Four Christmases

The Mrs and I saw Four Christmases last week. It stars Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon as a pair of yuppies who are committed to each other and their very "me" lifestyle. Their annual Christmas vacation gets sidetracked by the weather, and instead of heading off to an exotic locale as is their custom, they spend time with each of their parents.

Short version review: I rate this as a sugar cookie, something that you'll enjoy but wouldn't miss if you skipped it. We like both the stars, Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon, but they're not quite the right pair for this movie. They seem to me just a bit older than their characters ought to be. You can overlook that, and it's not too hard to overlook it if you like them. The situations give up some pretty good giggles for three fourths of the Christmases, but one of them is a misfire.


Vince Vaughn has been getting slammed a bit lately for his limitations, but I find him pretty funny. Reese Witherspoon, whom I have thoroughly enjoyed in most of the stuff she's done, seems to be fading on the charisma scale, at least in this movie. She's skinnied up a bit too much, too.


There's a terrific portrayal in the movie by Robert Duval and a couple of actors whose names escape me; they are Vaughn's dad and brothers. In another of the vignettes, Mary Steenburgen is the parent character, and she's looking pretty worn. Jon Voight has a significant role but doesn't get a lot to work with, character wise.


Bottom line, if you have a couple of hours to kill and these actors are on your like 'em list, see Four Christmases. If you miss it, it should be on DVD by spring.