But as syrup and cynicism congeal into one painful clot, there is never any doubt that this is a major studio's crack at the Yuletide market.
Comment
11/28/08
Four Christmases (2008)
25
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:138
Fresh:35
Rotten:103
Average Rating:4.3/10
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
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Reviews for Four Christmases
It’s not a classic, but it is the best seasonal comedy Hollywood has given us in years, so thanks!
11/28/08
Witherspoon and Vaughn are physically ill-matched. She has never looked tinier, while the always gigantic Vaughn has put on so much weight that I half-expected the big plot revelation to be that he'd eaten her twin sister.
11/28/08
This bit of festive froth is nothing original but it delivers enough moments to make you smile.
11/28/08
Vaughn overcompensates with wild expressions as the film shifts from occasionally funny to smutty to sentimental.
11/28/08
A laboured romp.
11/28/08
A fabulous cast is thrown away on forced gags; still, by the genre's standards the message is interestingly complex and ambivalent – pro-family, naturally, but with such qualifications that you almost feel it's sincere.
11/28/08
Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon play the leads. Do they convince as lawyers or lovers? No. Do they convince as space aliens trying to infiltrate the human race? Yes.
11/28/08
Average family comedy that's saved by likeable performances from Vaughn and Witherspoon, though it bungles its emotional finale and feels a little flat as a result.
11/28/08
This film is too fragmented to ever come together. Although terrific actors and some serious subtext make it enjoyable.
11/28/08
Seems intent on being as generic and lowbrow as possible, with broad slapstick emphasized over witty dialogue or interesting characters.
11/27/08
Top CriticDirector Seth Gordon's debut feature is a mutant meringue of a movie, with the sugar icing oddly squashed beneath the bitter lemon filling curdling on top. The result is an unpleasant goo that's neither sweet nor sour.
11/27/08
Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon can't bring this Yuletide comedy home, but without their chemistry and respective personalities it would be dire.
11/27/08
What a horrible little movie.
11/26/08
Witherspoon and Vaughn, for their part, fail to exhibit any sign that they met before shooting day -- let alone are playing characters who have dated for three years.
11/26/08
The trailer focuses almost exclusively on broad, physical comedy sure to draw the yahoo crowd but not necessarily anyone else. A more representative trailer, on the other hand, would have revealed a movie that's actually worth seeing.
11/26/08
We've enjoyed their cocky selfishness; just as much, we bask in schadenfreude when they get guilted into making the familial trail of tears.
11/26/08
The film is not a memorable Christmas present for viewers. But it's no lump of coal either. It's passable entertainment with just enough good laughs to make it worthwhile.
11/26/08
Four Christmases is two Christmases too many. Two I could survive. But four of them? Nah. Call me Scrooge. Bah humbug.
11/26/08
Delightful apart but deadly together, Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn look, throughout Four Christmases, as if they just want to get this thing over with.
11/26/08
Latest 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...
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