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Movies / On DVD / Surviving Christmas
Surviving Christmas

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Surviving Christmas (2004)

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Reviews Counted:108

Fresh:8

Rotten:100

Average Rating:3/10

Consensus: Surviving Christmas is unpleasant characters attacking each other for 90 minutes before delivering a typical, hollow anti-consumerist message

Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for sexual content, language and a brief drug reference

Runtime: 2 hrs 10 mins

Genre: Comedies

Theatrical Release:Oct 22, 2004 Wide

Box Office: $11,198,345

Synopsis: Academy Award® winner Ben Affleck ("Good Will Hunting"), Emmy winner James Gandolfini (TV’s "The Sopranos") and Christina Applegate ("View From the Top," TV’s "Married With Children") star in the... Academy Award® winner Ben Affleck ("Good Will Hunting"), Emmy winner James Gandolfini (TV’s "The Sopranos") and Christina Applegate ("View From the Top," TV’s "Married With Children") star in the comedy "Surviving Christmas." Facing another Christmas alone, Drew Latham (Ben Affleck) decides to go back to his idyllic childhood home to spend the holidays with family. There is, however, one problem: the people living there now are not Drew’s family. Nevertheless, Drew has his mind set on an old-fashioned family Christmas, and the fact that the "family" in question, the Valcos, are complete strangers, isn’t about to put a crimp in his plans. Offering them a small fortune, Drew bribes his newfound "parents" (James Gandolfini and Catherine O’Hara) to let him spend Christmas in their home, pretending to be part of the family. Just when the Valcos begin to question if any amount of money is worth being dragged all over town on such traditional family holiday excursions as Christmas shopping and the requisite choosing of the Christmas tree, their eldest daughter Alicia (Christina Applegate) comes home for the holidays, with no intention of adopting a new "brother." "Surviving Christmas" is directed by Mike Mitchell from a screenplay by Deborah Kaplan & Harry Elfont and Jeffrey Ventimilia & Joshua Sternin, from a story by Deborah Kaplan & Harry Elfont. The film is produced by Jenno Topping and Betty Thomas, with Patricia Whitcher serving as executive producer. [More]

Starring: Ben Affleck, James Gandolfini, Christina Applegate, Catherine O'Hara

Starring: Ben Affleck, James Gandolfini, Christina Applegate, Catherine O'Hara, Josh Zuckerman, Bill Macy

Director: Mike Mitchell

Director: Mike Mitchell
Screenwriter: Deborah Kaplan, Harry Elfont
Producer: Betty Thomas, Jenno Topping
Composer: Randy Edelman
Studio: DreamWorks Distribution LLC

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Dec 21, 2004

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Reviews for Surviving Christmas

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101 - 108 (sorted by date)
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Just when you're about to dismiss Affleck and his over-the-top demeanor, the story starts to click. A movie I thought I was going to hate turned into a nice little treat.

Full Review Source: Internet Reviews | comment Comment
10/20/04
Steve Rhodes
Steve Rhodes
Internet Reviews

Christina Applegate has an amazing gift for being neck deep in cinematic manure without actually getting any of it on her.

Full Review Source: SPLICEDWire | comment Comment
10/20/04
Rob Blackwelder
Rob Blackwelder
SPLICEDWire

I survived this.

Full Review Source: FilmsInReview.com | comment Comment
10/20/04
Victoria Alexander
Victoria Alexander
FilmsInReview.com

Makes Son in Law seem like Sam Shepard.

Full Review Source: New Times | comment Comment
10/20/04
Gregory Weinkauf
Gregory Weinkauf
New Times

IF Hans Blix is still searching for bombs, he should check out Surviving Christmas, a crass, shrill and laughless disaster of a holiday comedy with a desperately mugging Ben Affleck that should be banned under the Geneva Convention.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
10/20/04
Lou Lumenick
Lou Lumenick
New York Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Rarely has a happy ending felt less like a gift freely given or truly earned.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
10/20/04
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Has its respective merits, but this is one festive occasion that desperately needed another rewrite.

Full Review Source: DustinPutman.com | comment Comment
10/20/04
Dustin Putman
Dustin Putman
DustinPutman.com

This ghastly comedy emits the subliminal whine of a sucking chest wound.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
10/19/04
Jessica Winter
Jessica Winter
Village Voice
 
 
101 - 108 (sorted by date)
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Latest News for Surviving Christmas

October 17, 2007: Total Recall: Ben (Affleck's) Bits
In Gone Baby Gone, Ben Affleck directs younger brother Casey in a mystery surrounding the case of a missing Boston girl. In the spirit of Total Recall, we decided to take a look... More...

March 12, 2007: Ben Affleck Goes Straight to Video With "Man About Town"
Okay, we all knew Ben Affleck was having some problems, and earned a few Razzie nominations several years in a row, but he's still a movie star. Could it really have gotten to... More...

December 15, 2005: Critical Consensus: A Sly "Family Stone," A Towering "Kong"
This week at the movies, we have a giant ape {"King Kong"} and some yuletide dramedy ("The Family Stone"). Will the critics go bananas for these flicks? More...

October 25, 2005: "Sky High" Director to Helm "Claus" Comedy
The Hollywood Reporter brings news of a new holiday-themed comedy from Mike Mitchell, director of "Sky High." It's about Santa's disgruntled older brother, and it's... More...

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