Four Christmases
Tags: romantic

Plot synopsis:
The movie opens in a bar near Christmas, where a geeky Brad (Vince Vaughn) tries to hit on a confident and bitchy Kate (Reese Witherspoon), who blows him off...until she's called a bitch. After a short fierce exchange the two are having sex in the bathroom, and running off to the San Francisco trolley to their house, where we find that they are roleplaying, and have been happily together for 3 years. Both are wealthy, and successful. They are happy with the relationship as is and have no plans for marriage or children. They simply want to enjoy life while being with each other, even telling so with glee to a married and engaged couple. During the conversation, both Brad and Kate reveal that they are both from broken homes, and don't want to repeat that, or bring a child into it either.At a later company Christmas party two of their coworkers dread their Christmases with family, while Brad and Kate happily discuss their plans to leave the country. They lie to their parents each year, saying they go do civil service like helping starving children in China, so that they can escape Scott free. While the coworkers are appalled Brad reminds them that "You can't spell lies without families." This year they plan to go to Fiji.On Christmas Day Brad and Kate prepare for the trip as they tell their parents that they are going to inoculate children in Burma, and head for the airport as the San Francisco fog rolls in extra thick. By the time they arrive at the airport all flights have been canceled due to fog. Before they can make plants to stay at the hotel and wait for the fog to lift the local news comes and interviews the couple, live. They both stumble for answers, dressed in full knowing there's a good chance their families are watching and unable to lie about their true destination...and sure enough, right after they're interviewed they start to receive phone calls. They end up making plans to visit all their parents within one day.BRAD'S DAD
As Brad and Kate pull up to the farm where Brad's father lives Brad and Kate agree to a safe word of "Mistletoe" to signal that they should get out, but it's clear Brad doesn't want to go in at all. As they step in Brad's father Howard (Robert Duvall) greets them warmly. Also there are Brad's brothers, Dallas (Tim McGraw) and his two children, and Denver (Jon Favreau) and his wife and baby. Dallas and Denver start to beat on Brad, calling him Orlando. When Kate asks, Brad's brothers reveal that they were named after the cities they were conceived in: Kate is appalled that Brad never told her his real name, and Brad tries to explain that his brothers are like MMA fighters that just brawl in backyards and upload the footage to YouTube.Kate convinces Brad that he's a grown man, and can demand his space from his brothers. Brad has a talk with his brothers about boundaries and respect. The two answer by beating him again, with even Dallas' children getting into the act. Howard breaks the fight by asking to have the presents handed out. Just as Denver's wife mentions the $10 cap that everyone agreed to Brad hands Dallas' kids a brand new Xbox 360. His brothers are appalled, not only because they feel that Brad is showing off just how much he makes but that it makes their own presents look horrible (Dallas got one of his kids a cheap flashlight). Brad ruins it further by accidently revealing that there's no Santa Claus. Screaming that nobody loves him one of Dallas' kids strips off his clothes and runs out the window (As someone mentions, when he can't express himself he goes streaking. He'll be back.) Howard's gift is a new satellite dish, which he takes up to the roof to install with his boys.Kate waits with Denver's wife in the kitchen, who asks Kate to hold her baby while she cooks. Kate seems uncomfortable with the baby, but slowly grows used to it. Meanwhile Brad is installing the dish while his brothers mock him. Howard mentions his ex-wife calling her a whore. Brad is offended. Howard also mentions the same thing Brad did, about lies in families. He then goes down to check the signal, while Brad tries to point the dish in different directions to get a clear signal. The dish pops off and he falls off the roof dragging the cable wire all along the living room and destroying it, even pulling the TV up into the ceiling before it catches flames. Shocked by all the noise Kate swings and slams the baby's head into an open cabinet door angering the mom. Brad and Kate quickly leave after this.KATE'S MOM
As they pull up Kate's house has a statue of Jesus on the front lawn. Kate is surprised, and as they go in we meet her mother Marilyn (Mary Steenburgen), her sister, two aunts, and grandmother, all of whom find Brad to be very attractive. We quickly find out that Kate was picked on as a kid. Her nickname was "Cootie Kate" and was tormented, eventually leading to a traumatizing experience in a moon bounce/jumpy jump. Of course, there's one outside for the kids.Marilyn's newfound love of religion is based on her current boyfriend Pastor Phil. They give each other the gift of verbal promises (which disappoints the sister's kid) which includes the grandmother promising her husband more sex. As they're sharing Kate is given a baby to hold, who throws up all over her. Brad reacts horribly, the smell making him want to throw up too. Kate goes to change in the bathroom, having to wear an old sweater and jeans. She finds a pregnancy test and decides to try it but before the results could come in her niece runs in and steals it. She runs into the moon bounce where Kate tries to follow.As this happens Kate's family is showing Brad their photo album, which shows Kate was once so fat she went to fat camp and that she had a lesbian friend in high school. The kids torment Kate in the moon bounce and even drop kick her out of it before she snaps, closing the door to the moon bounce and flinging kids left and right to get her test. When the niece puts it in her mouth Kate happily tells her that she peed on it, making the kids stop cheering and start to look sick. She looks at the test, sighing, before trying to talk to her mom. However Marilyn is too obsessed with making sure everyone is ready for Pastor Phil's sermon. Kate changes back to her now clean regular clothes but Brad is laughing at her. He mentions how he's not as fazed by her large weight as a kid or her lesbian friend (whom Kate herself didn't even realize was lesbian, until she thinks about it), so Kate shouldn't be so mad about the Orlando thing.We find out Pastor Phil (Dwight Yoakam) runs a very flashy church and needs volunteers to star in the play of the birth of Christ. Wanting to impress him Marilyn "volunteers" Kate who gets Brad to go up with her. On stage Kate gets stage fright and can't remember her lines or actions while Brad hams it up and mocks Kate much to the crowd's delight. The two leave. Kate is upset that Brad threw her to the wolves but Brad doesn't understand what was so bad about it.BRAD'S MOM
In a short visit they come to visit Brad's hippie mom (Sissy Spacek). Things quickly turn sour as we meet Brad's stepdad, who tells Brad that he knows he can't be a father but he just wants to be a friend. Brad answers "You were my friend. You were my best friend growing up, and then you married my mom," to which he answers "To be fair I didn't have a sexual attraction to your mom until I was 30." Turns out that they are incredibly sexually active, which disgusts Brad. Kate has brought board games though, and they decide to try Taboo.Denver is there with his wife, still giving Brad a death glare over the incident at their dad's. The couples start to play, with one person trying to tell the other to say a key word without using any words from a short list. They try by using their personal experiences with each other. Brad's mom and stepdad do well, but all their clues are sexual. Denver and his wife play like professionals, knocking out word after word. But when Kate tries to tell Brad clues based on her life Brad gets angry wanting more specific clues. He clearly has no clue about anything involving Kate outside of what he's done with her.As they leave Kate is upset and Brad tries to comfort her by forgiving Kate for the bad clues. Kate mentions that she took the pregnancy test and Brad freaks out. She reveals that the test was negative but it made her think of wanting something more than the "friendship" that she and Brad have. Brad will have none of it. He's happy the way they've been and he wants to stay that way.KATE'S DAD
As they pull up Kate tells Brad that he doesn't have to come in. He insists but she doesn't want to lie to her parents anymore about their relationship. If Brad doesn't want to go further then she's done. Brad leaves and her father (Jon Voight) comes out to greet his daughter. Upon going in Kate is shocked. Marilyn and Pastor Phil are there too, and getting along well with everyone. Kate asks her sister, saying she thought that their mom and dad hated each other, but they stopped and started gathering when their granddaughter was born. Kate goes upstairs to be alone for a bit when her father comes in and reveals that he always knew his daughter was lying about leaving for Christmas. He isn't upset, but warns her that he used to make lies to avoid his family, and many divorces later now wishes he had that time back.Brad goes back to see his dad, who is drinking on the porch. When Brad tells him that Kate offered to make a family with him and he said no his dad finally seems happy. He tells Brad that he's the smart one, not falling for getting married, and says how they're alike. This frightens Brad, knowing that he has become his father. He ends up going upstairs to his old room, where all his old toys and awards (All in his birth name Orlando) are still arranged. He goes back to see Kate, who at first doesn't want to see him. He does convince her that he is there to talk to her about having kids and getting married "sometime, not right now but sometime." And the two talk about the advantages and tax breaks that being married and having kids would bring. But for the future.ONE YEAR LATER
It's New Years Day, just after midnight, and Brad and Kate are amazed that they just had a baby. The nurse comes in and tells them that if family is waiting they're now allowed to come in and visit. Brad and Kate look at each other before revealing that they never even told their parents that Kate was pregnant. The nurse gives them a funny look and leaves, just as a live news crew comes into their room to interview them about having the first baby of the new year. As they stare nervously, just before Kate can answer the baby throws up all over her and Brad, and Brad jumps up gagging.

