It is the holiday season, so Christmas films are filling our televisions with joy and cheer!
Any movie with a Christmas storyline automatically faces many limitations. The setting has to be around December, usually with winter weather, and there has to be an element of overcoming adversity in order to enjoy the most magical day of the year. Seth Gordon's Four Christmases starring Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn definitely succumbs to the boundaries of the genre, but manages to create a film which delves into the pressure that relationships suffer from during Christmas.
Brad (Vaughn) and Kate (Witherspoon) are a couple who do everything together! They go on holidays, couples massages, dancing lessons...they even skip Christmas with each other. Every year they concoct a plan to avoid dealing with their complicated families, and fly off to some tropical island to wait out the season. However, their plans go awry when their flight is cancelled and their families see them on the news still in the country, now Brad and Kate are forced to spend Christmas visiting all four of their divorced parents.
Initially emerging as a comedy, the film develops into a more intricate exploration of the family unit. Kate struggles with her issues over parenthood, while Brad has to face the prospect of finally growing up emotionally.
A half-decent Christmas film that avoids the typical clichés, and there are some slapstick moments which are hilarious. Worth a watch on a lazy Sunday!
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