Meet my brother, Santa Claus
Christmas is on its way and the first of the holiday movies are already on the big screen. This year, it’s not just Santa getting the silver screen treatment, his brother Fred is getting in on the action too. Full of slap-stick comedy and gags, tiny elves, and sibling rivalry, there is something in Fred Claus for everyone.
Fred Claus (Vince Vaughn) is the black sheep of the family, and is tired of living in his younger brother’s very large shadow. Fred is quite resentful towards his saintly brother Nicholas, who is best known as Santa Claus (Paul Giamaitti). Nicholas grew up as a model son, always giving to the poor and helping others. His brother Fred, on the other hand was the polar opposite. Now all grown up, Fred is a repo-man who tends to steal the items that he repossesses. His behavior gets the best of him and Fred finds himself in jail. His only option is to call his brother.
Against Mrs. Claus’ (Miranda Richardson) strong protests, Nicholas agrees to help his brother- he is a saint, after all. There is, however, one condition — Fred must go to the North Pole and work in the toy shop with all of the elves to earn the money he needs. Fred is not exactly your typical elf. Besides the obvious size difference, Fred also has a very different attitude than the elves around him. Christmas is getting closer and closer, and if something does not change between the two bickering brothers, the happy holiday could be ruined for everyone.
The movie focuses on the theme of sibling rivalry and jealousy. Rivalries can build and build until they hit a breaking point. In the case of the movie, the brothers’ resentment could wind up affecting the entire world. Not everyone’s rivalry is that detrimental, but it sure can feel like it. In my own family, there is tension on my father’s side. No one ever talks about it, but it is there. There are certain aunts and uncles that I see yearly, and others I have not seen in years.
Have sibling rivalries ever gotten in the way of your family Christmas festivities? How did you resolve the problem?
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For my family it wasn’t sibling rivalries, it was more on the part of my step-grandmother and her need for constant attention and complete respect that was not warranted. Every Christmas there was dread when she was coming over until we decided that it wasn’t worth the heartache. We haven’t seen her for a couple of years. I’ve have learned that you can forgive someone but that doesn’t mean they have to be back in your life, sometimes its the best for everyone to stay away.