Beyond Awful - Four Christmases (2008) Discussion

[–] chas437 14 years ago

Agreed. Why does Hollywood turn our this garbage? Is it for an increasingly dumbed-down audience? Is Hollywood that cynical about their audience or do they even care? Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn were very talented young actors. After sitting through half of this, I came away thinking maybe they are both approaching has-been status.

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[–] S-Man-Number-4 12 years ago

How the hell this film got a 5.6 is beyond me.
The audience today is friggin dumb these days.

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[–] sm-meehan 14 years ago

I stopped watching after an hour, but from these posts, it seems it managed to get worse.

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[–] jacalumna 14 years ago

This movie was annoying. More specifically, Vince Vaugn's character was a big and immature baby who does not deserve Kate. Halfway through, I was hoping that she would kick him to the curb already. Their family members are also very annoying and I can't even comprehend how the families could act and say some of the things they said. Talk about embarrassing and insensitive! But still, lying to their families about doing charity work when they're actually going on a vacation just to avoid them during the holidays is inexcusable. Why not just tell them the truth that they were going on vacation??? Booo!

As another commenter mentioned, I was appalled by the jumpy house scene... all those kids being super violent and then Reese's character going crazy get get back the "magic marker". Thumbs down.

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[–] gcronau 14 years ago

Agree with the OP. This is the worst piece of garbage that I've wasted my time on in a long time. My sister's family thought it was "A really funny movie". I got a hold of it and watched it with other family members. We were aghast.

Repellant characters treating each other in the worst possible ways. Maybe this is all "funny" to you if you also like the 3 stooges. I don't.

If I had brothers who, as adults, beat me up the way Vaughn's did, even when he told them to stop, I'd have them arrested, or shot in the head, or both.

The kids who completely ignored Witherspoon's character should have been all taken out and spanked.

Ugly characters treating each other badly. How does *anyone* think this is funny?

And the end, when Witherspoon's character "sees the light", and has a baby and now she's found her True Meaning of Life, and now life is well, is so sickeningly cliched it made me want to throw up.

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[–] jkettinger 14 years ago

I think the movie is highly underrated. It's not great, but there are enough hilarious moments to keep it going. Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau save it. With that said, I won't even watch the last 20 minutes of the movie because it's so bad. I always turn it off after they leave Vaughn's mom's house.

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[–] simba122504 13 years ago

It was okay. It could've been better and funnier. It damn sure isn't the worst film of all time or the worst film of the cast members careers.

Clark's destiny = Superman, Lex Luthor & Lois Lane.

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[–] Destroy_All_Humans 13 years ago

Not a single likable character in this movie. Every character was a turd. The kids were beyond awful.
What a piece of crap movie.

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[–] cbartal 13 years ago

You hated the movie. I understand and respect that.

But why does there need to be a likable character in a movie for it to be good?

Name a likable character in Raging Bull, or Goodfellas. If you think that ruthless mobsters are likable thats quite a trick. The characters in Goodfellas were interesting - not likable.

The same can be said for 4Xmistasses. The characters were not "likable", but Vaughn makes his every appearance interesting. That's the point, that's the hook. Vaughn can get a bit tiresome, I admit, especially if you don't credit his schtick... And he has a schtick... like Woody Allen. Woody is Woody, in every film. Vaughn is Vaughn.

I'm not saying that the movie was a classic, of course not.

But there were plenty of memorable scenes with Vaughn, Favreau and others.

If you want all likable characters, rent the Friends DVD.

Don't get me wrong, Friends is funny and well written, but there is little challenge there.

Movie characters don't need to be likable, they just need to have some compelling, illuminating moments.

But you didn't like it. I buy that.

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[–] kjsundstrom-839-771870 13 years ago

Movie characters don't necessarily have to be likable but you need to be able to form some sort of connection with them. Otherwise, what's the point in watching them if you don't care about them? In any case, this is a comedy - or at least, it tried to be - so I would venture that in this particular genre the characters actually do need to be likable. It's not a mob movie. It's supposed to be a feel good Christmas film and if it can't even get the audience to care about the protagonists, then it has epically failed in every way.

