Something tells me that I am going to have an unpopular opinion of this movie. No, it is not life and death and no, in the long run it is not all that important. However, I have to say that Fred Claus is a good movie. No, it is not perfect. If there is one thing that this film has nothing to worry about, it's being perfect. It moves forward at a pretty good pace, effortlessly shifting tones, providing laughs for the kids, and a little more depth for the adults.

It should be said that this is coming from someone who had rather low expectations going in. Perhaps that is the key to why I liked it? I wonder if my expectations had been higher if my enjoyment level would have decreased in proportion to said expectations? Fred Claus is a movie that has plenty to go around, even though it does not have much in the way of new insight to offer.

Last year, when the teaser announced its impending arrival, I was immediately interested. The trailer features stars Vince Vaughn and Paul Giamatti sitting on a couch having a brotherly conversation about how Vince, as the titular Fred, never calls his mother or comes for visits. It was funny and seemed to promise the potential for a holiday classic. Months later, in late Summer/early Fall, the full trailer appeared and any hope and good will instilled by the teaser evaporated in the presence of secret service elves. The moment they appeared and tackled Vince, I became somewhat convinced that this was going to turn out to be an awful attempt at a family holiday flick.

Comparisons to Elf seem to be inevitable for this movie, although mentions of the The Santa Clause series are not out of the question. Fred Claus attempts to capture the aura of Elf and its fish out of water tale. It succeeds in getting the bright colored look right, however it fails to capture the unending sweetness of the 2003 film. In its place is a mish-mash of tone, ranging from the silly to the darkly dramatic, to flat out weird. At times it is a jarring mix with little transition, but in the end I find that it ultimately works, in an uneven sort of way.

The film begins in the past; at the time of the birth of Nicholas Claus, to be exact. His older brother, Fred, makes a promise to the heavyweight newborn that he will be the best big brother ever. Now we all know that promises cannot always be kept, and when they are made at such a critical point in the narrative it is almost assured to be broken. Anyway, Fred comes to resent his kid brother's big and giving heart, as much for the do-gooder attitude as for his mother's incessant request that he be more like his brother.

At this point it should be mentioned that the story, by Jessie Nelson and Dan Fogelman, adds a little bit to the idea of Saint-hood. It states that if one is made a saint, said person will live forever, as will his/her family. It is a conceit that has to be accepted if one is to believe that Santa and his relatives are still alive int he present day, in this story at least. It is a rather implausible bit, but I am willing to let it go by.