Seen on: November 27, 2008

The players: Director: Seth Gordon, Writers: Caleb Wilson, Matt Allen, Jon Lucas, Scott Moore, Cast: Vince Vaughn, Reese Witherspoon, Noah Munck, Haley Hallak, Robert Duvall

Facts of interest: Gordon also directed "The King of Kong."

The plot: Every year, Kate and Brad go on vacation to avoid spending Christmas with their families. This year however, they accidentally find themselves paying a visit to all of them.

Our thoughts: Seth Gordon’s “Four Christmases” is not exactly a glorious feast, but then again, the movie isn’t that terrible either. The film’s story line is forgettable and most of the gags are too cheap to really impress, but a fast-paced plot and a bunch of refreshing performances make it a lot easier to sit through this comedy than expected.

If you’re already in the holiday mood and don’t require sophisticated humor to have an awesome time at the movies, “Four Christmases” is definitely for you. Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon star as Brad and Kate, a seemingly happy, unmarried San Francisco couple who enjoy life the way it is and aren’t necessarily looking for a big change.

Every year around Christmas, the two lovers book exotic vacations and come up with the most ridiculous excuses to avoid visiting all four of their divorced parents for the holidays. But when a foggy morning causes mayhem at the airport and Brad and Kate are put on the spot by a television crew, all hopes for a quiet getaway are instantly shattered.

Of course, all of their parents happen to watch the same channel at the same time, and of course, they all insist Brad and Kate come see them. Lacking the necessary exit strategy for such a situation, the two finally decide to embark on a long day of paying family visits, hoping they can get trough it as quickly and as painlessly as possible…

As expected, all of their family members are incredibly eccentric, which makes the lives of our protagonists a lot more complicated. At the same time, that’s also exactly what makes our lives easier. The four visits obviously boast the most fun in the movie, with the interactions between Brad and Kate and their parents resulting in a decent enough amount of laughs.

But the two also end up struggling with a number of situations they have no clue how to handle, and sadly enough, that’s where the film falls apart. By avoiding their families, Brad and Kate slowly realize they’ve missed out on a lot of things, which puts a first big strain on their relationship. In other words, they yell at each other for the rest of the movie.

Unfortunately, the erupting conflict and the predictable reconciliation between the two are utterly formulaic and conventional, remembering viewers they are indeed watching a comedy without much innovation or subtlety. The film’s final 20 minutes are particularly dreadful, with all the routine feel-good speeches replacing passable comedy with cheesy boredom.

In last year’s terrible “Fred Claus,” Vaughn already showed us he’s not necessarily the right guy for a Christmas flick. His effort in “Four Christmases” is superior, of course, but the material he’s working with here still doesn’t give him a shot to bring the best out of himself. Witherspoon looks cute and shares a passable chemistry with Vaughn, but her performance is certainly not one of her strongest.

Freaky quote: “You gotta get out of here. I can't breathe." – Vince Vaughn

The final word: The film’s supporting cast includes quite a few award-winning veterans, and although some of them deliver a couple of hilarious lines, none of them really faced a big challenge playing a weirdo parent. Although “Four Christmases” eventually didn’t impress me at all, I do agree that the movie’s light, entertaining first hour made it an easier experience to sit through than I originally thought.

Article by Franck Tabouring