This is marginally better than most, with a few offbeat comic ideas, a reliably droll performance from Vaughn, and, as the parents, four watchable old troupers in search of a fat paycheck.
Comment
12/09/08
Four Christmases (2008)
19
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:26
Fresh:5
Rotten:21
Average Rating:4/10
Consensus: Despite a strong cast, this sour holiday comedy suffers from a hackneyed script.
Theatrical Release:Nov 26, 2008 Wide
Box Office: $120,136,047
Synopsis: Documentarian Seth Gordon (THE KING OF KONG: A FISTFUL OF QUARTERS) makes his feature film directorial debut with FOUR CHRISTMASES. Kate (Reese Witherspoon) and Brad (Vince Vaughn) are a happily... [More]
Starring: Vince Vaughn, Reese Witherspoon, Robert Duvall, Jon Favreau
Director: Seth Gordon
Get This Movie
Rent DVD
Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.
Buy DVD
Reviews for Four Christmases
Top CriticGordon's stars are charmless, his script cheerless, and his sterling supporting cast can't seem to figure out what they've been brought on board to do.
12/02/08
Top CriticDidn’t quite get over the hump.
12/02/08
Top CriticOh, the hilarity of hating your family at the holidays.
12/02/08
Top CriticSeems intent on being as generic and lowbrow as possible, with broad slapstick emphasized over witty dialogue or interesting characters.
11/27/08
Top CriticFour Christmases is refreshingly tart and lean, forgoing the usual schmaltz and syrup of the season.
11/26/08
Top CriticThe difference between the average unfunny comedy and this one is the difference between Grandpa telling you knock-knock jokes and Grandpa telling you knock-knock jokes with his bathrobe open as his hand creeps up your thigh.
11/26/08
Top CriticThink of it as fun tear-away wrapping on what's essentially a boring pair of socks.
11/26/08
Top CriticIt really needs to be stamped Don't Open Until DVD.
11/26/08
Top CriticIt's Four Christmases in need of a wedding, or maybe a funeral.
11/26/08
Top CriticOne and a half Christmases is about all that's worth celebrating in Four Christmases.
11/26/08
Top CriticTo brand, then dismiss, Four Christmases as a disappointment would be giving it too much credit -- never, for a second, did this New Line Cinema cast-off scream or even whisper decent in the run-up to its opening.
11/26/08
Top CriticSeveral maraschino cherries short of a fruitcake.
11/26/08
Top CriticHo, ho, ho? No, no, no.
11/26/08
Top CriticThis being a Christmas comedy of sorts, it demands a happy ending of sorts. And a moral too.
11/26/08
Top CriticThat's funny?
11/26/08
Top CriticWhen will filmmakers learn that if you start with Bad Santa and finish with It's a Wonderful Life, you just end up with curdled eggnog?
11/26/08
Top CriticThe acrid, wince-worthy Four Christmases may well be part of the war on Christmas Bill O'Reilly's always fog-horning about. Christmas and Christianity will survive it. But barely.
11/26/08
Top CriticIn the end, a musty procreation moral is left to push forth this flimsy plot -- and that's neither original nor particularly funny.
11/25/08
Top CriticIt's four home-for-the-holidays comedies in one, and the variety-pack structure works for the movie: Each nightmare household has a wacked flavor all its own, and none wears out its welcome.
11/25/08
Top CriticLatest News for Four Christmases
November 30, 2008:
Box Office Guru Wrapup: Four Christmases has a lot to be thankful for this weekend
Four Christmases had a sensational Thanksgiving weekend in the number one spot. Bolt picked up the pace while the sun started to set on Twilight. More...
November 28, 2008:
UK Critics Consensus: Local Critics Warm To Changeling; De Niro Delights But What Just Happened Doesn't
It's Friday, there's a new raft of movies in the UK cinemas this week, but are any of them any good? This week the UK film hacks give us their opinions on Clint Eastwood's... More...
November 26, 2008:
Box Office Guru Preview: Vince & Reese Offer Holiday Cheer
The Thanksgiving holiday weekend sees a wide variety of films in the multiplexes giving all kinds of moviegoers something to see over the extended five-day session. Leading the... More...
November 25, 2008:
Critics Consensus: Four Christmases Gets Coal
This week at the movies, we've got yuletide yucks (Four Christmases, starring Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon), an epic from Down Under (Australia, starring Nicole Kidman and... More...
RT On Current TV
What’s Hot On RT
Fresh Links
Featured
Wes Anderson on Fox 
The director talks about puppetry perfection and his film, Fantastic Mr. Fox
Animated Oscar?
Hollywood.com ponders whether or not an animated film could win Best Picture.
TIME's Holiday Movie Preview
Richard Corliss previews the season's best offerings and hottest tickets.
Scenic Routes
The AV Club's Mike D'Angelo airs his beefs with Alfonso Cuaron's Children of Men.
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!
IGN RSS Feeds