Warner Bros. Pictures, Silver Pictures, David Dobkin Productions
Vince Vaughn, Paul Giamatti, Miranda Richardson, Kevin Spacey, Kathy Bates, Elizabeth Banks, Ludacris, Rachel Weisz, John Michael Higgins
Nicholas Claus (Paul Giamatti) had an older brother Fred (Vince Vaughn). Now Fred was happy to have a little brother, but unfortunately Nick was perfect and Fred just couldn’t keep up with him. Then when they made little Nick a saint, it was more then Fred could handle. So he went off on his own, shunning the family business and basically hating everything that had to do with Christmas. But one of Fred’s scams gets him in serious trouble, and he needs to humble himself to ask little brother for a loan, but Nick only will give him the money if he comes up and earns it by working at the North Pole for a few weeks. Of course he’s going to try to win him over, much to the chagrin of everyone else including Mrs. Claus. But there’s more going on as well. In an attempt to help Santa, and miserable old guy named Clyde is trying to close down the North Pole for good, and he’s trying to use Fred to sabotage Santa. Can Santa and Fred come together and learn enough from each other to save the workshop?
This is one of my favorite fairly recent Christmas films. It was missed by many people because it appeared to be too silly, but it’s really got a lot of heart. I loved Paul Giamatti as Santa. He really did a great job of playing the jolly old elf. Also, Kevin Spacey was really good. If there is a weak link, it’s probably Vince Vaughn, as he has a one dimensional character for sure. He’s pretty much played the same guy in every movie he’s been in, but in this one it kinda works. He’s a decent guy who just has never been able to compete with his stunning little brother. We can feel his pain. With other actors such as Miranda Richardson, Rachel Wisz, Kathy bates, and Ludicris, how can you go wrong? (Ludicris is really hysterical as DJ Donnie, rock master of the elves workshop)
I really enjoyed this film when I originally saw it in the theater way back in 2007, and it was nice to watch it again. I really enjoyed it.
EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog
