Vince Vaughn is enormously enjoyable as the titular Fred Claus; disgruntled older brother of the better-known St. Nicholas himself; i.e.; the North Pole’s very own Santa (Paul Giamatti). A garrulous hustler running from the emotional fallout of the ultimate sibling rivalry; poor Fred keeps trying to find happiness through one failed scheme after another; pushing away the people who care about him most. When brother Santa puts the squeeze on him to help out in the toy factory atop the world; Fred turns the place into one big; raucous party. Unfortunately; he’s unaware that Santa and Mrs. Claus (Miranda Richardson) are under tight scrutiny from an oversight committee (represented by a calculating Kevin Spacey) and could be shut down. The film; directed by David Dobkin (Wedding Crashers); gleams and twinkles the way a holiday movie should; and has plenty of fun material for youngsters; including a wacky chase scene in which Fred goes on the run from a half-dozen; angry Salvation Army Santas. But Fred Claus is also supposed to appeal to hip adults with a taste for ironic farce; and on that score the movie feels like a succession of Saturday Night Live skits more than an organic whole. Still; Vaughn holds everything together with a smart; insightful performance that looks deep into his character’s torment--with more than a few laughs. --Tom Keogh