FRED CLAUS
RYAN: Happy Christmas in November! We just saw “Fred Claus.”
CAROLINE: I am so pleased by how much I loved this movie. Because of its PG rating, I was expecting it to be more of a kids’ movie, which it is. But the jokes are great for adults too.
RYAN: Well, it is directed by the guy who did “Wedding Crashers,” and it stars Vince Vaughn.
CAROLINE: Yes, but it’s all very PG in that there’s no profanity and there are family friendly themes. But it’s definitely the kind of film that transcends age boundaries so everyone can enjoy it.
RYAN: It has a very sentimental and sweet ending and I was thinking, “This is the kind of film I could watch annually at Christmastime.”
CAROLINE: It was totally heartwarming, but I also laughed a ton. Paul Giamatti plays Santa and Vince Vaughn is his coarse, underachieving older brother. It starts off kind of like a fairy tale but then it becomes more modern. It’s definitely sentimental and I could see how someone might find it too gooey, but I so didn’t. I just loved it.
RYAN: Please, it’s a Christmas movie! There’s no such thing as too gooey for this genre. The cheese factor is there, but I totally got behind it. And the supporting cast is great: it’s got Rita Skeeter from “Harry Potter 
and the Goblet of Fire,” a.k.a. Miranda Richardson, Academy Award winner Kathy Bates as Mother Claus, the always adorable Elizabeth Banks who’s on “Scrubs” and then also Kevin Spacey.
CAROLINE: I had no clue he was in this movie. That was a pleasant surprise for me.
RYAN: He has a really sinister role, which he’s great at. Oscar winner Rachel Weisz is also there.
CAROLINE: My only beef is that I’m unclear as to why this movie is coming out so early in November. I’m not really feeling the Christmas spirit yet. As I was watching and loving every minute of it, I was thinking, “I wish it was just a touch closer to Christmas right now.” Maybe I’ll go see it again in December.
RYAN: Well, LBH, in America Christmas starts the day after Halloween. If you walk into any Walgreen’s, you will see the ornaments on display already.
CAROLINE: I hear you. I’m just saying that I’m not quite feeling the Christmas yet; but this movie is a great way to start getting into it. Bottom line?
RYAN: It’s a perfect film for the holidays. We’ll see how it opens at the box office and if the early opening date affects the film. But it’ll probably hang on through the Xmas and build in box office as it creeps up on us.
CAROLINE: The crowd who loved Vince Vaughn in “Wedding Crashers” should know that this is a very different kind of movie. But it’s still hilarious, totally worth seeing and fun for the whole family.