Fred Claus

It all must have seemed like a good idea: take a familiar tale—the Santa Claus story—and breathe some life into it by means of talented actors. Cast box office king Vince Vaughn as the protagonist, throw in a little Paul Giamatti, Kathy Bates, and Rachel Weisz to add some Oscar cred, and get Kevin Spacey to play the villain. You’ve gotta get Spacey to play the villain. The man put Gwyneth Paltrow’s head in a box in “Se7en,” so he’s sure to bring some lighthearted evil to “Fred Claus,” which opens nationwide this weekend.

And who knows, it may have been a good idea. When parents have to choose which Christmas film to take their kids to this year, knowing that esteemed British actress Miranda Richardson will be playing Mrs. Claus might just make the difference. “Fred Claus,” however, isn’t “Shrek.” Or “Toy Story.” Or even 2000’s “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” To be blunt, “Fred Claus” simply lacks creativity.

Sure, the basic concept differs from most. Fred Claus, played by Vince Vaughn, is the estranged brother of the more famous, more rotund Santa Claus. As a boy, Fred chose to move away from the family’s North Pole nest to escape feeling outshined by his sib. So he takes a job as a repo man.

When we’re introduced to him, Fred is taking great pleasure in expropriating family televisions during the holiday season. He’s also decided to become an entrepreneur of sorts. There’s mention of a half-baked plan to start a franchise of Off-Track Betting, but somewhere along the way, Vaughn runs into trouble with the law and has to call Santa to loan him bail money.

So yes, the idea of “Fred Claus” is different. But it’s far from novel, a fact highlighted by a story structure and cinematic style not unlike many other Santa flicks.

Director David Dobkin introduces us to the North Pole in a way that we’ve seen before. A crane shot of an elfin winter wonderland is followed by clips of elves working in Santa’s factory, followed by scenes of elves shopping in the town square—all set to the tune of sleigh bell-heavy music. This time around, though, our first view of the ideal Santa-land is bathetic—the anti-Emerald City revealed, if you will.

As the Santa theme has provided the basis for so many well known Hollywood films, one would think that the focus of the director and writers of “Fred Claus” would be to distinguish this film from its forbearers—to make it special, or at least, worth reviewing. Ultimately, the film just isn’t distinctive or compelling enough to justify the 116-minute run time and, arguably, barely justifies the purchase of a ticket.

Some funny and semi-poignant moments redeem the uninspired “Fred Claus” content, sort of. The all-star team—Giamatti, Bates, Weisz, Richardson, Spacey, and Vaughn—delivers strong, impassioned performances, especially in light of the weak dialogue and story line they’re faced with. Vaughn’s interactions with an orphan boy named Slam, played by Bobb’e J. Thompson, stand out as particularly cute with a capital K.

“Fred Claus” is not a movie one buys and adds to the family collection alongside “Christmas Vacation” or “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” Instead, the film joins the growing list of one-time use movies; it beats the seasonal Tim Allen schlock we’re used to being fed, but “Elf” it’s certainly not.

—Staff writer Ruben L. Davis can be reached at rldavis@fas.harvard.edu.