There’s more selfish shenanigans in director Seth Gordon’s Four Christmases, a delightfully silly 2008 comedy about the awkwardness of those festive family gatherings we’d rather avoid. Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon star as self-centred couple Brad and Kate who plan to go on a vacation to Fiji for the holidays, sneakily avoiding their families. However, when their vacation plan is rumbled by an unexpected appearance on live TV, they’re forced to visit all four of their divorced parents and extended family on the same crazy, drama-filled day.
Witherspoon and Vaughn are a fantastic pairing, with sparky chemistry and are believable as a ‘hot’ couple, very much in love and lust and not yet saddled with the commitment of marriage and children. He is so huge and she is so wee, yet they totally make it work, generating a load of laughs and heat with their witty, flirty back-and-forths and saucy ballroom dancing. Vaughn does his usual cocky motormouth schtick, but Witherspoon gives as good as she gets – they’re really great together. But, of course, as Hollywood rules dictate, one of them will start to feel the ol’ biological clock ticking, leading to tension, as both come from broken homes and are fearful of starting a family themselves.
This one has a formidable supporting cast and the narrative moves along quickly enough between the four visits that things never get a chance to get stale. Robert Duvall is superbly misanthropic as Brad’s grumpy, stubborn, roughneck father Howard, while Jon Favreau and Tim McGraw are immense fun as his uber-macho UFC-loving brothers. They’re all indignant that Brad has moved on and perceive his success and lavish presents as rubbing their noses in it, so delight in bullying and roughing him up a bit in that way that only brothers can get away with. The film’s standout moment sees them all squabble while defiantly trying to install a satellite dish themselves, rather than let some “fancypants” professional do it for them. Destructive hilarity ensues.
Sissy Spacek is amusing as Brad’s slightly dippy mum who cringe-inducingly is rediscovering her sexuality in her senior years but has chosen to do so with Brad’s childhood best pal. There are some heavily awkward moments as the family play a friendly festive ‘guessing game’ that gets hilariously uncomfortable as sexy secrets are casually revealed, while Brad and Kate realise just how little they really know about each other.
Mary Steenburgen is typically great as Kate’s flirty, feminine mother, now engaged to Dwight Yoakam slightly sinister pastor. This leads to another great set-piece with Brad and Kate hastily cast as Mary and Joseph in a church Nativity pageant, where Brad can’t help but over-exuberantly steal the show and embarrass his partner.
Jon Voight gets the least showy part as Kate’s dad, but still brings a welcome sense of wisdom, gravitas and pathos as a man deeply regretful of his mistakes and who wants the best for his daughter.
Critics hated this one, but I find lots to enjoy. It’s like a big tub of Christmas chocolates with loads of different tasty flavours to get your teeth into. It’s also - refreshingly for a seasonal movie - not overly sentimental, preferring to revel in its cynicism. Gordon’s film is another welcome break from the usual saccharine festive schmaltz and though the outcome is predictable, it’s great to watch all these talented performers bounce off each other.
I recognise a lot of the uncomfortable situations in this one, recalling many booze-fueled mortifying family Christmas moments. But it also reminds us that, try as you might, you can’t avoid family forever and you probably will regret not spending the time you have with the ones you love. I’m also reminded of just how much I’ve missed my family and how Covid lockdown has robbed us of many moments together. Whether the times are good or excruciating, it’s hard to deny that I still want to have them.
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