Review: Vince had some moments as well, but it's more the supporting cast that was just a fun addition to the story.When upscale, happily unmarried San Francisco couple Kate and Brad find themselves socked in by fog on Christmas morning, their exotic vacation plans morph into the family-centric holiday they had, until now, gleefully avoided.
Brad and Kate, an urbanite unmarried couple with no plans to tie the knot or ever have children, are forced to visit their respective families after bad weather grounds planes and keeps them from going on their yearly tropical Christmas vacation together.
Running a scant 89 minutes, it stars no less than five Oscar-winning actors in the standard cookie-cutter story of a commitment-phobic couple who are forced to visit each of their four divorced parents on Christmas day.
The last stop is at the home of Kate's father, and this is where the tone gets serious-minded as the couple learns a lesson in the value of being with family in spite of whatever personal differences may exist to divide them the rest of the year.Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon - he with his semi-improvised riffing, she with her exacting intelligence - would seem to be absurdly mismatched, but they spar convincingly, even if they do look more like best friends than lovers.
To be fair, I should explain right away I had no intention of seeing this movie at all not to mention Vince Vaughn hasn't done anything very good like Swingers and Made in some time (to me, Wedding Crashers and The Break Up were just O.K.).
What I liked the most about the film's brief serious turn is it wasn't syrupy while providing some genuine touching moments thanks to the believable acting skills of Reese Witherspoon, Vince Vaughn and of course the two screen legends, Bobby DuVall and Jon Voight.
In the hands of an able and creative script writer this film could have been quite enjoyable as both Kate and Brad learn to appreciate their families and not exclude certain things - mainly marriage and children - in their lives just because their parents are bad examples of them.
Here, his quirks play a little better, though I never really bought off on he and Reece Witherspoon as a couple.Low expectations, a strong cast, a few clever lines, easily relatable family strain, and a true sight "gag" make this one enjoyable enough.
Those thinking that Four Christmases must be four times the fun of a normal Christmas movie, are about to get a truckload of coal at their front door, because you'll receive nothing but four times the pain, four times the tripe and four times the garbage.2008 marks the second year in a row a Vince Vaughn yuletide film has met the silver screen.
With such talent involved, the absolute failure of Four Christmases is all the more lasting and if not for Vince Vaughn who gets the films only (and very, very few) laughs, the Grinch himself would have loved it.Following the only clever scene in the film in which Brad (Vince Vaughan) and Kate (Reese Witherspoon) meet in a bar (although not to the end which you may expect) they plan their annual holiday trip down south for sun, relaxation and as an added bonus an ocean between them an their families.
I mean this truthfully, after the first Christmas I was ready to leave, and the same slapstick surfaces again and again like the appetizer you accidentally dropped in the egg nog at an open house; Baby spittle scenes, UFC takedowns and crude sexist jokes seem to make up this films backbone.A few times throughout Four Christmases the quip "You can't spell families without lies" appears.
