johnlink ranks FOUR CHRISTMASES (2008)
Had a wonderful Christmsa Eve at the in-laws (yeah, Wii!). As part of the festivities we threw in a Christmas movie I had yet to see. I remember watching bits of this at work, and thinking what I saw was fairly funny. But my expectations weren’t through the roof.
I watched FOUR CHRISTMASES (2008) on 12.2.4.09. It was my first viewing of the film.
NOTE: THIS RANKING UTILIZES THIS SITE’S ORIGINAL SYSTEMIC ARTICLE WRITING METHOD. THE METHOD BY WHICH THE RANKINGS WERE ARRIVED AT, HOWEVER, REMAIN THE SAME.
FILM
While this is a feel good film, the theme is fairly low-impact. Ultimately, the message is that it is okay to string someone along and hope for the best. Not exactly IT’S A WONDEFUL LIFE. The shooting is mostly generic too. The shots in the car with Vince Vaughan and Reese Witherspoon are some of the most unimaginative scenes I’ve viewed all year. Fairly weak stuff. SCORE: 3
MOVIE
So they go to Four different Christmases, and some segments are better then others. Vaughan’s father’s place is very funny, Witherspoon’s mom’s place is cliche and unfunny, Vaughn’s mother is pedestrian, and Witherspoon’s dad’s place (with Jon Voight as her Dad) is simple yet touching. Overall, this was an inconsistent comedy where the situations never felt fully motivated. SCORE: 6
ACTING
The parents are mostly good. Robert Duvall and Sissy Spacek are both good as Vince Vaughan’s folks. Duvall’s family (including Tim McGraw and Jon Favreau) is certainly fun to watch. Witherspoon’s mom, Mary Steenburgen, suffers from poor writing. As I mentioned above, I think Voight is the best of them all. The big problem here is that there is little chemistry between the two leads. Their banter never felt all that connected. Both of them have worked in much more inspired films. SCORE: 4
WRITING
Again, pretty average. I found the writing inconsistent and generally lacking of any important themes. This was a fun enough movie to pass a night, but I wouldn’t call it memorable or exceptional, nor would I call it a debacle. The script certainly didn’t inspire me. SCORE: 4
FINAL TALLY:
FILM: 3; MOVIE: 6; ACTING: 4; WRITING: 4
3+6+4+4+0= 17
FINAL SCORE: 4.25
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