For some families, the post-holiday-gathering movie is a tradition, for others its an anomaly, but whether or not a trip to the cinema is part of your festivities, there's always a deluge of flicks aimed at those looking to escape their families for a couple hours.
Leading this year's class of "everyone-is-watching-football-so-let's-get-out-of-here" flicks is "Four Christmases," which opened nationwide November 26, starring Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon.
I'll admit, I had high hopes heading into this one -- Vince Vaughn's braggadocios humor coupled with my tryptophan-induced haze seemed like a recipe for laughs, and there were some, though it seemed not enough. Just to let you know what you're in for, the biggest laughs in my showing were in response to a baby vomit gag.
The premise is simple; Young couple Brad (Vaughn) and Kate (Witherspoon), who usually avoid holidays with their families by jetting to some tropical location, are stuck attending the gatherings of their divorced parents -- all four of them -- in a single day. It didn't take long for the whole affair to start to feel like a made-for-TV holiday special, amped up with A-listers and innuendo.
Vaughn was a solid performer (if you're a fan, his joyfully blasphemous portrayal of Joseph at the Nativity will have you rolling) but you're never really able to sense a connection between him and Witherspoon. They both come off surprisingly cold, even in the most tender moments of the flick. The rest of the ensemble, including Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Mary Steenburgen and Jon Voight as the parents, are much more believable. Though my favorite performance, despite it's outlandishness, is Jon Favreau as Brad's cage-fighting, ultra-gruff brother.
And there was one other thing I found slightly off with this "Christmas" movie -- there wasn't an ounce of snow anywhere. The film was set in San Francisco, but nothing in the plot made that a requirement, except for maybe the fog that grounded the couple's flight. Of course, that could have been easily replaced with, say, a snow storm.
All tallied up, I'd say you could probably hold-off on "Four Christmases" until it hits DVD next December, unless you're looking for an escape from your dozing uncles or a horrible Detroit Lions game.
The Denouement:
Fairly Essential for fans of Vince Vaughn or those looking for a reprieve from a family gathering.
The premise is simple; Young couple Brad (Vaughn) and Kate (Witherspoon), who usually avoid holidays with their families by jetting to some tropical location, are stuck attending the gatherings of their divorced parents -- all four of them -- in a single day. It didn't take long for the whole affair to start to feel like a made-for-TV holiday special, amped up with A-listers and innuendo.
Vaughn was a solid performer (if you're a fan, his joyfully blasphemous portrayal of Joseph at the Nativity will have you rolling) but you're never really able to sense a connection between him and Witherspoon. They both come off surprisingly cold, even in the most tender moments of the flick. The rest of the ensemble, including Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Mary Steenburgen and Jon Voight as the parents, are much more believable. Though my favorite performance, despite it's outlandishness, is Jon Favreau as Brad's cage-fighting, ultra-gruff brother.
And there was one other thing I found slightly off with this "Christmas" movie -- there wasn't an ounce of snow anywhere. The film was set in San Francisco, but nothing in the plot made that a requirement, except for maybe the fog that grounded the couple's flight. Of course, that could have been easily replaced with, say, a snow storm.
All tallied up, I'd say you could probably hold-off on "Four Christmases" until it hits DVD next December, unless you're looking for an escape from your dozing uncles or a horrible Detroit Lions game.
The Denouement:
Fairly Essential for fans of Vince Vaughn or those looking for a reprieve from a family gathering.
