Four Christmases (2008)

Synopsis:

When upscale, happily unmarried San Francisco couple Kate and Brad find themselves socked in by fog on Christmas morning, their exotic vacation plans morph into the family-centric holiday they had, until now, gleefully avoided. Out of obligation–and unable to escape–they trudge to not one, not two, but four relative-choked festivities, increasingly mortified to find childhood fears raised, adolescent wounds reopened… and their very future together uncertain.

Our Thoughts:

Just as we are sitting down with our respective families – and, typically, they are starting to get on our nerves a little bit – a movie comes along that invites us to spend an hour and a half in the dark, laughing at somebody else’s family. Of course, this is never an ordinary family, rather this family we’re invited to watch is comprised of stereotypes of some of the worst family members ever.

As our heroine (occassionally accompanied by a hero, but most of the time that love interest is met during the course of the film) suffers through degradation after degradation, they find an unexpected undercurrent of love, and by the end of the “comedic” film, our heroine has finally come to understand that all of the mishaps along the way have only been her family’s way of showing how much they care, and she and her Prince Charming happily ride away, their bond with family freshly renewed.

While these films tend to draw women in flocks (and guys forced to go along to show their “dadhood”), there usually isn’t much of substance behind the simplistic storyline. Instead, the film tends to be just a series of comic vignettes that make fun of the family and embarass the heroine, and the audiences can laugh along while setting aside the guilt of their own familial relationships. Hey, at least we aren’t that bad, right?

Toss in the glow of a happy ending, and it seems like the perfect Thanksgiving film – and, as an added bonus, there is usually a bit of Christmastime music tossed in to get folks prepped for the upcoming holiday season.

Thankfully, I have (so far) escaped having to sit through this type of cheery drivel, and I’m looking to do so again with this year’s release, Four Christmases.

Sure, it’s got a great cast, but don’t go in expecting a lot from them – even veteran actors like Robert Duvall. After all, famous actors tend to flock to these type of family comedies for one reason – they’re easy. I can just imagine the director’s, er, directions: “Forget about digging deep to put real emotion into the character, you’re playing a stereotype – have fun with it!”

This type of film must seem like a vacation for more serious actors, and I say let them have their fun. Just don’t expect me to watch.