FRED CLAUS **½

Directed by David Dobkin, this holiday family film stars Paul Giamatti, Vince Vaughn, and Kevin Spacey in the main roles. Rated PG for mild language and some rude humor, it is one hour and fifty-six minutes long.

The basic story is that Fred Claus (Vaughn) has always been in the shadow of his perfect younger brother (Giamatti), and as a consequence turned to a life of crime. When he's thrown in jail, Santa agrees to bail him out if he'll come to the North Pole and help with the seasonal rush. While he's there, an efficiency expert (Spacey) is also lurking, threatening to close the whole operation down.

The acting and production values are fine but, oh, is this a formula plot. Absolutely nothing happens that isn't completely predictable. Still, there is the occasional laugh and small children should be entertained. This is in the same league as the Tim Allen Santa pics. It's never going to be on the "classic" list and you'll be just as happy renting the DVD when it's available.