Fred Claus is a 2007 Warner Bros. Pictures film starring Vince Vaughn and Paul Giamatti, directed by David Dobkin. It was produced by Sliver Pictures, in association with David Dobkin Productions and Jessie Nelson Productions.
Synopsis[]
A long time ago, in the Middle Ages, Mother Claus gives birth to a baby whom she names Nicholas. She lovingly calls the baby her little Saint Nick, while her older son Fred promises to be the best big brother ever. The next few scenes show Fred and Nick growing up, particularly during the development of some Christmas traditions. First, during Nick's birthday, Fred makes a special journal with his brother's name on it as a present. After opening all of his gifts, Nick places them in a box and tells his family he is going to take them to the orphan boy who lives around the corner, because giving gifts brings him joy. Their parents are very pleased with their son, while Fred is angry that Nick gave away his thoughtful gift. Mother Claus tells Fred that he should be more like his brother, causing him to resent Nick.
Feeling his family does not understand him, Fred climbs a large tree in the woods to visit the only one who understands him - Chirp-Chirp, a bird who lives in a birdhouse. As Fred confides to the bird about his problems, the tree suddenly falls down, crushing the birdhouse and causing Chirp-Chirp to leave. It is revealed that Nick cut down the tree because Fred liked the tree so much, and thought it would be a great idea to bring the tree inside and put gifts underneath for his sake. This is clearly the last straw, causing a permanent rift between Fred and Nick.
In the present day, it is revealed that Nick becomes a saint due to all his good deeds, and he, his wife, and his immediate family are frozen in time, never to age. Nick has become the modern-day Santa Claus, giving gifts to people, while Fred runs a repo company to take them away. Fred goes to see his girlfriend, Wanda Blinkowski, who gets mad at Fred for forgetting that her birthday was tomorrow. She also references that for their anniversary last year he had dropped hints about the Eiffel Tower and having her take French lessons, only to give a bad gift rather than the implied trip to France. Fred promises that they'll be going to a new hotspot for her birthday, although he did not check out the restaurant, only naming the restaurant he sees on a billboard as a last-minute plan.
The next day, Fred plans to buy a property to open a gambling facility, but has to pay $50,000 by December 22 to secure the property. Attempting to raise the money, Fred grabs a Santa hat and a tin container and poses as a Salvation Army worker. When the real Salvation Army Santas confront him, a comical chase ensues, ending with Fred's arrest. Needing $5,000 bail, Fred tries to call Wanda, who doesn't answer because she is waiting for him at her birthday dinner, which is at a disgusting restaurant where men watch sumo fights in the middle of the room. A policeman takes pity on Fred and allows him to make one more call. Fred calls Nick and tries to convince him to send $55,000. Nick almost agrees, but Mrs. Claus tells him to use "tough love". As a result, Nick agrees to send $5,000 immediately to pay for the bail, but says that Fred has to go to the North Pole and work for him to earn the remaining $50,000.
Back at his apartment, Fred is packing up when in comes a boy named Samuel "Slam" Gibbons, who obviously doesn't have a stable living situation. He talks about wanting a puppy for Christmas, but Fred tells him not to count on others for things. Later on, Family Services shows up because his home is unfit, and he is moved to an orphanage. Soon after, Fred is brought to the North Pole by Nick's head elf, Willy, who has a crush on Santa's Little Helper, Charlene, although she can't even remember his name. Nick welcomes Fred warmly and shows him around, including the naughty/nice room, which has a list of the Top 10 most naughty children at any given time. There is also a humongous snow globe in the room, where one can see if someone is being naughty or nice. Fred asks to see Wanda, and we see his girlfriend talking to a guy on the street whom she gave a parking ticket to. The man asks Wanda if she has a boyfriend and she says no (obviously upset that Fred stood her up); she declines his offer for dinner but takes his business card. Nick shows Fred where he will be working, looking at children's requests and determining if they are naughty or nice.
As Fred starts working, the Clauses meet Clyde Northcutt, an efficiency expert who has come to assess the situation at the North Pole and will shut them down if they get three strikes by Christmas. Back at the workshop, Fred, annoyed that the DJ elf keeps playing "Here Comes Santa Claus" on a loop, locks him in a cupboard, puts on the song "Rubberneckin'", and convinces the elves to join in the dance party. Nick, Mrs. Claus, and Clyde walk in on this, and Clyde says that Nick's inability to control his staff is Strike 1. That night, Nick convinces Fred to come to dinner with their parents and Clyde, and it's clear that Fred hasn't spoken to his parents in years. When Fred's mother continues praising Nick, Fred storms out and meets Willy at Frosty's Tavern. Willy discusses his lack of self-confidence regarding Charlene, and Fred tries teaching him to dance to the song "Beast of Burden". Unfortunately, Charlene enters the tavern just as Willy falls on his face, and he runs off embarrassed.
