MovieChat Forums > Four Christmases (2008) Discussion > What exactly is the moral of the story??...

What exactly is the moral of the story???

posted 15 years ago by rrodr038
22 replies | jump to latest

So, at the beginning of the film (or very early on), we learn 2 things about Reese and Vinces' characters:
1) They don't like spending time with their families
2) They are afraid of any constraints or restrictions caused by significant commitments to each other.

It would have made much more sense if the hour or so that we invested in the middle, while they are traveling to these "Four Christmases", made significant changes in the characters that could be seen.

But at the end of the movie, we learn:
1) Neither Reese nor Vince's family has seen Reese in at least 6 months (condidering that they would be "surprised" that she was even pregnant.
2) We see nothing, other than Vince's hokey, rambling speech and the fact that they had a baby, that shows that they are more committed to each other.

I just thought it was terrible story-telling with not much resolution.

Furthermore, this story had nothing to do with Christmas. They could have called it Four Thanksgivings or Four Easters and would have had to eliminate/change maybe 10 minutes of the movie.

This movie was terrible from the start and must have written and directed by a chimp.

Sorry.

[–] mrsbookbabe 15 years ago

This movie was a huge disappointment to me. Reese Witherspoon is very pretty, but she went through this entire movie looking confused -- perhaps she was looking for a coherent script and obviously could not find one. Vince Vaughan was trying hard, but it was just not funny. With the cast they had, it should have been a great movie. I think the problem was the writing was just not funny. It was mean spirited and depressing. Whoever wrore this should definitely give up their day job and try to find something constructive to do that does not have anything to do with writing.

[–] C.S.Wood 15 years ago

What exactly is the moral of the story???

The moral of every story like this, being that when a woman wants a man to change he had better change no matter how dead set he was against it or how miserable it will eventually make him feel.

I've seen worse, but I really hate how the couple has a pretty fun and carefree relationship at the start, then as soon as she sees her guy holding a baby, even though she has made it pretty damn clear she never wanted a baby up to that point, she must now have a baby and he must now, also, want a baby too or the relationship is over.

Now, if the man was the one who came up with the idea to have a baby he would be the bad guy trying to control a woman's body and she'd go after someone else.

Why the hell would they go through the trouble of establishing they have a good relationship without marriage or babies only to turn around and make it seem like they have a horrible relationship if they don't make a baby in the next 5 minutes? All the people they hate or avoid being around is/was married or has crying babies that throw up, which they were both repulsed by! Why would they suddenly want that? IT MAKES NO SENSE!

http://stuffblackpeopledig.wordpress.com/

[–] love_elway 15 years ago

First, it is a comedy. Don't dig too deep.

Second, the discovery is that they realize by being with the families through the day that they were missing something. Despite their "commitment" to one another they didn't really know each other. They had played around and had a lot of fun. Being forced to see their families and face their pasts has an impact on them. She sees him with a baby and it spurs a desire in her to build a family. She sees him as the guy to do that with. He doesn't want to commit to that. He wants to keep having fun. Not until he goes to his Dad's does he realize that he will be letting go of something that is way to good to give up. Clearly one day to go through all this decision making and emotion is a stretch but that is what we call in the business, "the suspension of disbelief". Clearly every action movie we watch needs that to really be good.

Third, the joke is at the end that despite appreciating the need for a commitment to each other doesn't mean they want to spend any more time with those crazies they went through that Christmas. Humor!

That is a short synopsis, but remember just a movie and a comedy. I appreciate that people have an opinion and don't like movies though.

[–] C.S.Wood 15 years ago

the discovery is that they realize by being with the families through the day that they were missing something. Despite their "commitment" to one another they didn't really know each other. They had played around and had a lot of fun. Being forced to see their families and face their pasts has an impact on them. She sees him with a baby and it spurs a desire in her to build a family.

I agree with you. They didn't know each other that well and being with their families brought that out.

So how does having a baby make any sense?

http://stuffblackpeopledig.wordpress.com/

[–] Profondorosso75 14 years ago

@love_elway

well said, I was going to post almost exactly the same reply. incidentally I am a man and I am dead set against getting married and never want to have children. Two of my long term relationships have ended for that very reason. that did not make me like the movie or the ending any less. I don't really search for realism or accuracy or philosophy in a comedy. to me this was a movie designed be funny predominantly and slip in a subtle message at the end without being ham-handed, I think it delivered. If my jaded, miserable, cynical ass can enjoy a movie like this anybody can.

"Google me bitch! I might be famous one day."

[–] sonyab1974 15 years ago

The moral of every story like this, being that when a woman wants a man to change he had better change no matter how dead set he was against it or how miserable it will eventually make him feel.
=============================================================
No she didn't want him to change. She was hoping they were on the same page. She changed. She wanted a baby and she wanted to get married.

she must now have a baby and he must now, also, want a baby too or the relationship is over.
===================================================
Well how can they have a relationship when one person wants something and the other doesn't? You can't! :) She wanted a baby and he didn't. I don't see how a relationship like that can last.

[–] thefanoffilms 15 years ago

I agree with OP. Nobody is different at the end than they are at the begining. Nobody changed! It feels like a big waste of time. lol

[–] mrsbookbabe 15 years ago

The moral of the story is that you can get several really experienced great actors together and make a totally stupid and not in the least entertaining movie. And they all got paid for this unfunny comedy.

[–] thefanoffilms 15 years ago

And it's the audience who suffers. lol

[–] Phanatic77 15 years ago

Well.... it could have been worse..

Let me remind you... Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew M. in Failure to Launch.. More like Failure to be a movie.

You'd think that Vince and Reese are badly matched in terms of chemistry..., but the latter... Oooooohhh Phhhewwwww!!

[–] McEwansExported 15 years ago

Don't be so cruel to the chimps!

Looking at the writers, it appears that this is really the only thing they have done. Here's hoping it stays that way.

[–] thefanoffilms 15 years ago

here, here.

[–] sonyab1974 15 years ago

What is the moral of the story?! Not to visit family during Chrimstas. ROFL! I don't know. :) Does the movie really need one? :) I just saw the movie for the first time today and I loved it. Sorry. :)

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] saintpaulia 15 years ago

People can`t change - maybe that`s the moral of the story. And it`s even more realistic than the usual romantic ending of such movies. I am fed up with those movies where various adventurers, egoists or pure idiots (both male and female) turn into loving and caring family individuals over night. But I agree that this ending could be better, too. Especially because it`s quite sad for a light-hearted comedy.

[–] newsfop 13 years ago

I think the message changes its mind partway through, so that's why it seems confusing. I originally thought it was about how a happy couple forced to deal with the families they tried so hard to escape would overcome unthinkable odds and cause way for others to see value in their choices that differ from the rote script of life. However, it chickens out and pushes the two apart rather than closer together. The ending was contrived and made little sense. If they did indeed make peace with their families, it's obvious they didn't spend that following Christmas with them or else it would have been painfully apparent that Kate was pregnant. So what it all boils down to is if your time felt wasted with this crap, it probably was. I know I felt cheated by the story. I'm adamantly child-free, and I despised the way this thing ended up.