Christmas Movies, Pt. 2

My wife loves Christmas and Christmas movies, so we've been going on marathons. Over the next few days until Christmas (with a few exceptions), I'll be taking a look at some of the movies we're watching and offering reviews to make your holidays bright. Fair warning, there will be a lot of comedies (that warning is for me as much as you).

Four Christmases
Starring: Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn
Synopsis: Vaughn has had a couple Christmas films. His first shot was with "Fred Claus," a film where he played Santa's brother. Santa, of course, was played by Paul Giamatti. That film seemed to have plenty of promise, but it landed with an uneven thud. That is complete with an odd performance from Chris "Ludacris" Bridges as a rapping holiday elf. Yes, you read that right. But this post is about Vaughn's other Christmas comedy, "Four Christmases," which is an interesting and odd little family film. It's also short, clocking in at an economical 88 minutes. I continue to think Vaughn and Witherspoon make an odd on-screen pairing, but somehow the movie works. It centers on a couple — Brad and Kate who live happily in San Francisco. They seem to be on the same page about marriage, kids and avoiding their family at Christmas. But when they're holiday plans are cancelled by fog, they are forced to visit all their parents — both sets divorced — all in one day. One day, four stops, lots of family dysfunction. That's the recipe that Christmas comedies thrive on. And while dysfunction might create the laughs — much like "Christmas Vacation" — this is a film that seems to celebrate the importance of appreciating your family during the holidays. Even though things don't work out perfectly, there is love there. This is also a film about exploration. In this case, it's about Brad and Kate really getting to know each other by seeing each other through the eyes of their family, and seeing family as something to aspire to, not to fear. That's sort of a rare quality for films this day and age. When I first saw the film in 2009, I enjoyed it. Here's a bit of what I said then: "While “Four Christmases” won’t win any awards and isn’t the most dynamic film ever made, it has its moments, some hysterically funny, and it’s a film that works." I think that's true even three years later. It's not deep, and it's probably not at the level of other Christmas classics, but it's a decently funny film that embraces the quirkiness of family.
Rating: PG-13 for some sexual humor and language.
Verdict: Two stars out of four.