It was a waste of my time and money.I was really hoping for a good Christmas movie to get in the mood for the holidays.
For a Christmas movie, it's not bad, but it's not great either; throwing in sporadic comedy and fun with lukewarm romance and lazy plotting, Four Christmases isn't anything new for holiday movie lovers to soak up, but it certainly isn't anything to loose any sleep over either.
Once you get past the high expectations, you'll be able to relax and actually enjoy the humorous points that in this movie.The actors/actresses did a good job of playing their characters and there were only a few scenes when it was just too painful to watch, but the laughing out loud with the crowd at some of the scenes just out numbered those painful points.Vince delivered as expected and so did the rest of the star-studded cast.
Couple Brad (Vince Vaughn) and Kate (Reese Witherspoon) have been dating for three years but have no interest in getting married or having babies.
Naturally all their families are somewhat strange and familiar (but funny) complications ensure.I saw this for a few reasons--it got good reviews from critics; it's been an OK hit (so far); I like Vaughn and Witherspoon and it's hard to resist a movie with FOUR Academy Award winning actors in supporting roles--Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Mary Steenburgen and Jon Voight.
Starring Reese Witherspoon, Vince Vaughn, Jon Voight, Robert Duvall, Mary Steenburgen, Sissy Spacek, Jon Favreau, Carol Kane, Kristin Chenoweth and Tim McGraw.
Originally appeared in LakewoodBuzz.com November, 2008.OVERVIEW:Brad and Kate (Vaughn and Witherspoon) are a happily UNmarried San Francisco couple who have a unique holiday tradition: Every year they embark upon a Christmas vacation to a sunny locale after fibbing to their families about where they are bound.
It may be The Fokkers At Christmas but it plays out like a damp squib.With four families to visit, ranging from mad Southern white trash (Oh so hilarious) to horny mothers and even weirder churches this just about misses every target it sets up by a mile.It is not even funny embarrassing, it just ain't funny.Given all the amazing talent on show here something good out to have come out of this - preferably the shooting of the script editors - but nope, absolutely horrible.Reeks of the taste of two week old turkey.....
It was nice seeing Robert Duvall in a bit of a light hearted role again as well, and Sissy Spacek was great.I'll finish my Four Christmases review in Four Paragraphs - it's a cheap, lame, formulaic, yet oddly funny comedy that will give you what you expect.
Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn play the perfect couple who enjoy their lives together, which doesn't include their family.
I can't help but to chuckle at how Brad (Vince Vaughn) and Kate (Reese Witherspoon) got busted on national television no less, for having everyone whom they have lied to, see exactly where they are - at the airport trying to get to their vacation destination rather than accepting the invitation from their families to spend the season's greetings with.
But a fog-ruined holiday meant they have to spend their one-day delay in San Francisco, and play tote the politically correct line in visiting all their divorced parents - that makes it four pit stops to commemorate the festivities, and hence the title - and this led to various inevitable hilarious situations.Such as revisiting the ghosts and skeletons hidden in the homes they each grew up in, and for the first time, for both Brad and Kate to really discover who they once were, and who they are now, warts and all, for the other party to see.
It's still quite amazing though that the film managed to get on board as supporting characters, the likes of Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Jon Voight, Mary Steenburgen, Kristin Chenoweth, Tim McGraw (!) and even the director of Iron Man Jon Favreau!
On many aspects,Four Christmases tries to avoid the clichés of the Christmas movies,which are released every year to exploit the artificial spirit that movies have.But,Four Christmases is a very bad movie which tries to seem subversive and irreverent when in fact it is a bland comedy with mellow homilies and tiring messages.This is one of that comedies which result totally unfunny and boring.The only good jokes from this movie have already been revealed on the trailer,so I highly suggest watching it on the Internet than losing the time watching this crappy movie.Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon have had good development on other comedies (Old School and Legally Blonde,respectively) but they do not have good material in here.The same can be said about the supporting cast,which is full of prestigious actors (Robert Duvall,Jon Voight,Sissy Spacek and Mary Steenburgen).They just say their lines and they do not seem to be too interested on their performances...it seems they are only worried in charging their paychecks.I do not blame them...after all,with a screenplay so poor like this one,anyone looses the interest.Four Christmases is an irritating and enormously boring "comedy" and I do not recommend it by any means..
