FRED CLAUS

FRED CLAUS: Holiday movies are a nice racket for a comedian. Just ask Tim Allen, whose time spent in a fat suit has almost certainly paid for a comfortable retirement. But Vince Vaughn would seem an unlikely choice for kid-friendly entertainment. His fast-talking, obscenity-laced schtick would be more suitable for an anti­-Christmas movie like Bad Santa rather than a pull-the-heartstrings family classic. So Fred Claus tries to have it both ways. There’s no questionable material here; Vaughn reigns in his cynical streak just enough to ensure everything is kept under the PG limbo stick. But the actor only comes alive when he’s able to vent with his trademark enthusiasm, whether he’s on the run from an army of Salvation Army Santas or stuck in a sibling therapy session with other brothers from famous families (Roger Clinton delivers one hell on an inspiring monologue!). Unfortunately, the magical moments in Fred Claus are few and far between, bolstered by cartoon sound effects and some expensive but familiar looking set design. The story has Fred, Santa’s bitter and jealous older brother, helping out at the North Pole to make a quick buck, forced to face the sibling who always overshadowed him. Anyone with brothers and sisters can relate, but the whole thing seems a bit heavy for a kid’s film...like buying a copy of The Catcher in the Rye for a 1st grader. Warner’s Blu-ray is quite sparkly, from the packaging on down to the 25 minutes of deleted scenes, a digital copy of the film and an extra hi-def exclusive DVD game.