2007’s Fred Claus is, at least, original. The premise here is simple but compelling - what if Santa had an older, naughtier, deadbeat brother who’s perpetually miffed at living in the portly shadow of his saintly sibling? People really lashed out at this one at the time, though I’m not totally sure why. Vince Vaughn does his usual sarcastic, fast-talking schtick to good effect as Fred and seems to enjoy himself here reuniting with his Wedding Crashers director David Dobkin.
A cheesy, fantastical childhood flashback sequence sets up Fred’s backstory - constantly compared to his awesome, supernaturally gifted bro, he has enough and decides to depart the North Pole to hit Chicago and do his own thing. Fast forward to the present and Fred is a wisecracking repo man who delights in his selfishness, while repossessing giant flatscreen TVs from spoiled brats. He goes off on some very Vince Vaughn rants, moaning about Santa being a fame whore and driven by ego, which actually seems pretty fair.
The role is a perfect fit for the colossal comic and I enjoy the film’s message about how naughty kids become that way for a reason. We’re reminded that a lot of children - and adults - get angry because things just sometimes seem to work out better for other people. This concept brings me back to thoughts of a certain childhood colleague who grew up to be a movie star and whose fame sort of sent me on this crazy journey. Sometimes the good fortune, popularity and success of others can make you upset and wonder just where the hell things went wrong. I get that. This sort of thinking can lead to a sort of ruthless “I’ll show them” attitude that can perhaps lead to the making of hasty decisions, like cutting corners in life or, y’know, watching a whole load of Christmas films.
So, Fred wants so badly to strike out on his own that he engages in some sketchy activities to get the start-up cash, like posing as a charity worker…at Christmas. Not cool. After an amusing set-piece where he’s pursued by dozens of angry dudes in Santa costumes, Fred winds up in jail, with his jolly younger brother posting bail but only if he agrees to come back home to the Pole and work off the debt.
It’s a neat fish-out-of-water set-up, with crotchety Fred drowning in a sea of jolliness and Vaughn seethes and complains with typical aplomb. Will he learn to be a better man? Will everyone else learn a thing or two from him? Will Fred have to pull up his boot straps and Save Christmas? What do you think?
There’s excellent support from Paul Giamatti as a world-weary, hesitant Santa, while Kevin Spacey plays a good bastard as the number-crunching ‘efficiency expert’ Clyde who comes to ‘assess’ the North Pole but really just wants to sabotage Christmas.
I enjoy the moral about never giving up on ‘naughty’ kids, while teaching those tearaways the value of trying hard to be nicer. I also laugh plenty too, with Vaughn’s terrified reaction at riding Santa’s sleigh for the first time proving pricelessly hilarious. Like the film tells us, Fred Claus deserves another chance.
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