well as heart warming sweet moments that this movie was one that my 6 year old son and I could enjoy together. I'm glad I skipped renting and just bought this movie as it will be one I look forward to every year.