I wasn't even able to finish this movie. I watched about forty minutes of it and turned it off. One of the worst Christmas films (and worst films in general) that I've seen in recent years. Just terrible.

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[–] cbartal 13 years ago

Because it's called Four Christmasses you demand it be a Christmas movie? That's just wrong. Elf, a Favreau direction is a Christmas movie. Fred Claus is a Christmas movie. But Four Christmasses was never marketed as a Christmas movie. Have you seen the trailer? There was nothing sentimental or sappy about the trailer, and nothing sentimental or sappy (save the ending) was delivered.
Was Bad Santa a Christmas movie? It was a dark, cynical, depressing jaunt about a bunch of derelicts. But it had Santa in the title right? So it needed to espouse that heart warming, cozy Christmas feeling? Right? Wrong?

Sometimes cynicism during the holidays is fun, enlightening, sobering... et al. It all depends on the film.

There's a place out there for all types of films. Of course, if you go into a film expecting wishes and nuts and get if's and butts you will be disappointed. But this is Vince Vaughn, and the trailer was out there. You should do a bit of research before you see a movie if you are expecting a certain numbing feel good experience....

Goodfellas, right? Sounds like a movie about a bunch of Good Fellas. Bring the family, right? No, read the reviews, notice the director, the actors. It's not for the kids. It's about a bunch of ruthless, murderous, mobsters... But it's called Good Fellas? Can't I bring the kids? Come on...

I'm not telling you anything you don't know. It's Vince Vaughn, he's not in a Santa suit, the trailer was dark, cynical, and totally contrary to the cuddly Christmas feel. You know that.

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[–] kjsundstrom-839-771870 13 years ago

Uh, okay... so you're saying a movie revolving around Christmas... released at Christmas... with a bunch of Christmas music in it... doesn't necessarily have to actually be a Christmas movie? I'm not following you. Four Christmases was definitely marketed as a Christmas film. I've seen the trailer. It's way funnier than the actual movie. I noticed the cynicism was largely left out too. And unless we're talking about different films, it was most certainly made to to look like a holiday movie. Not to mention, it also plays up the whole family-is-important schtick quite a bit which would lead me to believe it was trying to be a "feel good" film at the end of the day.

Your whole titles-don't-neccesarily-reflect-the-tone-of-the-film thing isn't really relevant here and doesn't add much to your argument. And I don't see why just because it has Vince Vaughn that should indicate that it's a "dark" film.

In fact, nothing in your post really makes sense.

This trailer looked dark, cynical and contrary to the Christmas feel to you?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8nzbUR9dgI

I'm not saying you're wrong about dark comedies being fun, even holiday ones. I liked Bad Santa a lot. But scolding me for interpreting a movie called "Four Christmases" to be a Christmas comedy is just... stupid.

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[–] cbartal 13 years ago

Jeez, I don't know what I am saying. Christmas in the title, it's Christmas time, I'll give you all that.

Maybe it was a Christmas movie. Maybe it was marketed that way. Maybe much of my point was misguided. But what I remember from my alchohol soaked perspective and response at the time was that I was mostly retorting to your point that there were no likable or redeeming characters in the movie. I guess I was more railing against the tired old arguments that I read on IMDB over and over again that a film cannot be likeable or redeeming if there is not a likeable or redeeming character in the film.

If I'm not mistaken, that was a big point in your initial post.

But we both know that there are countless movies that are wonderful that have no redeeming characters, right?

Four Christmasses is a let down, I would agree. Posts above and below us are adding their one cent as we speak.

So I'm not saying it is a masterpiece. I think it pretty much failed. But there are a few inspired moments, and they are Vaughn-Favreau genius moments. Vaughn and Favreau always raise the ante for the rest of the cast.

I think I was railing against the "Likable" invective. I think.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, anyway.

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[–] irisheleven 13 years ago

Worst movie I have ever seen. What a waste of great actors.

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