Directed by: Seth Gordon
Written by: Matt Allen & Caleb Wilson and Jon Lucas & Scott Moore
A funny holiday movie is something that a lot of people strive for, but very rarely does one actually get made. I suppose it is only fitting that the star of one funny one, “A Christmas Story,” has now produced another in “Four Christmases.”
The story goes that two happy yuppies are content with the freedom of their three year relationship. Every Christmas the couple heads off on a tropical vacation in lieu of time with their fragmented families. Both the children of divorce, neither one want to repeat history, so instead they fiercely cling to their singledom rather than make a commitment to one another. Though they may thumb their noses at marriage and children, the other trappings of a committed relationship are still very real and very visible. Kate and Brad have met their match, even if they choose to see the relationship as best left to the early stages of dating.
This year the couple is off to Fiji. They have their alibis for their families phoned in (inoculating babies in Burma), and they are headed to the airport. San Francisco fog has all the planes grounded, so the two must wait a day before heading off to Fiji. Unfortunately for Kate and Brad, a pushy news crew insists on questioning them about their cancelled travel plans on live TV. Immediately the family calls them up, and soon Kate and Brad are committed to four different Christmas celebrations, one for each parent.
Vince Vaughn plays Brad, a character he has embodied a number of times. Brad is a confidant smart ass who can not spend more than a minute not talking. I personally love Vince Vaughn, but for those who do not find his charm quite so endearing, you probably will not enjoy this movie. With another actor in the part of Brad, I think the movie would still have been funny, which is a testament to the good writing on the movie. This is surprising since there are four writers and a host of producers in the pot here. However, Vaughn does make a good Brad, and I certainly laughed at jokes that were not all together funny simply because his delivery was so spot on.
Reese Witherspoon is not necessarily miscast, but it is nice to see her act in a comedy that is a little rougher and lower brow than I am used to seeing her in. The rumor is that she and Vaughn did not get along during the making of this movie, and between watching this movie and my rough approximations of their real life personalities, I would not be surprised. Still, there was a decent chemistry there that probably only worked because the characters were both so strong willed and determined. In a weird way, the way they played off of each other kind of reminded me of Katherine Hepburn and Jimmy Stewart in “The Philadelphia Story.”
The supporting cast is a great hodgepodge of actors including Jon Favreau, Kristin Chenowith, Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Tim McGraw, Dwight Yoakam, Peter Billingsly, Mary Steenburgen, Colleen Camp, and Jon Voight. A strong supporting cast helps, but without a good story, you can still be dead in the water (as countless actor heavy holiday films have been in the past). I would not go so far to say this is a holiday classic, but it certainly had its share of guffaw inducing moments. And it has been awhile since I could say that about a movie.
The story goes that two happy yuppies are content with the freedom of their three year relationship. Every Christmas the couple heads off on a tropical vacation in lieu of time with their fragmented families. Both the children of divorce, neither one want to repeat history, so instead they fiercely cling to their singledom rather than make a commitment to one another. Though they may thumb their noses at marriage and children, the other trappings of a committed relationship are still very real and very visible. Kate and Brad have met their match, even if they choose to see the relationship as best left to the early stages of dating.
This year the couple is off to Fiji. They have their alibis for their families phoned in (inoculating babies in Burma), and they are headed to the airport. San Francisco fog has all the planes grounded, so the two must wait a day before heading off to Fiji. Unfortunately for Kate and Brad, a pushy news crew insists on questioning them about their cancelled travel plans on live TV. Immediately the family calls them up, and soon Kate and Brad are committed to four different Christmas celebrations, one for each parent.
Vince Vaughn plays Brad, a character he has embodied a number of times. Brad is a confidant smart ass who can not spend more than a minute not talking. I personally love Vince Vaughn, but for those who do not find his charm quite so endearing, you probably will not enjoy this movie. With another actor in the part of Brad, I think the movie would still have been funny, which is a testament to the good writing on the movie. This is surprising since there are four writers and a host of producers in the pot here. However, Vaughn does make a good Brad, and I certainly laughed at jokes that were not all together funny simply because his delivery was so spot on.
Reese Witherspoon is not necessarily miscast, but it is nice to see her act in a comedy that is a little rougher and lower brow than I am used to seeing her in. The rumor is that she and Vaughn did not get along during the making of this movie, and between watching this movie and my rough approximations of their real life personalities, I would not be surprised. Still, there was a decent chemistry there that probably only worked because the characters were both so strong willed and determined. In a weird way, the way they played off of each other kind of reminded me of Katherine Hepburn and Jimmy Stewart in “The Philadelphia Story.”
The supporting cast is a great hodgepodge of actors including Jon Favreau, Kristin Chenowith, Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Tim McGraw, Dwight Yoakam, Peter Billingsly, Mary Steenburgen, Colleen Camp, and Jon Voight. A strong supporting cast helps, but without a good story, you can still be dead in the water (as countless actor heavy holiday films have been in the past). I would not go so far to say this is a holiday classic, but it certainly had its share of guffaw inducing moments. And it has been awhile since I could say that about a movie.
This is the first good review I have read of this film.
OK, I might have to check it out now.
Excellent review!!