Fred Claus

As holiday movies go, this is one of them. It is not great, but it is not terrible either. There are some fun scenes, and some funny moments, but with so many other great holiday movies out there, this one should be down the list for your family to watch.

Vince Vaughn plays the title role which is pretty much the same character he plays in every other movie. If you like it, you'll love this movie. If not, you may want to skip this movie. There are no other performances here that I can recommend. This is sad too because some great names signed up.

Paul Giamatti is less than saintly as Santa. Miranda Richardson is almost painful to watch as Mrs. Santa. Kathy Bates made me cringe as Santa's Mom. And Kevin Spacey can play bad guys, but is not very convincing here as an efficiency expert sent to shut down the North Pole operations.

There is one scene that I really enjoyed in the middle of the movie. With Elvis's "Rubbernecking" as a soundtrack Fred Claus gets the elf workforce to loosen up and have a little fun. For me, this was the best part of the movie. You may enjoy other parts however.

Watch this movie with one of your siblings.

You Don't Mess With The Zohan

This movie was not supposed to be any good. This movie was supposed to be one predictable gag or prat fall after another. In fact, in my opinion, it was much better than that. The salon scene alone is worth the watch all by itself. But, if you can handle the heavy-handed satire and tongue-in-cheek racism it's a pretty fun ride.

Also well worth the watch is all the surprise appearances from people you know but may not recognize. Adam Sandler of course plays the title role, and goes so far over the top with it he actually makes it work.

Other names you may recognize with out catching their faces include: John Turturro, Rob Schneider, even the musician Dave Matthews. Other SNL alums you may know are Kevin Nealon and Robert Smigel the cartoon guy. Mariah Carey, John McEnroe, and George Takei of Star Trek fame, and Paul "Mitchell" of the hair products fame, all play themselves believe it or not, and one of them takes their top off. Chris Rock and Kevin James also have scenes. Way too much fun.

If you are a fan of James Bond, please don't let this movie offend you. If you are Israeli or Palestinian, gay or old, the same goes for you too. And if you are still very much into disco I'm pretty sure you should be offended.

Watch this movie with someone who has a strong stomach.