Fred Claus (2007)

What do you get when you take the director of Wedding Crashers, the writers of Disney's Cars and I Am Sam and throw in 5 Oscar nominated (and 3 winning) actors??? A VERY ambitious Christmas movie that never seems to stay on track, but it doesn't fall off of it either.

Vince Vaughn does his best Vince Vaughn impersonation throughout the film as Fred, the older jaded brother of Santa, whose financial troubles force him to re-connect with his Yuletide family.

The film plays more like a dysfunctional family comedy than a straight Christmas film, but it has enough heartwarming scenes to overcome its silly shortcomings (the zany sound effects throughout were a bit overkill)

While this might not ever be on anyone's "All Time Best Christmas Film" list, it's charm, acting talent and alluring set designs should keep it relevant each Holiday Season.

Enjoy!