Having repeatedly seen the previews, I greatly feared that Fred Claus would be an insipid retread of last year's regrettable Santa Clause 3. Thus, while it is clearly faint praise, I must say that I was mildly surprised. While it is odorless, colorless and entirely predictable, it did rally around the talents of Vince Vaughn and Paul Giamatti enough to be classified as semi-engaging.

Vaughn plays the alienated brother of Santa Claus (Giammatti), which allows him to play the character he does best, namely the fast-talking, lovable degenerate. He is dishonest enough to try and raise money at Christmas time while posing for a fake charity, and yet likable enough to inspire the affections of Rachel Weisz. (Who, by the way, has to be the only stunningly beautiful British born meter-maid in the United States!) I would love to know what motivated her to waste her incredible talents (remember her Oscar for The Constant Gardner) to take this lamentable role.

In any event, for reasons that are unimportant, Vaughn finds himself at the North Pole with his jovial brother. As expected, he proceeds to nearly destroy Santa's operation much like Martin Short did in the astonishingly bad Tim Allen Santa film of last year. While the sets of these two movies are nearly identical, it is Vaughn's innate likeability that separates the two movies and allows this one to salvage some genuine fun and warmth.

Furthermore, Kevin Spacey, another former Oscar winner (American Beauty), recreates his hammy Lex Luther personality which served last year's Superman so well. Here, however, he is just a one-note villain as an efficiency expert bent on closing Santa down.

Another former Oscar winner, Kathy Bates (Misery) is wasted in the tragically ill written role as the two Claus boys' mother. The only possible reason that I can fathom why three Oscar winners would join forces to participate in this mediocre but inoffensive holiday offering is the apparent desire of many actors to try and star in a film that becomes a holiday staple. Sorry to inform you guys, but your film is not a threat to knock It's a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Story or The Polar Express out of the Christmas catbird seat.

One final note that tremendously puzzled me. Elizabeth Banks, who played the only non-elf helper of Santa at the North Pole, mysteriously appears in an outfit that a hooker might wear to an office Christmas party, cleavage and all. The sight was as out of place in this film as it was hysterically juvenile, and you are left with the feeling that it was inserted solely for the purpose to give the teenage male fans of Vaughn something to ogle. Ho! Ho! Ho!