Four Christmases

In filmmaker Seth Gordon's so-so holiday comedy, Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon play selfish unmarried lovers Brad and Kate, who duck their annual seasonal responsibilities by telling family members that they're doing charity work at Christmastime, when they're actually vacationing in tropical resorts. After their cover story is blown (the pair are filmed by a TV crew when their flight is cancelled), Brad and Kate reluctantly agree to visit all four of their respective divorced parents in one day. Of course, spending the holiday with their patently dysfunctional families becomes an ordeal for the couple, while also revealing some uncomfortable truths each has kept from the other. Robert Duvall and Sissy Spacek play Brad's parents, while Jon Voight and Mary Steenburgen appear as Kate's, with other members of the surprisingly high-powered cast including Jon Favreau, Kristin Chenoweth, and Dwight Yoakam. Unfortunately, the actors are undermined by a predictable script that relies heavily on comedy built around embarrassment (babies vomit on Kate, Brad's cage-fighter siblings viciously attack him for no reason in their dad's living room, etc.). Vaughn's manic improvisational style doesn't work as well here as it did in Wedding Crashers, and his chemistry with Witherspoon is practically nonexistent. Four Christmases isn't a total disaster, but it's undeniably disappointing given the array of talent involved. Optional. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a bonus digital copy of the film (the DVD also features both the widescreen and full screen versions). Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is a “Behind the Madness” behind-the-scenes featurette (13 min.), a featurette on cast “Holiday Moments” (11 min.), “Seven Layer Holiday Meals” with celebrity cook Paula Deen and costar Katy Mixon (10 min.), additional scenes (9 min.), a gag reel (3 min.), and the BD-Live function. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a so-so holiday flick.] (E. Hulse)