Fred Clause (Vince Vaughan, Paul Giamatti, Kevin Spacey, Rachel Weisz, Elizabeth Banks, Kathy Bates, John Michael Higgins, Miranda Richardson, Ludacris) – The co-stars of this Christmas flick have been nominated or won Academy Awards for nine movies. Match the stars with the movies (some have won or been nominated for more than one and some have never been nominated):
- Elizabeth Banks A. About Schmidt
- Cathy Bates B. American Beauty
- Paul Giamatti C. Cinderella Man
- John Michael Higgins D. The Constant Gardener
- Ludacris E. Damage
- Miranda Richardson F. Misery
- Kevin Spacey G. Primary Colors
- Rachel Weisz H. Tom and Viv
- Vince Vaughan I. The Usual Suspects
So why are all these people in this Christmas movie? Is this star overkill? With all these stars, this must be the greatest Christmas movie since It’s a Wonderful Life, right? Ah, not exactly. For the first hour, this is a pretty bad movie and a really bad Christmas movie. That all changes in one scene in a way I have never seen a movie so turn around. The plot is obvious: two brothers grow up in old England with the young one being revered for his generosity and the older one never living up to his brother. Nick, the baby, becomes a saint and is hailed as Santa Clause; the other, Fred, becomes as re-po man with almost no contact with his estranged family. The set-up is contrived, of course, but it’s all too adult, too complicated, and too long. The movie finally finds its pace, its heart and its holiday spirit when Fred goes into an encounter group for under-achieving siblings, including Frank Stallone, Roger Clinton, and Stephen Baldwin. That scene is hilarious, makes the audience laugh for the first time, and awakens the film. The rest makes a fun, touching, and well-orchestrated holiday flick. The special effects are first-rate, and Vince Vaughan again proves how his casual style sounds ad-libbed and sincere. Vaughan is a fast-talker who dominates the screen while Giamatti as Old St. Nick is surprisingly human and truly good. The kids will be totally bored for the first hour so, unless they can wait it out, they won’t like it. But if their attention span is good, they … and you … will walk away happy.