Release Date: 30th November
Running Time: 1hr 54mins

Starring
Vince Vaughn ...  Fred Claus
Paul Giamatti ...  Nick 'Santa' Claus
John Michael Higgins ...  Willie
Miranda Richardson ...  Annette Claus
Rachel Weisz ...  Wanda
Kathy Bates ...  Mother Claus
Trevor Peacock ...  Papa Claus
Kevin Spacey ...  Clyde Northcut

Fred (Vince Vaughn) hates Christmas - especially Santa Claus (Paul Giamatti). But he's no Scrooge, it's just a serious case of sibling rivalry. Because, no matter how hard he's tried over the years, poor Fred Claus has never quite managed to emerge from the shadow of his little brother Nicky. In fact, the two barely speak! But when Fred finds himself in urgent need of money, he turns to the most generous person he knows for help - and finds himself temping in the North Pole with a three foot tall room-mate for company! Meanwhile, his stressed-out little brother has targets to meet, a sinister black-suited official to appease and a whole pile of missing letters to deal with, and Fred isn't making matters any easier.

Unlike the controversial Bad Santa of a coupe of years ago, Fred Claus is definitly a children's movie - with family values, wholesome messages and slapstick comedy a-plenty. And, as with most kids Christmas movies, there seem to be certain conventions that MUST be obeyed. World-weary cynic with a heart of gold? Check! A "free spirit wrecks havoc on orderly-but-boring situation" moment? Check! A "Christmas is in peril, only you can save it" storyline? Check! But to be fair, these conventions might seem hackneyed to older viewers but they're still new and exciting to movie's target audience, and they certainly managed to keep the kids entertained throughout the film's (surprisingly long) running time.

But there's plenty to keep older audience members happy too. The stellar cast of Oscar Winners (Kathy Bates, Kevin Spacey, Rachel Weisz), Oscar Nominees (Miranda Richardson,  Paul Giamatti) and - well - Vince Vaughn lift the movie above what could be a rather twee festive offering. Paul Giamatti's surprisingly soulful Santa provides some genuinely moving moments, and Kevin Spacey is suitably creepy as the nasty Clyde Northcut, sent to the North Pole by unnamed authorities to monitor, and potentially shut down, Santa's Christmas Factory! As for Fred, well, if you've seen any of Vince Vaughn's Frat Pack flicks before, chances are you've already met this lovable, irresponsible slacker. Still, Fred has his reasons for verging closer to naughty than nice, and Vaughn manages to work in enough pathos between the inevitable pratfalls to ensure we're kept rooting for him.

There's also some very clever dialogue and movie references designed to fly over the kids heads and hit the adults straight in the funny bone - such as the scene where Hollywood's latest Lex Luther dons a Superman cape - not to mention some surprising cameo appearances from the likes of Stallone, Baldwin and Clinton (though probably not the ones you're thinking of). And it helps that the entire cast look like they're having so much fun!

In fact, Fred Claus is a lot like Christmas itself - designed to make the kids happy, but with enough of the good stuff to make it great craic for grown-up's too (oh, and a handy anti-commericalism message you can trot out next time the kids demand and Xbox AND a Wii AND a pony)!