Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pageFred Claus (2007)
Director: David Dobkin
Synopsis
Fred, Santa’s deadbeat older brother, pays a visit to the North Pole in an effort to make up for his past mistakes and redeem himself. The reunion with his family does not go according to plan however, and as the lazy black sheep of the family, Fred causes chaos in the run-up to Santa’s most important night of the year.
Movie review
From Time Out London
Too good to be true, this. Paul Giamatti, Kevin Spacey, Rachel Weisz, Miranda Richardson and Kathy Bates, plus Vince Vaughn reteamed with ‘Wedding Crashers’ director David Dobkin. Way too good to be true. Early on, Vaughn’s face-smashing donnybrook with an army of charity Santas bodes well. But he’s on autopilot here, rolling out his patented hustler-with-heart schtick as narky Chicago repo man, Fred, who’s little brother happens to be St Nick. Tough to blame Vaughn: slaloming between gooey seasonal cheese and near-the-knuckle sourness, this Christmas comedy struggles to stir knockabout kiddie fun with spiky adult themes of resentment and sibling rivalry. Lost on the wrong side of ‘Elf’ and ‘Bad Santa’, the script sleighs Fred to the North Pole to help his brother with the Yuletide push, hurdling reality checks with all the grace of a three-legged reindeer. Big laughs go missing and about 30 minutes should have been cut like deadwood– preferably Weisz’s rub-a-dub London accent and Vaughn’s ‘dancing’. But there’s no beating that cast. All sausage fingers, frazzled hair and morbid obesity, Giamatti is the first Santa to admit to acid reflux and sleep apnoea. No guessing if Spacey’s glacial contempt is simply for his role as an efficiency expert trying to shut down Santa – either way, it works a treat. What’s more, Dobkin’s film is lit up by a couple of genius scenes: first, a siblings support-group attended by Frank Stallone, Stephen Baldwin and Roger Clinton; second, a superb in-joke triggering Spacey’s redemptive thaw-out, stoking a festive glow against all the odds.Author: Jonathan Crocker
Time Out London Issue 1945: November 27-December 4 2007
User reviews of this film
-
- blobbob said...
- Posted on Dec 18 2007 12:02 Blobby blob bob bob
- Report as inappropriate
-
- becki said...
- Posted on Dec 16 2007 11:06 i watched this film about a week ago now and i found it pretty amusing i do recomend you watch this film its worth it =)
- Report as inappropriate
-
- ...*-becki...-* said...
- Posted on Dec 16 2007 11:04 i thiink this film was okay not then best film i have seen but i recomend you watch it its worth it =)
- Report as inappropriate
-
- kez said...
- Posted on Dec 15 2007 21:50 great family film better than some reviews say.
- Report as inappropriate
-
- Vince M said...
- Posted on Dec 14 2007 22:39 This is the worst film I have ever seen! Dont waste your money....I rather go to the Dentist than suffer this woeful film....but go if you need to catch up on lost sleep.
- Report as inappropriate
-
- Kevin said...
- Posted on Dec 14 2007 16:16 Did all of the above actually watch this movie? Ninja midgets - lame; Kevin Spacey reprising Lex Luther with a Superman cape - Lame. The only redeeming thing about this movie is it featured two attractive women. Don't waste your time or money. Oh and yes - they stole ideas from the Elf movie!
- Report as inappropriate
-
- sally said...
- Posted on Dec 13 2007 21:42 amazing
- Report as inappropriate
-
- sally said...
- Posted on Dec 13 2007 21:42 so funny
- Report as inappropriate
-
- Reece said...
- Posted on Dec 08 2007 23:58 good but very slow not just 4 kids. family film
- Report as inappropriate
-
- Ashleigh =D said...
- Posted on Dec 08 2007 22:33 Me And My Best Friend Sammie Are Going To See This Tommorrow, It Looks Really Good And A Lot Like 'Elf'. Latera Dude =P xO
- Report as inappropriate
-
- naomi said...
- Posted on Dec 08 2007 21:04 me and my mates are goin 2 watch it 2moro i hope its good
- Report as inappropriate
-
- Gracie said...
- Posted on Dec 08 2007 13:23 v. good x
- Report as inappropriate
-
- Sammi said...
- Posted on Dec 07 2007 08:39 me and my mates are going to see it tomorrow it look funny as the Elf movie
- Report as inappropriate
-
- Jamie said...
- Posted on Dec 06 2007 21:13 brilliant for all age groups and very christmassy
- Report as inappropriate
-
- jade said...
- Posted on Dec 06 2007 18:19 im gonna go n see this 4 me brthday lol cant wait 4 2oro grls lo xx
- Report as inappropriate
Now showing
This film is showing at these cinemas near Leicester Square, Greater London
[change location]
Cast & crew
Director: David Dobkin
Producer: David Dobkin, Joel Silver, Jessie Nelson
Cast: Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges, Vince Vaughn, Paul Giamatti, Miranda Richardson, Kevin Spacey, Rachel Weisz, Elizabeth Banks, Kathy Bates, John Michael Higgins full cast
Duration: 116 mins
UK Release: Nov 30 2007
US Release: Nov 9 2007
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Review: Penélope Cruz more raunchy than ever in 'Nine'
Dave Calhoun reports on Rob Marshall's Oscar-touted musical with Daniel Day-Lewis playing a troubled director
Time Out's 101 Films of the Decade
Ten years, thousands of movies and millions of dollars in international box office, and it all boils down to this
Jim Jarmusch on 'The Limits of Control'
Jim Jarmusch has followed ‘Broken Flowers’ with an esoteric crime mystery. Dave Calhoun speaks to him from his New York office
Richard Linklater on 'Me and Orson Welles'
Dave Calhoun meets the 49-year-old, Houston-born filmmaker Richard Linklater to discuss his new comedy
Our verdict on Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones
Peter Jackson ends a triumphant decade with a sentimental misfire with this lush Alice Sebold adaptation
On the set of Ken Loach's 'Route Irish'
Dave Calhoun meets Ken Loach on the set of his forthcoming Iraq war movie
Is 'Paranormal Activity' the new 'Blair Witch'?
How does a film go from DIY experiment to box-office smash? 'Paranormal Activity' director Oren Peli explains
A gateway to all things 'New Moon'
In anticipation of 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon', Time Out is offering the chance to pick up a limited edition pack with three exclusive magazines and a free poster.
The films that deserve a TV spin-off
With Roland Emmerich suggesting he'd like to make a '2012' TV spin-off, we propose some more movie-to-TV serialisations
Time Out's 50 greatest animated films with commentary by Terry Gilliam
In celebration of the release of Pixar's 'Up' and Wes Anderson's 'Fantastic Mr Fox', read our rundown of fifty classic feature length animations
What do you think?
Post your review now