Fred Claus

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2:23

Fred Claus

PG

Released Nov 8, 2007

1h 56m

Holiday

Comedy

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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.

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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.

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Hank Sartin

Time Out

Rated: 2/5

Nov 18, 2011

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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

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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

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jessica

Absolutely the best Christmas movie. Better than ELF.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/16/23

Full Review

John G

I actually love this movie. I don't understand the dislike so many have expressed. Oh well. I'll always enjoy it.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

12/18/24

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Mark T

Funny dysfunctional family adult Christmas movie. A classic.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/17/24

Full Review

Ravenswood R

Most of it is very negative and features a lot of fighting and arguing, and horrible problems that don't seem to have any solutions, angry characters acting poorly, having multiple borderline violent interactions, until the end when all of the sudden it gets really sappy and tries to be heartwarming. Every Christmas movie cliche is stolen and fails in this movie. Never funny, never entertaining, just one rough slog through very boring territory. VV seems tired throughout, and he should be. Giamatti as VV's brother and as Santa is terribly miscast and painful to watch. One of the worst Christmas films ever made, really quite terrible. 1.5 stars for the Christmas sets and costumes, which were pretty good.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

12/15/24

Full Review

Cody L

Fred clause is fantastic. Anyone who disagrees can kick rocks.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/15/24

Full Review

Tamara K

I don't understand why people don't like this movie. I adore it.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

12/14/24

Full Review

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David Dobkin

Director

Vince Vaughn

Fred Claus

Paul Giamatti

Nicholas

Miranda Richardson

Annette Claus

John Michael Higgins

Willie

Rachel Weisz

Wanda

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Fred Claus: Trailer 1

2:23

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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)

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