MPAA Rating: PG, for mild language and some rude humor
Genre: Comedy/Family/Christmas
Age range: Ages 10 and up
Runtime: Approx. 116 minutes
Starring: Vince Vaughn, Paul Giamatti, Miranda Richardson, Elizabeth Banks, John Michael Higgins, Rachel Weisz, Kathy Bates, Kevin Spacey
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
Release Date: November 9, 2007
Fred Claus - Summary
You've heard of St. Nick, but have you ever heard of his not so saintly brother, Fred? From the minute he was born, Nick Claus was the apple of his mother's eye. Fred tried to be a good kid and a great brother, but Nick was always the shining star in the family. Soon, resentment set in. Years later, we see that Nick has become Santa Claus and Fred is a repo guy.
Positive that his latest business idea will win him the respect that he deserves, Fred begrudgingly leaves his girlfriend behind and travels to the North Pole in order to work for little brother and obtain the $50,000 he needs to start his venture. Little does Fred know, the board is in the process of reviewing Santa's efficiency, and Santa's workshop is in danger of being shut down. So, when Fred's half-hearted efforts and disruptive behavior are magnified by the ill-intentiond efficiency inspector, things start to look bad for the whole Claus family.
Despite the way things look, Fred actually does care about Santa, and he is genuinely trying to help in his own way. The question is, can he help save Christmas and show Santa that naughty children, even those who are all grown up, are not always what they seem?
Fred Claus - Review
Nothing says Christmas like a good story about the real life of Santa Claus, or in this case, Santa's brother. Scenes of a brightly colored and exciting North Pole, Christmas themes, and Santa's elves will attract the attention of kids of all ages. However, the storyline and comedic elements in Fred Claus are generally geared toward adults.
Like many other stories about Santa's life at the North Pole, Fred Claus contains an important theme about family and priorities. But, as the brothers are grown up adults, the lessons learned are also more mature. Many of the jokes and themes in the show are simply over kids' heads. In addition, the only child main character in the movie is a kid who gets removed from an unfit home by CPS.
The movie contains some language and comedic violence (things like an angry snowball fight, a "naughty" child hitting things with a bat, and some ninja elves), and heavy thematic elements. The movie also contains some innuendo and many examples of bad behavior. For more specific examples of possibly offensive content, see the content overview below (may contain spoilers).
Fred Claus - Content Overview
The following lists a few of the most prominent examples of possibly offensive content in the movie (may contain spoilers):Violence (Medium)
- A group of charity collecting Santas chase an imposter Santa and a fight insues, with some Santas being hit, pushed, etc. No gore is shown.
- A boy goes into his sister's room with a toy bat, breaks several things, and hits her with it. (It does not appear to hurt her.)
- Two men have a snowball fight and one angrily goes after the other on a snow machine.
Sex/Nudity (Medium)
- Santa's little helper is a woman dressed in a very sexy looking santa type outfit.
- Fred gives an elf dancing lessons, and several comments made are full of innuendo.
- A woman and a man kiss.
Profanity (Medium)
- The words "hell," "damn," and "crap" are used.
Alcohol/Drugs (Medium)
- The elves appear to frequent a bar. They drink eggnog, but in one scene an elf says, "Make it a double."
Bad/Disrespectful Behavior (High)
- A boy hits another boy in the head with an apple.
- A man pretends to collect money for charity, but it is actually for himself.
- Some characters bicker and argue, calling each other names and trading mild insults.
Scary Scenes (Low)
- Some children may be concerned about the fact that Santa's workshop may be shut down and Christmas cancelled.
Sad/Unsettling Scenes (Medium)
- Many different instances of sibling rivalry are shown. Fred feels badly about the fact that his mother favors Nick.
- A family intervention occurs, and family members hurtfully accuse each other of various things and fight.
Fred Claus - Topics to Talk About
- Children may have questions about topics such as immortality, sibling rivalry, parental favoritism, CPS, naughty versus nice children, and a woman and an elf falling in love.
- The movie brings out a strong point that people's behavior is sometimes triggered by different experiences in their lives. Are these adults and children still responsible for their own behavior? What is the responsibility of those who know and care for them?
