You can see most of the big slapstick set-pieces looming long before they hit but there are a few smaller routines that pack a punch just because they have an unexpectedly manic tilt to them.
Comment
12/08/08
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.
Runtime: 88 mins
Genre: Comedies
US 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
Reviews for Four Christmases
1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating; Australian critics are listed first)
Top CriticFilled with 'hilarious' scenes of people being vomited on and falling off roofs, Four Holidays tries to meld nasty, black-hued comedy with warm sentiment, resulting in a sick melange of treacle and malice.
12/04/08
Top CriticProjectile baby vomiting is a recurring gag. I cried mistletoe well before the film was halfway through.
12/12/08
Top CriticAn imperfect storm of horrible writing, awkward casting and questionable taste gathers soon after the opening credits and dumps downpours of buzz-killing humour at depressingly regular intervals.
12/04/08
Top CriticA top cast just manages to keep Four Holidays afloat but the script offers too few laughs, and slapstick turns to schmaltz before we've had enough Christmas Cheer.
12/01/08
Top CriticIt’s not a classic, but it is the best seasonal comedy Hollywood has given us in years, so thanks!
11/28/08
Four Christmases is refreshingly tart and lean, forgoing the usual schmaltz and syrup of the season.
11/26/08
Top CriticWe'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
It certainly won't be your favorite present under the tree this Christmas, but it should provide just the diversion you're looking for.
11/25/08
There's always the underlying feeling that what you're seeing is eerily familiar.
11/26/08
The cynicism may not hold up as we get closer to the holiday itself, but with a little distance between us and the reason for the season, they did make me laugh.
11/26/08
Surprisingly deft and sometimes hilarious.
11/26/08
A holiday comedy that goes down with ease, avoids insulting one's intelligence, and doesn't leave you wanting to shoot your eye out with a Red Ryder.
11/25/08
There are far worse ways of kicking yourself into the holiday spirit than this inventive variation on the Meet the Parents formula.
11/25/08
I hope I meet a girl who can keep up with me like Reese Witherspoon. Not a blonde though. Sorry, not my type.
11/30/08
A hilarious comedy about the stress, the embarrassments, the squabbling, and the lessons learned on visits to our families during the holidays.
11/23/08
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.
12/09/08
A good start to the holiday season.
12/05/08
Top CriticIt's certainly better than Vaughn's stinker of last holiday season, Fred Claus, but still falls well short of the top tier of dysfunctional holiday movie classics.
11/25/08
Very funny, very touching, and very real, and it's not too hard to believe that, though it might not be remembered as a classic, it'll become a holiday favorite for many.
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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