“Fred Claus” brings witty holiday spirit

It is again that time of year when holiday movies begin to pop up in theatres. When one thinks of holiday films, one may not usually think of actor Vince Vaughn and his fast-talking wit as the star of one.

However, this season, the anticipated release of “Fred Claus” puts a new twist on family Christmas films and the idea of Santa Claus.

By Rachel Prichard,

Staff Writer

It is again that time of year when holiday movies begin to pop up in theatres. When one thinks of holiday films, one may not usually think of actor Vince Vaughn and his fast-talking wit as the star of one.

However, this season, the anticipated release of “Fred Claus” puts a new twist on family Christmas films and the idea of Santa Claus.

“Fred Claus” takes the beloved idea of Saint Nicholas and puts a dysfunctional family spin on him. Fred (played by Vaughn) is the not-so-famous, older brother of Santa a.k.a. Nick Claus (played by Paul Giamatti).

The film begins when both Fred and Nick are children. From the time that they are young, Fred is living in the shadow of his ever-so-generous and saintly younger brother. Fred tries to be the best older brother he can to Nick, but ends up becoming the exact opposite.

Fast forward to present day, Fred is now a fast-talking, repo man who is against the spirit of Christmas and Santa Claus. When he finds himself in jail, his only resource is to turn to his brother for bail money.

Nick strikes a deal with Fred and has him come to the North Pole to work in Santa’s toy shop and earn the money. Fred is not exactly “elf material” and his rambunctious behavior may put the holiday itself in jeopardy.

With the reappearance of Vaughn’s catchy lines like “people helping people” and “let’s make some bad decisions,” audiences should not expect Fred to mach up to Vaughn’s character in the movie “Wedding Crashers.” “Fred Claus” is rated PG and does not contain crude humor or swearing. It is in the same holiday spirit as Will Ferrell’s “Elf”, without as much slapstick comedy. Vaughn’s quick-witted lines give this movie many humorous laughs, with a few parts that may bring a tear to your eye.

With an all-star cast that includes Kevin Spacey, Kathy Bates, and a list of other celebrity cameos, this is a movie you can take the whole family to see without worrying about it being too childish. If you’re in the holiday spirit to make some good decisions, make “Fred Claus” a part of your holiday plans.