Take a smattering of Hollywood superstars, mix well with an $80million budget and sprinkle with a festive sound track and see what you get.
Unfortunately in this case, it’s a slightly underwhelming and weak Christmas film. A writers strike and an (allegedly) unsettled cast didn’t help matters, but it is what it is.
The plot – unspoilt
The movie’s two main characters are couple Brad and Kate, played by Vince Vaughn and Reece Witherspoon. They both come from dysfunctional families each with divorced parents. Rather than have to visit their families at Christmas, they use the pretence that they are carrying out charity work while in fact they fly out on exotic holidays.
However, this year will be different. With inclement weather forcing them to cancel their exotic holiday plans, an unfortunate interview with a news crew at the airport sees their image beamed across TV screens across the country. So with their families now aware that they are available, they set about having to visit all four sets of parents.
Unfortunately, it’s all a bit slap-dash and not very festive. Granted, Christmas films don’t have to be Christmassy (see Die Hard), but this has very few redeeming features.
Yes there’s a few points which may raise a smile or a giggle, but the script is just uninteresting. I missed this at the cinema and so bought it on DVD upon its release – it has been viewed just the once.
Rating
Proof if ever it were needed that big budget and big cast does not result in guaranteed success. Well, unless you’re an accountant, in which case the $163+ gross it brought in at the Box Office would bring a warm smile to your face. The soundtrack is a redeeming feature, and possibly worthy buying on CD of iTunes. The rest of it though…well, don’t watch it if you’re tired, unless you want to speed up the path to sleepdom.