I rather liked this movie to be honest,, light comic fare from Vince Vaughn,, nice touches from Reese Witherspoon, Jon Voight, and Sissy Spacek.
snowstorm,, airports are closed,, and film crews are at the airports,, so their faces are plastered all over TV so their families know that if they try and get out of Christmas visits they would be lying,, so the couple have no choice but to visit his parents,, and her parents,, four different Christmas's , this movie is full of laughs,, tender hearted moments,, and some definite awkward moments,, and a few crude ones as well..
I still can't figure out why it is that Vince Vaughn is a movie star when all he does is the same sarcastic/smug act and he's not that funny and he's not good looking either, he's always the same character and I am not entertained by him at all.
I hoped it would be really good but it looks at Vince Vaughn's character too much and it really is just a series of poor jokes and gags, the characters are too dimensional and the movie doesn't even have much to do with Christmas..
It's funny, but don't count on it being just another warm holiday comedy, like The Santa Claus trilogy, Elf(2003), and Fred Claus(2007).The film centers around Brad(Vince Vaughn) and Kate(Reese Witherspoon), a happy go lucky couple, both have parents who are divorced, and during the holidays, Brad and Kate avoid there families at all cost, by coming up with a series of lies, and taking a trip to Fiji, but there lies soon catch up to them, when there flight has been canceled, and they both end up on T.V., for there families to see.
Much of the humour works thanks to the stellar cast that includes, Reese Witherspoon, Vince Vaughn, Robert Duvall, Jon Favreau, Katey Mixon, Tim McGraw, Kristin Chenoweth, Mary Steenburgen, Jon Voight and Sissy Spacek.
The idea of this anti-Christmas movie in which a couple is forced to visit all four of their nightmare families in one day promises a laugh-filled comedy from beginning to end.
So it is a jolt when suddenly, at the end, they have a self-revelation about great it would be to start a family of their own.You can clearly see the serious flaw at the heart of the Four Christmases premise if you contrast it with Little Miss Sunshine, the best movie comedy to come along in a few years.
She just seemed like she was sedated throughout this film.Mary Steenburgen, Jon Voight, Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Dwight Yoakam, Tim McGraw, John Favre & Kristen Chenoweth are wasted in this.The bouncy house scene was so stupid.
What you have is a yuppie couple played by Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon who spend every Christmas on Fiji to avoid their dysfunctional families, but this year they are fogged in and stuck at home.
Yet, through a multitude of problems, first and foremost being the continued dumbing down of what people must think is funny, it fails to resonate on any level.Basically, the story sees a couple (played by Reece Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn) trying to escape their holiday family get-togethers due to tension from both sets of parents.
An amiable if not outright funny Christmas-themed comedy with Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn as an unmarried long-term couple so set in their ways that they role-play nights out in bars to add spice to their relationship.
There are amusing scenes where the hapless couple get roped into playing Mary and Joseph at a school nativity play and participate in a truth-telling board game.Vaughn and Witherspoon play well together and there's lots of celebrity support with Robert Duval impersonating De Niro's latter-day elderly curmudgeon schtick, Mary Steenbergen as a born-again yummy mummy although Sissy Spacek seems miscast as Vaughn's mother who's taken in her son's best pal as her live-in lover.The ending, where the duo apparently find the true meaning and happiness missing in their relationship by eventually having a kid of their own seems to cock an uncharitable snook at other couples who either can't or don't want to have children in their relationships but I'll chalk that one down to holiday sentimentality."Four Christmases" won't go down as an enduring Christmas classic, but with lots of Christmas decorations around and a variable quality soundtrack (Bing Crosby crooning "White Christmas" to a disco beat at the start of the film is a definite no-no) I found it a pleasant enough diversion this particular December as the big day approaches this year..
