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Bookmark this pageFour Christmases (2008)
Director: Seth Gordon
Movie review
From Time Out London
Family plus Christmas equals nightmare. That seems to be the calculation guiding this festive frolic, in which Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon tell their respective folks they’re doing charity work so that they can avoid the usual get-together. Alas, their ruse is uncovered, so they end up visiting all four post-divorce enclaves in one fateful Christmas Day.Playing out a seasonal riff on the same comedy of embarrassment as ‘Meet the Parents’, Vaughn’s mean old coot of a pater Robert Duvall and wrestling-freak sibling Jon Favreau, along with Mary Steenburgen as Witherspoon’s lubricious yet church-happy mom, supply plentiful warning of the dangers of procreation. As we grind through the gears of consecutive drop-ins, however, behind the strained knockabout lurks a none-too-subtle conformist agenda, assuring the unmarried, childless couple that their only chance for genuine happiness is to get with the family programme.
‘Humbug!’, we say. Dismaying, indeed, that a movie purportedly selling itself on refreshing nay-saying scepticism should so cravenly succumb to the same old schmaltz, without the craft even to make the process seem anything other than a series of empty would-be ‘feelgood’ platitudes. Still, there are occasional felicities en route, with some ably delivered ‘trailer moment’ slapstick – watch out for that baby vomit! – and the cast do their best with the uneven material, even if Vaughn in particular makes the patter a tad too effortful. Nostalgic for some to have him and Favreau reunited here, yet seeing the ‘Swingers’ duo desperately mugging away in such mainstream mulch, their catchphrase ‘You’re so money’ takes on an awful new resonance.
Author: Trevor Johnston
Time Out London Issue 1997, November 29 – December 3, 2008
User reviews of this film
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- sophie said...
- Posted on Dec 19 2008 15:12 this is the best moovie i have ever saw
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- kaz said...
- Posted on Dec 19 2008 14:35 This has got to be one of the worst films I have ever ever seen and I see loads. Reese Witherspoon must be desperate to appear in this total garbage
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- clare said...
- Posted on Dec 19 2008 13:13 if ur eva havin trouble sleepin watch this film the only trouble is u might end up in a coma RUBBISH
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- Vikki said...
- Posted on Dec 18 2008 21:05 Went to watch this with my bro and we laughed throughout. Thought it was great, will go and see it again :)
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- Estelle said...
- Posted on Dec 17 2008 14:16 never seen this before but my mom wants to watch it so :):):):)
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- clare said...
- Posted on Dec 17 2008 12:00 we are going to see the flim tonight with our 4 children and will coment on it tomorrow,
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- Cathie said...
- Posted on Dec 17 2008 11:48 The film was OK. Bit predicable but a nice easy viewing.
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- Jess said...
- Posted on Dec 14 2008 20:12 im watching it tomorrow, the trailer looks good so im hoping the film will be
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- lexy said...
- Posted on Dec 14 2008 15:51 mega funnni loved the film i would watch it ova and ova again!!!
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- going 2 c today said...
- Posted on Dec 14 2008 12:21 this film looks good i bet is so all you people who have bad comments should just bog off and stop ruining peoples good time if they want to watch it so please stop this stupidness about it being a bad film coz if it is a bad film why have o many people put good things unlike all thise sados that hae put bad things
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- AMi & Megan said...
- Posted on Dec 13 2008 10:57 We Really Enjoyed This Film :D it was alot of fun :)
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- Ellie and Jem said...
- Posted on Dec 13 2008 10:40 it is really good u must see it !! funnny and worth seeing it !! WATCH IT !! X
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- G & K said...
- Posted on Dec 11 2008 18:12 5.5/10
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- emma :) said...
- Posted on Dec 10 2008 21:46 i thought this film was actually really good, good enough to watch it a couple more times. :)
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- sian and amanda said...
- Posted on Dec 10 2008 16:34 its the best film i have ever watched
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Cast & crew
Director: Seth Gordon
Cast: Vince Vaughn, Reese Witherspoon, Robert Duvall, Jon Favreau, Sissy Spacek, Jon Voight, Mary Steenburgen, Dwight Yoakam, Tim McGraw, Kristin Chenoweth, Colleen Camp full cast
Rated: 12A
Duration: 88 mins
UK Release: Nov 28 2008
US Release: Nov 26 2008
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