'Fred Claus': Smart, funny, heartwarming

"Fred Claus" is rated PG, but go ahead and bring all the kids. It's smart enough for you, funny enough for the kids, and family oriented enough for some quality domestic bonding over the holidays.

As is required by many holiday stories (think of Rudolph, the Easter Bunny, etc.), a basic suspension of reality and a willingness to 'just go with it' will allow the good feelings to wash over you.

In "Fred Claus," the first easy hurdle is that Fred's younger brother, Nick Claus, is just so darn good that he becomes a living saint. And as you all know, when someone becomes a saint, they and their family stop aging and live forever.

For Fred, as you can imagine, being the brother to Saint Nick has its issues -- especially when you yourself are definitely not a saint.

After setting the stage, the story quickly moves to current day Chicago, where Fred (Vince Vaughn) works as a repo man -- though his real goal is to get enough money to open an off-track betting parlor downtown. After a rather funny chase scene involving 30 or so Salvation Army Santa Claus's, Fred gets arrested and calls the one person in the world who is always there for him and will certainly bail him out ... his brother Nick (Paul Giamatti).

Nick will, as always, help him out again, but this time there's a condition. He and his elves are a little behind this year at the North Pole and could use Fred's help. If Fred will come up (he never visits!), Nick will even help with Fred's money troubles.

When the action moves to the North Pole Fred finds that having the last name of Claus means much more than he ever dreamed.

Vaughn has been getting criticism in the last year or so for playing the same character in all his films -- himself. But that's OK with me, and it's definitely OK with the kids; they guffawed at his slapstick and laughed in all the right places, even when they weren't sure what he meant. He's like that cool uncle who makes you laugh and treats you like any other adult.

Did some of the storyline lose the kids, yes (even the adults had a couple of issues. I, for one, want to know what corporation runs the North Pole and who's behind it. Then again, I want to know why in the world there's an Easter Bunny), but the colorful sets and broad action of Vaughn and Giamatti kept the kids glued to the screen.

Vaughn and Giamatti work very well together, and though they're known for much more adult films, this one will tug at your heartstrings. I say there ain't nothing wrong with a film that promotes families, cookies, puppies and a gift for every child.