Titio Noel

To a lot of us, mid-November is the most wonderful time of the year. And I'm not merely talking about Thanksgiving or the approaching celebration of Hanukkah and Christmas. For me, mid-November is the definitive signal that my favorite perennial holiday movies are queuing up on TMC, Netflix, Hulu, HBO, REDBOX, and practically everywhere else! These wonderful films range from the incredibly beautiful black & white classics like "Holiday Inn" (1942) and "Miracle On 34th Street" (1947), to the more contemporary films such as "The Hebrew Hammer" (highly recommended by my Jewish friends, a 2003 comedy so sacrilegiously funny I don't dare describe it here), and finally I swing back to my trusty holiday twin comedies, "Home Alone" (1990) and "Home Alone: Lost in New York" (1992). (I can't bother with the disappointing remainder of the series. Yawn).

By early December I am quite eager to screen the subject of this review, the oddly maligned and ignored, "Fred Claus" (2007). And my question, every year, is always the same: "Why the heck isn't this film more loved?"

"Fred Claus" stars the absurdly improvisational humor of Vince Vaughn as Fred, the beautiful, and zany Elizabeth Banks, the highly versatile Oscar winners Kathy Bates and Rachel Weisz, and Oscar nominated Paul Giamatte as The Big Man himself, Santa Claus (and also Fred's younger brother). But this particular movie isn't really about Saint Nick. It's about his big brother, Fred.

To say this movie has no charm would be incongruous with reality. To say it's not funny would be blasphemy. Indeed, there is more charm and humor in "Fred Claus" than one would expect in its well-paced one hour and fifty six minutes. Plus, it's beautifully filmed, and features several ingeniously clever special effects.

As always, no spoilers here, but I can reveal that most of the action takes place in chilly Chicago and the even chillier North Pole. It's the Christmas season rush at the North Pole and there is much at stake, notwithstanding the future of St. Nick and his Elves. "Fred Claus" has it all: Drama, humor, adventure, romance, and even a handful of subtle, uplifting messages. It's not War and Peace. Its not Citizen Kane. It's "Fred Claus."

Sure, this film didn't quite light up the box offices. And yes, it lost a lot money. But so did "The Wizard of Oz" and "It's a Wonderful Life." (Both are now considered pure classics). Still, when it comes to art and entertainment, Time is often the wiser. Give "Fred" another chance. Pretty please?

After all, even Ebenezer Scrooge eventually came to his senses, albeit belatedly. But he was better for it in the end.

BEWARE OF FALSE REVIEWS & REVIEWERS. SOME REVIEWERS HAVE ONLY ONE REVIEW TO THEIR NAME. NOW WHEN ITS A POSITIVE REVIEW THAT TELLS ME THEY WERE INVOLVED WITH THE MOVIE. IF ITS A NEGATIVE REVIEW THEN THEY MIGHT HAVE A GRUDGE AGAINST THE FILM . NOW I HAVE REVIEWED OVER 300 HOLIDAY FILMS & SPECIALS. I HAVE NO AGENDA.

In this film Of the two Claus brothers, Fred (Vince Vaughn) is the troublemaker and polar opposite of his saintly sibling, Nicholas (Paul Giamatti). When Fred's criminal ways finally land him in big trouble, Nicholas bails him out and brings him to the North Pole to work off the debt by making toys. The headaches mount for St. Nick, who not only must deal with his trouble making brother, but also an efficiency expert who has come to evaluate Santa's operation.

Before they shoot this film they should have re-written the screenplay. The first 45 minutes could have been reduced by 1/2. The final hour could have also been streamlined.

This film in reality has no idea who its audience is. The thing is the film doesn't try to cover all the bases. The film however does have some very great scenes and a awesome set. The flying sequences are the highlight the film which is the only thing that makes film give flight.

Worth watching Once. I don't see this becoming a holiday favorite for many!

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.

Santa Claus' older brother Fred Claus (Vince Vaughn) was raised in the shadow of his famous brother and has issues with his mother (Kathy Bates). In Chicago, near Christmas, Fred asks for money on the streets trying to raise fifty thousand dollars to open a betting shop. However, many legalized Salvation Army Santa Claus chase him and Fred is arrested and sent to jail. He calls his brother Nick Santa Claus (Paul Giamatti) in the North Pole that accepts to pay his bail of five thousand dollars and proposes to lend the amount Fred needs provided he comes to the North Pole to help him in his factory. Meanwhile the mean efficiency expert Clyde Northcut (Kevin Spacey) arrives in the North Pole with the intention of finding three non-conformities in the audit of the manufacturing process and shut-down the facility. When Fred is assigned to work in the Naughty-Nice Department, the troubles of Nick begin.

I do not recall the last time I have seen such entertaining Christmas movie. "Fred Claus" is funny and has many hilarious moments (my favorite is the siblings-anonymous, with Frank Stallone, Roger Clinton and Stephen Baldwyn among others that resemble Ed Harris, Morgan Freeman and other famous people). The message that there is no naughty child and consequently every child deserves a Christmas gift is great. The cast leaded by Vince Vaughn is fantastic and I really loved this movie. I wish Merry Christmas to all IMDb movie and TV lovers and staff. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Titio Noel" ("Uncle Claus")

I watched this with low expectations, expecting it to be a mess. But I was surprised. Fred Claus is far from a Christmas classic, but there are much worse as well, for example Deck the Halls was very mean-spirited and unfunny, both of which I often see Fred Claus get criticised for.

I do agree it is very predictable, and that the direction is on the slack side. And there is also some uneven pacing and moments of disjointed dialogue. That said, it does look good with lovely cinematography and scenery, and the soundtrack is great and does put you in the mood for the Christmas season. Also there are moments of inspired physical comedy and while they have been better Vince Vaughan and Paul Giamatti(who was so good in Sideways) do display a good chemistry and both deliver spirited performances.

So overall, this is not a bad movie. It could have been better, but it is almost certainly not a disaster. 6/10 Bethany Cox