Movie Notes: Four Christmases

December 23rd, 2008

= 3 stars

Starring Reese Witherspoon, Vince Vaughn
Directed by Seth Gordon

Synopsis

Non-committed, San Francisco professionals Brad (Vince Vaughn) and Kate (Reese Witherspoon) are forced, against their will, to spend the holidays with their dysfunctional families.

The Good

• The Meet The Fockers / About Schmidt type plot plus dorktastic characters results in stupid situations so contrived, I laughed out loud more than I should have. Semi-professional cage-fighting brothers, cooking with spam, a ten dollar spending cap, trapped in a jumpy house, baby vomit, and a masterfully played game of Taboo over chicken wings and Ricardo Montalban. Vaughn’s wayward imaginings provide a top layer of Doritos.
• None of the old actors get naked.

The Bad

• Basically zero chemistry between Vaughn and Witherspoon. He’s twice her size and continually trolling for laughs, while she often resembles a deer caught in the headlights in numerous, unflattering reaction shots. The way they embody Joseph and Mary at a Christmas play sums up the whole affair, with Vaughn nearly bursting out of his loin cloth via pelvic gyrations to a cheering crowd as Witherspoon hides meekly beneath a head-dress. I don’t think this type of comedy suits her.
• A nearly unbearable roster of old actors: Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Mary Steenburgen, and the obligatory Jon Voight. I think we have all of Nicolas Cage’s relatives for the next National Treasure movie.
• The expected, obligatory, heart-tugging holiday message never arrives.

Conclusion

I found Four Christmases extremely dumb, but embarrassingly funny. For maximum enjoyment, lower your expectations, wait for the video — and definitely don’t watch it around the holidays.

IMDB: Four Christmases
Wikipedia: Four Christmases
Rotten Tomatoes: Four Christmases