Four Christmases (2008)

25% of critics liked it
(142 reviews)
52% of users liked it
(242,786 ratings)

A crafty couple run the Christmas Day gauntlet by racing to visit their divorced parents' four separate households in this Vince Vaughn/Reese Witherspoon comedy that proves the holidays are no time for relaxing. Brad (Vaughn) and Kate (Witherspoon) have made something of an art form out of avoiding… More A crafty couple run the Christmas Day gauntlet by racing to visit their divorced parents' four separate households in this Vince Vaughn/Reese Witherspoon comedy that proves the holidays are no time for relaxing. Brad (Vaughn) and Kate (Witherspoon) have made something of an art form out of avoiding their families during the holidays, but this year their foolproof plan is about go bust -- big time. Stuck at the city airport after all departing flights are canceled, the couple is embarrassed to see their ruse exposed to the world by an overzealous television reporter. Now, Brad and Kate are left with precious little choice other than to swallow their pride and suffer the rounds. Along the way, they perform in a church nativity play at the behest of Kate's mother's (Mary Steenburgen) pushy pastor Phil (Dwight Yoakam), contend with Brad's gruff father, Howard (Robert Duvall), and bullying brothers, Dallas (Jon Favreau) and Denver (Tim McGraw) -- a pair of trained UFC fighters -- and pay a visit to Brad's spacy, New Age mother, Paula (Sissy Spacek), who recently made waves in the family circle by marrying her son's childhood friend. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 29 min.
Directed By: Seth Gordon
Written By: Matt Allen, Caleb Wilson
Genres: Comedy

In Theaters: Nov 26, 2008 Wide
On DVD: Nov 24, 2009
Studio: New Line Cinema

Critic Reviews

J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader
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.
Bob Mondello, NPR
Gordon's stars are charmless, his script cheerless, and his sterling supporting cast can't seem to figure out what they've been brought on board to do.
Ben Mankiewicz, At the Movies
Didn't quite get over the hump.
Ben Lyons, At the Movies
Oh, the hilarity of hating your family at the holidays.
Eric D. Snider, Film.com
Seems intent on being as generic and lowbrow as possible, with broad slapstick emphasized over witty dialogue or interesting characters.
A.O. Scott, New York Times
Four Christmases is refreshingly tart and lean, forgoing the usual schmaltz and syrup of the season.
Kevin Carr, 7M Pictures
At its heart, this is a romantic comedy, and it plays out like one. So if you don't want any cheer or hope in your Christmas movies, you'll want to skip this one.
Joshua Starnes, ComingSoon.net
It's too sparse in the comedy to be really successful--every good joke is in the commercials--but it's got some heart and that counts for something.
William Goss, Cinematical
Maybe if Four Christmases had extended itself beyond white trash targets and projectile vomiting, we could've been talking about a new Christmas classic right now.
Mike Scott, Times-Picayune
Movie-goers heading to see the romantic comedy Four Christmases might want comedy, Christmas cheer and chemistry, but nobody gets everything on his wish list.
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
None of it works, including Witherspoon and Vaughn. (Blu-ray Edition)
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
How many Academy Award winners can a studio put in one cast and still turn out a bad movie?
Sonny Bunch, Washington Times
Although not a yuletide classic, Four Christmases is better than most of the holiday-oriented slop put out in recent years.
Maitland McDonagh, Miss FlickChick
For all of its snarky holiday/family bashing, Four Christmases wimps out in the third act and reaffirms all the traditional values it affects to mock.
Jolene Mendez, Entertainment Spectrum
Maybe catch one of the other hundred holiday films to be offered over the next few weeks and wait for Four Christmases to come to your local Red Box.
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
Grows tired long before the end credits start rolling at the 80-minute mark.
Andrea Chase, Killer Movie Reviews
There is no spark to the humor, there is no warmth to the drama. There is a tired plot that whips the essence of every Christmas movie ever made into a dreary slog
Karina Montgomery, Cinerina
Feels like they wanted to make 5 different holiday movies and couldn't decide which plot line was best, so they rolled them all together, glossing over everything.
Evan Williams, The Australian
Projectile baby vomiting is a recurring gag. I cried mistletoe well before the film was halfway through.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
Feels both too cluttered and too safe.

Read all 20 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Featured Audience Ratings

Phil H

This actually isn't too bad, I thought it would be a horrible mess of cuddly, kissing family fun but its quite dark in places and pretty funny in others. Its not GREAT but its certainly one of Mr Vaughan's better films recently, Witherspoon is just annoying as usual. It… More
This actually isn't too bad, I thought it would be a horrible mess of cuddly, kissing family fun but its quite dark in places and pretty funny in others. Its not GREAT but its certainly one of Mr Vaughan's better films recently, Witherspoon is just annoying as usual. It starts off well when they both visit Robert Duvall (Vaughan's dad) and wreck the house, then the next stop after that where Vaughan's old school buddy is screwing his mum LOL! probably the best scenes are there. The third stop at Witherspoons mum is also good, where all the women in the house (granny n all) seem to be sexually active towards Vaughan hahahaha After that it does go down hill fast and very predictable towards the soft cuddly ending, shame cos it really kicks off as a 'National Lampoon' style fun film....not bad stuff.
Sophie B

A bit of a laugh but way too predictable and nothing special.
Candy R

Good rom com about a perfect couple who enjoy spending time with each other and not their families. They both come from broken divorced families and are forced to spend Christmas with each family member when their flight to Fiji is cancelled. Good cast.
Shawn E

