Fred Claus

Play trailer

2:23

Fred Claus

PG

Released Nov 8, 2007

1h 56m

Holiday

Comedy

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

20%

Tomatometer

142 Reviews

45%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

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 troublemaking brother, but also an efficiency expert who has come to evaluate Santa's operation.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Critics Consensus

A slew of talent is wasted in this contrived and overly sentimental Christmas film, which can't quite get the balance between slapstick humor and schmaltzy uplift.

Read Critics Reviews

Hank Sartin

Time Out

Rated: 2/5

Nov 18, 2011

Full Review

Charlotte O'Sullivan

London Evening Standard

Fred Claus tries desperately for a Bad Santa meets Elf vibe. Five minutes in, the man sitting next to me was sound asleep.

Rated: 2/5

Nov 30, 2007

Full Review

Anthony Quinn

Independent (UK)

The actual effect of films such as this, however, is to put you in an entirely non-Christmas, non-joyous and non-charitable mood.

Rated: 1/5

Nov 30, 2007

Full Review

Cory Woodroof

615 Film

What a weird-ass movie. It’s not really for kids, it’s not really for adults, it’s not really for anyone who enjoys Christmas.

Jan 15, 2023

Full Review

Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

Paul Giamatti's seemingly inherent playful moroseness adds a delightful dimension to the saintly Nick.

Rated: 2.5/4.0

Sep 8, 2020

Full Review

Leigh Paatsch

Herald Sun (Australia)

Despite a great ensemble cast (which includes Paul Giamatti, Kevin Spacey and Rachel Weisz), this is one gift best left unwrapped.

Rated: 1/5

Nov 16, 2018

Full Review

Read all reviews

jessica

Absolutely the best Christmas movie. Better than ELF.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/16/23

Full Review

Cade H.

Fred Clause is the type of holiday movie you watch if you want something besides the popular Christmas movies everyone normally watches come December. It checks all the boxes of what you expect from a Christmas themed comedy flick, but it’s just kind of adequate at everything, not good at anything. The acting is fine, the story is competent enough to follow along, and the theme/ moral of the movie is predictably serviceable.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

06/29/25

Full Review

Brady R

Slightly entertaining, no jokes that draw a laugh

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

12/30/24

Full Review

Rob W

Critics didnt get this one right, great Christmas movie, with a awesome message.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/25/24

Full Review

Jenny M

This is the best Christmas movie! Absolutely hilarious. I don’t understand the bad reviews. This movie is such a gem!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/25/24

Full Review

CS P

Wow! I loved this movie! There are NO BAD KIDS!!! My kids absolutely loved it. Hilarious! Fun! And GREAT MUSIC!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/25/24

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

David Dobkin

Director

Vince Vaughn

Fred Claus

Paul Giamatti

Nicholas

Miranda Richardson

Annette Claus

John Michael Higgins

Willie

Rachel Weisz

Wanda

Deck the Halls

6%

30%

Deck the Halls

Watchlist

I'll Be Home for Christmas

23%

41%

I'll Be Home for Christmas

Watchlist

Nativity!

48%

67%

Nativity!

Watchlist

Saving Christmas

0%

30%

Saving Christmas

Watchlist

Unaccompanied Minors

30%

53%

Unaccompanied Minors

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Fred Claus: Trailer 1

2:23

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

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 troublemaking brother, but also an efficiency expert who has come to evaluate Santa's operation.

Director: David Dobkin
Producer: Joel Silver, David Dobkin, Jessie Nelson
Screenwriter: Dan Fogelman
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Production Co: Warner Bros., Silver Pictures
Rating: PG (Some Rude Humor|Mild Language)
Genre: Holiday, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 8, 2007, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 2, 2010
Box Office (Gross USA): $72.0M
Runtime: 1h 56m
Sound Mix: Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

Most Popular at Home Now