Review of Fred Claus (2007) by Erica H — 07 Mar 2011
It's an average Christmas film. This is a film about being overshadowed by a sibling. Vaughn and Giamatti make an excellent duo. Fred Claus sells you something you didn't know you wanted: a Vince Vaughn Christmas movie. Vaughn is not the hook. Neither is the holiday. The script, by Dan Fogelman, is smarter than that. The sweetest thing about Fred Claus is that the message about filial love feels genuine. I wouldn't have expected that watching Giamatti tell Vaughn, "You're the best big brother anyone could ask for," would make me choke up, but it did. But Fred Claus fails to deliver a classic Christmas movie that will impact audiences for years to come. It's not as endearing as Elf but manages to bring a few laughs.
VERDICT: "Rental" - (Negative to Mixed reaction). These films are only worth renting because of certain good things that are worth seeing, but are not worth paying at a theatre to see due to bad things that overcome anything good.
This review of Fred Claus (2007) was written by Erica H on 07 Mar 2011.
Fred Claus has generally received mixed reviews.
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