Later, as everyone else is asleep, Clyde sneaks into Fred's office and uses a shredder to destroy many of Fred's naughty/nice records, framing Fred for the infraction, and marks it as Strike 2. Later, Fred is shocked to see that Sam is now the #1 naughty kid. Sam is shown arguing with the other children in the orphanage, saying the same types of things that Fred said to him earlier. Fred concludes that children aren't truly naughty, but are simply either scared or misunderstood, and he furiously marks everyone as nice. Nick quickly learns about this and confronts Fred, saying the elves can't possibly make enough gifts for every child if they are all marked "nice". The two end up fighting, resulting in Nick injuring his back. Frustrated with his entire family, Fred leaves the North Pole with his $50,000 as soon as they reach December 22, but Nick gives him a present to take with him. Fred waits until he gets home to open the gift, which is a birdhouse, a replacement for the one on the tree, and a note from Nick, saying he's sorry for sawing down the tree. Confused about his feelings, Fred enters a Siblings Anonymous meeting, where he meets the brothers of Alec Baldwin, Sylvester Stallone, Bill Clinton and other famous look-alikes. Bill's brother makes a speech about how, even though he could have ruined everything for his brother whom he resented, he chose to be a good brother and let him be successful.
Back at the North Pole, it looks like Christmas is lost: Nick can hardly get out of bed because of his bad back, and Clyde has given him Strike 3. However, before the deliveries can start, Fred arrives to help, having used his money to charter a plane, boat, and sled dogs to return to the North Pole. Without Clyde's knowledge, Fred and the elves work tirelessly to make at least one toy for each child, with no reference to if they're naughty or nice. However, Nick still can't drive the sleigh, and only a Claus can deliver the toys, so Fred decides to do it. With Willy's help in the sleigh (and elves back at the North Pole serving as mission control), Fred starts delivering presents around the world (including giving a puppy to Sam and telling him to care about others), but has to get back to the North Pole before sunrise; otherwise, Christmas will be permanently shut down. Halfway through the night, Clyde pulls the electricity at the workshop so that the elves can no longer give directions to Fred and Willy. While they try to finish delivering the gifts, Nick goes to talk to Clyde, finally realizing why he was holding such a grudge. It turns out that as a child, Clyde had always wanted a Superman cape, but had been on the naughty list. Nick gives Clyde the cape he had always wanted, ending the grudge between the two. Clyde tries to turn the electricity back on, but it still won't work, leaving Fred and Willy on their own, sightless in the sky.
The next morning, the elves wait nervously at Frosty's Tavern, assuming the worst. Willy and Fred return, successful in their efforts. Willy, with renewed confidence, goes to kiss Charlene, who finally remembers his name and returns the sentiment. With Christmas saved, Fred returns to Wanda's house, but she is still furious with him. However, Fred feels renewed hope when he learns she never met the other guy for dinner, and gives her a present - a teddy bear holding a French flag. Fred and Wanda get back together, and use the sleigh to travel to Paris and see the Eiffel Tower. Clyde now works at the North Pole as a consultant, and helps the elves to meet quota without problems. Finally, we see Fred and Wanda meeting with Nick, Mrs. Claus, and Mother and Father Claus for dinner, showing that they've reconciled as a family. In the last shot, we see Chirp-Chirp landing on the birdhouse right outside.