Christmas muck that lacks both comedy and chemistry.
Brad W

The first 3 christmases are hilarious, then it goes down hill from there. Vince Vaughn is hilarious, and works in his own way. Reece Witherspoon is boring, she brought nothing funny to the table. The plot is interesting surprisingly, and thats weird seeing as though thats the last… More
The first 3 christmases are hilarious, then it goes down hill from there. Vince Vaughn is hilarious, and works in his own way. Reece Witherspoon is boring, she brought nothing funny to the table. The plot is interesting surprisingly, and thats weird seeing as though thats the last thing we get in Vaughn movies. I watch this every christmas since it came out, and I laugh every time, for the first half.
Spencer S

Haphazard comedy, mostly physical, and very much based on cultural faux pas and the gross factor.
Richard C

B-
Jeff "

Terrible film, Vince Vaughn is the master of bad comedis in his own right.
Alexis N

hysterical... i love christmas movies.
Red L

The idea is great - a film about a couple visiting four sets of parents - all on Christmas day. But, unless you are a fan of Vince Vaughn, it is not that funny. Also it is difficult to feel Vince and Reese Witherspoon as a couple.
Cassie H

Cute movie, not the greatest, but cute.
Mark H

After their flight is canceled, a happily unmarried couple is forced to spend Christmas with each of their four parents, all in one day. Mayhem ensues. The story has some humorous moments here and there, but this material is way below the best work of actors Robert Duvall, Sissy… More
After their flight is canceled, a happily unmarried couple is forced to spend Christmas with each of their four parents, all in one day. Mayhem ensues. The story has some humorous moments here and there, but this material is way below the best work of actors Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Jon Voight and Mary Steenburgen who play the respective parents. Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon are a funny couple, however, and they make the most of the episodic script. Enough laughs to make this a mildly diverting holiday movie.
Roy G

Witherspoon works hard to convince us otherwise, but this is a miscast mess. Definitely a turkey rather than a Christmas pudding.
KJ P

It was really funny, but that's about it!
Dean M

Vince Vaughn must have a soft spot for festive flicks: in 2007, it was Fred Claus, and this year sees him team up with Reese Witherspoon for a more grown-up Yuletide comedy. Really good funny than unwrapping pressies on Christmas morning. Well, almost!
Derek A

Four Christmases is a cute Christmas flick about a couple who have to endure 4 different Christmas celebrations with dysfunctional in-laws in one day. It's fairly realistic in the sense that many people do have to experience similar situations on Christmas… More
Four Christmases is a cute Christmas flick about a couple who have to endure 4 different Christmas celebrations with dysfunctional in-laws in one day. It's fairly realistic in the sense that many people do have to experience similar situations on Christmas day. However, some of the characters you meet along the way our a little over-the-top (like Vince Vaughn's character's brothers).This isn't really an endearing film, or a feel-good Christmas flick that will stand the test of time, but it's a cute film for young couples who can relate to it. Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon are an unlikely couple, but their chemistry works. And Vaughn's infectious dry humor is effective as always.
Lenny M

Not really a bad movie, not really a good movie. Fun to watch during the holidays, that's how Christmas movies are. There are not many genius Christmas comedies except for a select few.
Luke B

Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn fail in this romantic comedy. There are plenty of funny moments, but Witherspoon and Vaughn have all the chemistry and spark of a corpse and a goldfish. The idea is nice enough, but it may have worked better as a four episode miniseries. The film… More
Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn fail in this romantic comedy. There are plenty of funny moments, but Witherspoon and Vaughn have all the chemistry and spark of a corpse and a goldfish. The idea is nice enough, but it may have worked better as a four episode miniseries. The film relishes in embarrassing situations, yet most of them are just too far out for the audience to relate to. It has Christmas spirit, just not enough to really matter.
Conner R

This was a disaster of a movie. It wasn't even funny. All it had was a bunch of crazy dialogue from Vince Vaughn that didn't work at all. It had a few redeeming qualities, but they were not enough to outway the weak plot and bad chemistry.
♥˩ƳИИ &

SUMMARY~ When upscale, happily unmarried San Francisco couple Kate and Brad find themselves socked in by fog on Christmas morning, their exotic vacation plans morph into the family-centric holiday they had, until now, gleefully avoided. Out of obligation--and unable to escape--they… More
SUMMARY~ When upscale, happily unmarried San Francisco couple Kate and Brad find themselves socked in by fog on Christmas morning, their exotic vacation plans morph into the family-centric holiday they had, until now, gleefully avoided. Out of obligation--and unable to escape--they trudge to not one, not two, but four relative-choked festivities, increasingly mortified to find childhood fears raised, adolescent wounds reopened and their very future together uncertain. As Brad counts the hours to when he can get away from their parents, step-parents, siblings and an assortment of nieces and nephews, Kate is starting to hear the ticking of a different kind of clock. And by the end of the day, she is beginning to wonder if their crazy families' choices are not so crazy after all. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Seen this movie and got exactly what I wanted from it, laughs. It's a classic Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau movie. Sarcastic, good one liners, and just really funny. The plot although has probably been done many times. But having Vince and Jon in it makes it better then all the others. Really liked Reese and Vince together. The cast was just great. Loved all the characters. Just a good funny comedy. Shows you why sometimes its best to try and stay away from your dysfunctional family around the holidays.