AC23: Random Movie Review - Four Christmases

Finishing up all the film reviews before Christmas, we have another one with something that we also cannot do this year which is going to several households instead of three (though as time goes on, I lose track of where we are regarding Covid). It certainly is one Christmas that we will remember as one that restricted, more stressful than ever and one dominated by the politics that is Brexit, the aftermath of the US Presidential Election (which reminds me, Trump give it a rest. You lost so concede and move on you big fat stupid racist orange baby) and of course the pandemic. As silly as films like these are, they do remind us of a time when we can all be merry and not have to ever worry about flu, politics and all things from life and just enjoy the holiday for what it is and what it's supposed to be (because some people take it the wrong way). So let's see what we are in for here:

The film is about an upscale San Francisco couple consisting of Brad (played by Vince Vaughn) and Kate (played by Reese Witherspoon) who have a lot in common. They both come from dysfunctional families, their respective siblings are obnoxious, their parents are divorced and their nieces and nephews are out of control. This leads to the pair choosing not to start their own family and attempt to not spend Christmas with their respective families. But following an incident where they attempt to travel to Fuji for Christmas, they come to realize that they can't avoid their families and get ready for spending Four Christmases all in one day.

The concept alone is pure comedy and festive gold and its something that I find hard to not be funny. Yet this film managed to do just that. Sure it has a few laughs here and there especially as the two leads come from the world of comedy (and of course Vaughn is a member of the Frat Pack which should say a lot), but its just not that great. What's said about this film is that it was made during the Writers Guild of America strike of 2007-2008 so the script could not be changed even though they could've delayed it to allow the strike the finish and then be able to make a better script. But in the world of show business, money needs to be made sooner than later especially when studios just want money more than to actually make something good. Though we all learn from our mistakes in the end. But yeah, not a great Christmas film, but it is better than most like it. 6/10