Wiggly Socks Movie Reviews

By Linda Winsh-Bolard

Centuries ago a baby was born to a happy couple in Black forest, Mr. and Mrs. Claus. The new baby was named Nicolas and already had an older brother Fred, who wanted to be the best brother anyone ever had.

Alas, it is hard to be the best brother of saints. Particularly, if the saints are immortal. Somehow not only the grown Nicholas became an official saint, but his sainthood froze him and his family members in time (this thankfully is not the usual occurrence. According to the Catholic Church there are 10,000 of saints but they all live in heaven). The paths divided between the saintly Nicholas and the black sheep Fred.

Years go by, until Fred wants to open an off track betting office across from Chicago Mercantile Exchange (one of the better jokes) and since his repossessing job does not provide the needed funds, he attempts to cheat some extra money from charitable citizens around Christmas. Chased by a growing number of Santas, he ends up in jail. Fred calls the girl he loves, the meter maid Wanda (Rachel Weisz), but she’s already left for the restaurant where he was supposed to treat her for her birthday. So, he calls his brother.

Nicholas has his own problems: production is down but demand is up. Children are getting greedy. The “board” sent in an efficiency controller Clyde (Kevin Spacey), who is looking for faults, and his wife Annette (Miranda Richardson) can’t stand Fred.

The tail of the transaction is Fred in high-powered sleigh going to North Pole to work out the loan. Somewhere among the production debacles, bickering family members, nearly lost Christmas and supporting group for siblings of the famous, Fred finds himself.

There are scenes so clearly shot to be funny that it takes strain on them; say the one when the security elves attack and check Fred. Or the short beds. Or Charlene the helper, with cleavage of Vegas quality and the short elf in love. By comparison the brothers of the famous men sharing their grippe in a therapy group, is not that bad. It is based on the famous Alcoholic Anonymous, and sharing with Fred, forever overshadowed by Nicholas, are Roger Clinton, Frank Stallone and Stephen Baldwin. I must have missed Eric Robertson.

The combination of digitally shrank people with small actors did not quite work out, Bates, Richardson and Weisz seem as lost in their roles as Giamatti is in the Santa’s huge costume and even Kevin Spacey is given very little to play with.

It is got a long meandering middle that should have been cut out mercilessly. It’s got no action surprises. Fred is bad, hates the world, his Mom did not like him, his girlfriend is giving up on him, his get-rich –fast schemes did not work out, Santa is un-merry, worried old man with equally strained wife, but remains saintly which dulls the point, if there is any. And as Christmas is still celebrated, we all know it will all get sorted out.

As for this being a family film, it takes two hours and such film put strain on both, the parents and the social equipment of movie theaters.

Vince Vaughn, Paul Giamatti, Miranda Richardson, Rachel Weisz, Kathy Bates, Trevor Peacock, Kevin Spacey, John Michael Higgins, Elizabeth Banks.
Directed by David Dobkin, scéná?: Camera: Remi Adefarasin, Dan Fogelman's screenplay.