FRED CLAUS
US, 2007, 116 minutes, Colour.
Vince Vaughn, Paul Giamatti, Kevin Spacey, John Michael Higgins, Miranda Richardson, Rachel Weisz, Kathy Bates, Trevor Peacock, Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridge, Elizabeth Banks.
Directed by David Dobkin.
If you’re crochety, especially about cheerful films set at Christmas, then you will probably imitate Ebenezer Scrooge and mutter, ‘Bah humbug’ – and be advised to watch something else.
On the other hand, if you are a Christmas movie junkie and, if you enjoyed Elf, then go ahead and indulge.
Apparently, her eight year old asked writer-producer, Jessie Nelson, whether Santa had any brothers or sisters. That sparked an idea… what if there were sibling rivalry between Nicholas and his older brother, Fred? And Fred Claus is what happens when writers have these kinds of ideas.
Kathy Bates is Mrs Claus who dotes on her younger big fat baby, Nicholas. Mr Claus will be a nice surprise for Vicar of Dibley fans because he is Trevor Peacock (who does not get the opportunity to say, ‘No, no, no, no, no… yes’!). When the children grow up after an edgy childhood with Nicholas so nice and generous, Fred storms away to modern Chicago where he is something of a con man, even with his fiancée, Rachel Weisz. Vince Vaughn enjoys himself as Fred. Paul Giamatti is a fine Nicholas, with Miranda Richardson as his wife.
Fred gets himself into financial trouble and gets in touch with Nicholas for a loan, but has to go to the North Pole to work to earn the money. Things are more than a bit iffy at the North Pole with all the orders to fill and the elves flat out at the assembly lines. What is worse, a time-efficiency expert is inspecting in order to shut the North Pole down and outsource the production of presents. He is played by Kevin Spacey with the appropriate air of supercilious disdain.
When Fred and Nicholas have a snow fight, Santa’s back is put out, the expert closes production and…, well, you will just have to see what happens. Will it spoil the film to say that the ending is not sad?!
This is a different angle on Christmas stories and is undemandingly pleasant. (For film buffs, there is a marvelous segment where Fred goes to a meeting of Siblings Anonymous and has to listen to the woes of the real Frank Stallone bemoaning the pressure of Rocky, its sequels and Rambo, of Roger Clinton having to deal with his brother the president and Stephen Baldwin trying to deal with rage and projecting his antagonisms towards Alec on to the members of the group. One hopes that Sylvester, Bill and Alec enjoy the spoof as much as we do.)
1.An entertaining Christmas film? For the family, adults, children? US market?
2.The re-creation of the North Pole, the city, the factory, the ordinary aspects, difference? Picturesque? The contrast with contemporary Chicago and its ordinariness, streets and apartments, restaurants?
3.The musical score, the use of Christmas songs?
4.The background of St Nicholas as Santa Claus, secularising the story, the Claus family, Nick as a secular saint?
5.Mr and Mrs Claus, their characters, their life, Mrs Claus and her love for her sons, Fred as the older, Nick as the younger, the difficult birth? Fred taken for granted? Nick as big, as the baby, saying ‘Ho ho’? The boys growing up? The clashes with Fred and Nick? The trouble, the bird and the tree, Nick saying he was sorry?
6.Fred and his running away, going to the contemporary Chicago, his life, distance from the Pole, as a conman, the loans, his inability to pay back, trying to borrow, gamble, the creditors, the deadlines? His relationship with Wanda? Her work, his forgetting her birthday, promising the outing, the Chinese restaurant, the Asian sports? His being a loser?
7.Fred and his gambling, aggressive, in jail, calling Wanda, calling Nick? The possibility of borrowing money, the deadline?
8.Willie and his being an elf, his meeting Fred with the sleigh, the ride, the arrival, meeting the family again, the elves, the room – and the tall Fred having to be in an elf room? His mother, the meal, the criticism, Nick and his always being nice, Nick’s wife Annette, her hard aspects? Fred and his anger?
9.Fred and his job, the good elf, trying to be nice, the letters, the stories, evoking his own memories, the background of the African American boy in Chicago and helping him, the orphanage? The teasing, the boast – and the boy wanting a gift from Santa Claus, secret from the others? His letter? Fred thinking everybody was nice – approving every request, the repercussions?
10.Willie and the work, everybody after work, Charlene and her being tall, name, the assembly line, the impossibility of the production? The elves, the speeches, the shutdown? The return to work?
11.Clyde Northcut and his visit, exasperation, time and efficiency? His wanting to close down the whole procedure?
12.Nick in himself, nice, fun, his relationship with his wife, the clashes because of his generosity, the fight with Fred, the injury and his not being able to deliver the presents?
13.Fred, his decision to go instead, with Willie, the map, the power, the chimneys, having to eat the food, drink the milk, the various families visited, the orphan boy, making everybody happy?
14.Clyde Northcut, his change of heart, his memories of his childhood, his beginning to fit into the whole North Pole life? All well at the North Pole – and everybody reconciled?