Songs[]
Soundtrack album track listing[]
- "Jingle Bells" - The Singing Dogs
- "Santa Claus is Back in Town" - Elvis Presley
- "Sleigh Ride" - The Ronettes
- "Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)" - Doris Day
- "They Must Have Been A Good Way" - Christophe Beck
- "I Want You For Christmas" - Russ Morgan and His Orchestra
- "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town"
- "Christmas Wrapping" - The Waitresses
- "Silent Night"
- "Auld Lang Syne" - Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians
- "Somewhere Over The Rainbow/What A Wonderful World"
- "The First Noel" - Leigh Nash
- "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" - Mark Turk with Matter Music, and Gaby Moreno
- "Suite From Fred Claus" - Christophe Beck
Cast[]
Actor/actress | Character(s) |
---|---|
Vince Vaughn | Frederick "Fred" Claus |
Paul Giamatti | Nick 'Santa' Claus |
John Michael Higgins Jorge Rodero (movements) |
Willie |
Miranda Richardson | Annette Claus |
Rachel Weisz | Wanda Blinkowski |
Kathy Bates | Mother Claus |
Trevor Peacock | Papa Claus |
Chris "Ludacris" Bridges Michael Mbhele (movements) |
DJ Donnie |
Elizabeth Banks | Charlene |
Jeremy Swift | Bob Elf |
Elizabeth Berrington | Linda Elf |
Kevin Spacey | Clyde |
Rio Hackford | Leon |
Bobb'e J. Thompson | Samuel 'Slam' Gibbons |
Allan Corduner | Dr. Goldfarb |
Jordon Hull (Age 6) Liam James (Age 12 |
Young Fred |
Theo Stevenson | Young Nick Age 6 |
Allison Sparrow | Girl with plasma TV |
Fred Zimmerman | Caroler |
Peter McCabe | Scary thug |
Jonathan Cullen | Guard |
Wesley Chu | Bonsai Chef |
Claudia Michelle Wallace Guy Massey |
Child Services agents |
Gabriel Pimentel Head Hassan Chikhaoui Vitalie Babara |
Secret Service elves |
Morgane Monjauze | Molly Gordon |
Caden Niewolny | Timmy Jackson |
Angela Curran | Old woman elf |
Celia Henebury | Girl elf |
Justin McEwen Tyler Kelley Dylan Minnette |
Orphanage kids |
Anne White | Midwife |
Patrick Zielinski | Cab Driver |
William Dick | Group Leader |
Frank Stallone | |
Roger Clinton | |
Stephen Baldwin | |
Jean-Yves Thual | Mission Control elf |
Burn Gorman Orlando Seale Charlie Condou Tamara Aranovskaya Natalia Avraimova Irina Cheplyshkina Shamil Galeev Afiya Izmailova Anton Khardarkevich Zinaida Khardarkevich Viktor Kharur Zinaida Kharuk Tatyana Tatiana Lakhmytkina Valentina Vano Miranyan Nadezda Miranova Tetyana Moskalenko Andriy Nagiyen Firaya Nutfullia Alexander Pavlov Tatiana Pavlova Antanina Satsura Nadiia Shchava Svetlana Shishkevich Galina Shurygina Irina Skripnichenko Nina Sorokoletova Victor Sovpenets Veronika Starostina Inna Sushkova Mykola Yevdokymov Alxsey Zalatin |
Elves |
Melody Hollis | Timmy Jackson's Sister |
Mike Bacarella | Wanda's Neighbor |
Bert Matias | Eskimo |
Rusty Goffe | Elf Frosty the Barman |
Pete Bonner | Bonner Elf |
Don Goodman Ramona Giambalvo Christ Kopoulos Jeannette Francis Patrick Morris |
Money Donors |
Douglas Colber Debra Congram Deanna Edgerson Robert H. Frenier Johanna K. Hauki Beth Kondrat Erich K. Kurschat Anthony D. Potempa Paul E. Reineck Julie Simms |
Singers |
Tracy M. Snell (Mother) Antinko Zanjelo Waddell (Father) Kiara Allyce Greene (Sister |
Slam's Adoptive Family |
Uncredited | |
Jason Abustan Tommy Bartlett Michael Cook Giota Trakas |
Upscale shoppers |
Alexander Almaguer | Boy |
Lillian Almaguer | Girl |
Amy Amir | Muslim Woman |
Darlene Benigno Chad Meyer |
Chicagoians |
Blayne Bennett | Happy Elf |
John Biemeret | Repo Man |
Suzy Brack Megan Renee Burgess Christopher James Casper Evyenia Constantine Jessica Doyle Libby Pedersen George Wood Joshua Zumhagen |
Shoppers |
Leo McHugh Carroll | Giggling boy |
Julia Copeland Thomas Kosik Tim Krueger |
Christmas shoppers |
Ethan Cutkosky | Carl |
Rock De Augustine | Upscale Michigan Avenue Shopper |
Jay Disney Nick Ferrin Marc Radz |
Businessmen |
Nick Doetsch | Celebrity sibling |
Mark Falvo Amit Shah |
Starbucks Customers |
Ian Houghton | Clyde Northcutt |
Shelby Howe | Toy Store Patron |
Joseph Lazicki | Sibling Member |
Rob Lok | Knife Juggler |
Noelle Lynn | Holiday shopper |
Joseph Mazurk | Background Santa |
Abi McKenzie | Kid waiting to see Santa |
Jeffrey Dean Morgan | Older man who gets parking ticket |
Isabella Murad | Kid in toy store #3 |
William Nero Jr. | Child in line |
Ernest Pierce | Stockbroker |
Kevin Pitcairn | Navy officer |
Christopher Popio | Cab driver |
Michelle Shields | Mall Shopper |
Spo | Shopping Family of Four |
Ashland Thomas | Pizza restaurant patron |
Phillip Tolley | Elf 39 |
Adrian Turika | Frat Boy |
Max Zuppa | Kid #1 |
External links[]
- Official website
- Fred Claus at the Internet Movie Database
- Fred Claus at TV Tropes
- Fred Claus at Rotten Tomatoes
- title on Letterboxd
- Fred Claus at RetroJunk.com
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