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 | character name as title | north pole | efficiency expert | christmas | 

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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, 11 November 2007

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

Clyde (Kevin Spacey) has an unhealthy obsession with Superman. Spacey played Lex Luthor in Superman Returns (2006).

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Goofs

Despite being set during winter at the North Pole, no one's breath can be seen in any of the outdoor scenes.

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Quotes

Fred Claus: Santa's having some trouble getting the sled off the ground?
[his mother plugs her ears]
Mother Claus: [singing] Jingle bells, jingle bells...

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Crazy Credits

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

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Connections

Featured in Nostalgia Critic: Top 12 Santa Clauses (2013)

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Soundtracks

Jingle Cats Medley
Arranged by Mike Spalla
Performed by Jingle Cats
Courtesy of Jingle Cats Records

User Reviews

Surprised at some of the other reviews . . .

My partner and I loved this movie. We own a couple hundred Christmas movies and are only able to watch a small subset each year, but I think this will go into our "rotation" as a perennial favorite.

Vince Vaughn is his typical self - caustic but charming. Paul Giamatti is great as a jolly Santa Claus who's got just a little bit too much on his plate this year, what with family and productivity challenges . . .

Kathy Bates and Trevor Peacock make great parents for the Claus siblings, and Kevin Spacey is great is his pivotal role.

The special effects are also excellent: seamless and effective - the North Pole never looked better ;-)

In short, this is a fun and funny Christmas movie. See it!