Four Christmases Movie Review

Four Christmases (2008)

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Written by: Matt Allen & Caleb Wilson and Jon Lucas &Scott Moore (screenplay), Matt Allen & Caleb Wilson (story)
Directed by: Seth Gordon
Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Vince Vaughn, Mary Steenburgen, Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Jon Voight, Jon Favreau, Dwight Yoakam, Tim McGraw, Kristen Chenoweth, Katy Mixon
Rated: PG-13
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Plot
A couple struggles to visit all four of their divorced parents on Christmas.

Verdict
It's easy to relate to the stresses of family over the holidays. This takes the tension to another level. It's typical Vince Vaughn, sarcastic and fast talking. This certainly has its moments as this is often over the top and ridiculous as a couple visits four sets of parents that they'd rather avoid. The setup is solid, but the problem often with comedies is landing the conclusion. The parts in this case are stronger than the whole. This movie has a great scenario, but doesn't know how to end or get out of it, and it's just not funny enough to overcome that.
It depends.

Review
Brad (Vince Vaughn) and Kate (Reese Witherspoon) are a couple with no interest in marriage, kids, or their families. They've managed to lie to their families to avoid visiting on the holidays, but a flight delay ends that streak. Now they feel compelled to visit their divorced parents, which means four houses and four different holidays.

Reese Witherspoon, Vince Vaughn play Kate, Brad

It's clear to see why Brad and Kate didn't visit their families. They were avoiding their embarrassing pasts. Everything that can go wrong does. Brad is bullied by his macho brothers and then manages to embarrass himself and destroy his dad's house while installing a satellite dish. 

Everything that can go wrong does, but Brad and Kate learn about each other, discovering secrets they didn't know. This has its moments and can be quite funny. Brad's mom's boyfriend was in Brad's grade, and there is no end to how uncomfortable that makes Brad. 

As you might predict this strain of the day creates issues for Brad and Kate's relationship that they must confront. Through the movie Brad and Kate are forced to reflect on their past. I think this could easily be a movie that gets better on repeat viewings. It's got some great moments that will just get better, but the opening is rough and the ending isn't compelling. If the comedy were just a bit better, it could prevail over those issues.

Comedies have a difficult time closing the loop. They often try for something emotional or compelling, changing the tone from the rest of the movie. This ends well enough, if not a bit too predictable.