The idea of going to 4 Christmases on the same day is a funny enough premise (both couples come from divorced parentage, so 2 Christmases per), but these 2 normally skip town on Christmas to avoid their respective whacked out families and are now stuck at home because of weather.
And by the end of the day, she is beginning to wonder if their crazy families' choices are not so crazy after all.I would recommend Four Christmases just if you wanna see a cute holiday movie in the theater this year.
And by the end of the day, she is beginning to wonder if their crazy families' choices are not so crazy after all.I would recommend Four Christmases just if you wanna see a cute holiday movie in the theater this year.
Vince and Reese had good chemistry and this movie just represents the craziness of having to go to all the families every year for Christmas.
Vince and Reese had good chemistry and this movie just represents the craziness of having to go to all the families every year for Christmas.
Out of that lot, this one is probably the least impressive; it's too bad it can't assemble a great line of jokes and character situations as it can a heartwarming cast.Our story lies with Brad (Vince Vaughn) and Kate (Reese Witherspoon), a happily unmarried couple with divorced parents they never see to avoid contention.
From mentioning Dwight Yoakam's pastor to trying to extract a theme I must say, "mistletoe!" Starring: Vince Vaughn, Reese Witherspoon, Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Jon Favreau, Tim McGraw, Jon Voight, Mary Steenburgen, and Dwight Yoakam.
Christmas eve and seemingly happy couple Brad (Vince Vaughn) and Kate (Reece Witherspoon) are at the airport on their way to Fiji to avoid their families over the holiday period, when weather conditions scupper their getaway and are forced to visit each of the divorced parents houses on Christmas day.
There are some good comedic moments and its worth a watch as long as you don't expect too much, but when there are so many better Christmas comedies out there I would rather watch one of them.I give this movie 2 out of 5..
Sure, this movie had a crazy script, too much gags and a few plot holes but it worked for me and anything with Vince Vaughn, Reese Witherspoon & Kristin Chenoweth, I'm all right it!!
The cast is very good Vince Vaughn in his typical role of a guy who isn't very attached with his family is hilarious, Reese Witherspoon performance is very funny also, she is like very natural with this kind of comedy.
The Reese Witherspoon, Vince Vaughn film that has no heart, no laughter and will not be remembered among the Christmas films to watch on the holiday season.Brad and Kate, Vaughn and Witherspoon, struggle with the fact that they have to meet their families on Christmas Day, once their vacation flight is canceled.
This is everything a Christmas film should not be.I like Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn but they seem to move from one manic set piece to another in a trance and are not helped by a weak script.On the positive side the nativity play scene was mildly funny but it's just a shame the rest of the film was not of the same standard..
This time of year brings a few Holiday theme based movies, the first to arrive is "Four Christmases" a comedy about family ties and the Joy of the Christmas Holiday.
Vince Vaughn & Reese Witherspoon star as lovers Brad & Kate, whom visit their four dysfunctional families on Christmas Day due to the fact that their planned Christmas vacation to Fuji has been cancelled due to foggy weather conditions.
It is definitely not your average Christmas movie, but Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon did the best they could with it.
On Christmas they plan to travel to Fiji away from all their family members but when their flight gets canceled they decide to go visit their families instead, both their parents are divorced so they have 4 different places to visit on Christmas eve.The chemistry between Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon is great, I would have liked to see more movies with the two of them.
Its occasionally funny, Vince Vaughn was Jon Favreau give the biggest laughs in the movie when they are together there's solid comedy with them two buy the rest of the comedy is pretty mediocre, the story was simply and it entertains you quick I mean the films is only about 1 hour and 20 minutes.
Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon play a happily unmarried couple who are forced to spend Christmas with the families of their divorced parents...