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Give me any
movie that plays fast and loose with dealing
with families during the Christmas Season
and chances are I’ll find it to be
a winner. After all, Christmas isn’t
what it was meant to be anymore and if I’d
rather not see any of my family the rest
of the year, why on Earth would I want to
see them during a perfectly good vacation
time? All I have to do is watch “Christmas
Vacation” and laugh at someone else’s
dysfunctional get-together.
That’s somewhat the premise of “Four
Christmases.” We have two people living
together in unwedded bliss, Brad and Kate
(Vince Vaughn & Reese Witherspoon),
who have wisely avoided their various divorced
parent’s Christmas get-togethers for
years, but when this year’s plans
go awry everyone finds out they are home
and available… suddenly they have
four Christmas visits to make. And all of
their various parents and in some cases,
new step-parents, are delightfully nightmarish
in soooo many different ways.
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Brad’s father (Robert Duvall) has to be
my favorite as he reminds me of all those typical
Texas-type beer drinkers, who thinks he’s
tougher than anybody. I see these guys all the
time in my (unfortunate) neck of the woods and
they always give me a good laugh. You know the
guys, they think hunting is a sport (and I use
the term ‘think’ loosely) and NASCAR
is real. Anyhow, this visit is made all the more
enjoyable by the addition of Brad’s brothers
(Jon Favreau & Tim McGraw), both of whom are
“cage-fighters.” A few leaked family
secrets later and Brad is ready to commit suicide.
For us… it all uncomfortable laughs. From
there, they end up at three more residences to
see Kate’s mom (Mary Steenburgen), Brad’s
mom (Sissy Spacek) and Kate’s dad (Jon Voight).
With each visit, more skeletons come out of the
closet and one has to wonder if Kate and Brad
will survive the onslaught.
Director Seth Gordon, who previously brought
us the terrific documentary “The King of
Kong”, delivers a deftly crafted crafted
that weaves the wonders of Christmas with the
horrors into a memorable comedy. Vince Vaughn,
who admittedly I feel is a one note actor, delivers
a performance that fits his character even if
it doesn’t necessarily stretch his talents.
Reese Witherspoon however, proves again how skillfully
she is able to switch gears between screwball
comedy and poignant drama. All of the wonderful
actors who bring to life the various parents and
siblings ably turn what could have been stereotypes
into three-dimensional characters.
New Line’s recent Bluray edition of “Four
Christmases” offers a very good picture
quality, certainly good enough for a film that
doesn’t necessarily require it. The picture
is sharp and little details really seem to pop
out. I was a little less impressed with the sound
mix though. Generally movies that are not special
effects heavy don’t really require a lot
of surround, but I noticed that there was little
separation in a lot of the scenes where ambient
sounds would have made the viewing a little more
immersive. Not a huge knock, but it was noticeable.
Most of the Bluray’s extra features are
so-so in that two of them, “Four Christmases
Holiday Moments” & “HBO First
Look”, are pretty much standard ‘behind
the scenes’ featurettes with nothing really
special to make them stand out. “Seven Layer
Holiday Meals in a Flash” is a fairly amusing
piece that features celebrity chef Paul Deen and
Katy Mixon (Susan) in a little kitchen fun. I
will recommend the Deleted Scenes (which are usually
my least favorite extra feature) as there are
some moments that definitely belonged in the film.
Finally, there is a short, but funny, gag reel.
“Four Christmases” will not appeal
to those who wear rose-colored glasses at Christmas
Family get-togethers. Those of us with a slightly
more realistic view of the holidays however…
expect a healthy dose of ‘Ho Ho Ho.’
Directed by: Seth Gordon
Starring: Vince Vaughn, Reese Witherspoon, Robert
Duvall, Jon Favreau, Mary Steenburgen, Dwight
Yoakum, Tim McGraw, Kristin Chenoweth, Jon Voight,
Sissy Spacek
Extras: Seventh Layer Holiday Meals in a Flash;
Four Christmases Holiday Moments; Gag Reel; Additional
Scenes; HBO First Look
Specifications: 1080p High Definition (1.85:1),
Dolby TrueHD; 5.1 Dolby Digital
Studio: New Line
Release Date: 11/24/2009
MPAA Rating: PG-13
http://www.FourChristmases.com
We'll give Four Christmases (Bluray) a B.
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