 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Four Christmases
- Review Date: November 25, 2008
- PG-13
- Genre: Comedy
- 2008
Common Sense Media says
Holiday romcom is amiable but centers on family dysfunction.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this romantic comedy is riddled with gags centering on major family dysfunction. And there's real bite underneath the laughs: The central couple (played by teen favorites Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn) finds out soon enough that they don't really know enough about each other, and their families beat them up -- both physically and emotionally. It's all played for laughs, of course, which takes some of the edge off, but younger kids may still wind up perturbed by the scenes of familial mayhem. There's also some swearing (including "s--t") and social drinking, as well as some innuendo and implied sex.
What's the story?
After three years together, Brad (Vince Vaughn) and Kate (Reese Witherspoon) have the holidays down
pat: Every December, they tell their
dysfunctional families that they're performing charity work in some far-flung location -- when they're really vacationing at a swanky resort.
But this year, heavy fog shuts down the San Francisco airport, and Brad and Kate are forced to spend Christmas Day in the city. After a local TV crew captures their dilemma for everyone -- relatives included -- to see, they're stuck seeing every one of them, from Brad's disgruntled dad (Robert Duvall), wannabe
wrestler brothers (Jon Favreau and Tim McGraw), and cougar therapist mother
(Sissy Spacek) to Kate's born-again sexpot mom (Mary Steenburgen), passive-aggressive sister (Kristin Chenoweth), and newly
enlightened father (Jon Voight). But as they slog through the four separate celebrations, they begin to discover how little they actually know each
other -- and that they might want something different from their
relationship.
Is it any good?
Though FOUR CHRISTMASES is predictable and sort of comes off like a hybrid episode
of Family Feud and Girls Gone Wild -- call it Families Gone Wild -- it's hard
to resist Vaughn and Witherspoon's appeal. They tap into the humor
of one outlandish situation after another (perhaps one too
many, actually) without losing their zeal or charisma. And the
supporting cast reads like the Hollywood Walk of Fame (who knew Spacek
was good for laughs?).
But the high-wattage cameos end up feeling a bit overdone, given that some of them -- especially Voight -- aren't given very much to
do. Plus, comic timing aside, for a couple supposedly madly in love, Vaughn and Witherspoon
don't have a whole lot of chemistry. We don't so much hope that they find their way
back to each other because we believe in them, but rather because it's what we
expect of romantic comedies. Overall, Four Christmases isn't a particularly memorable holiday
gift, but they can't all be. At least it's not a fruitcake.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about why so many holiday movies focus on dysfunctional family relationships.
Are real families really as out there as the ones in movies like this?
Does watching their antics make you feel better (or worse) about your
own? Do you think that's the point?In this movie, why do you think
Brad and Kate are estranged from their families? Is it justified, or
are they being selfish?What are your own family celebrations like? Why
are holiday get-togethers often fraught with
tension (both in the media and in reality)?
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- Parents
- Teens & kids
AGE
terrible for kids..maybe even bad for adults!
no highlights. really bad movie. i turned the movie off within 1 hour of putting in in. within 15 minutes foul language was used and some adult content was displayed between the male and female leads in the bathroom stall of a bar..not a good movie. i wouldn't recommend this movie for people under 14 - 15 years old really unless they are reallm mature. this movie seems more for adults if you ask me. so do your family a favor and DON'T even speak about this trashy movie. and just to add: i am very disappointed in Reese Witherspoon for doing this movie..seeing that she was in it i thouht to give this movie a try..i don't think that it should be rated PG-13 i think that it should be rated R.
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AGE
pretty good flick
My family loved it, I didnt have that same reaction, though. I liked it alot, provided good laughs, 1,000 times better than Yes Man.
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Kid, 12 years old
January 13, 2011
AGE
Perfect for Teens but, not for kids
This move was def funny! But, it just had waaaaaaaaaaaaay too much sex in it! It was sweet and sour... :(
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AGE
ok movie
a romantic movie no action kind of funny 14 and over for sex drugs and language
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AGE
Hilarious with negitive messsage!
The movie was hilarious... dont get me wrong, but all the divorce stuff just sends a bad message.
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AGE
BAD
A funny movie... but not when you take your santa believeing 8 year old.a lot of references flew overhead, but it was still HORRIBLE. I thought it would be a cute FAMILY movie... don't take ANYONE under 15. and make sure this 15 year old is mature. So not ok for 13 year olds.
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AGE
Funny, but SO not for kids!
Usually I check this website before taking my kids to the movies. On the spur of the moment I decided the whole family would go see Four Christmases and I didn't check the reviews ahead of time. Man was I sorry! The movie itself is funny, but is pretty much full of rude sexual humor. I was extremely embarrased that I had taken my kids, of course, thinking it was going to be kid-friendly. I am not uptight, but my kids (ages 12 & 8) are still innocent when it come to knowing about sex (thank God) and the scenes where there WASN'T a sexual reference or joke were few and far between. My husband and I were sorry we took them within the first 5 minutes of the movie. That's about how long it took for them to start throwing around the bad language and then going to a scene of Vince and Reese getting ready to have sex in a club bathroom.
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AGE
What a disappointment
I'm surprised Reese Witherspoon would appear in such a movie. It could have been done so well, but the moviemakers depended on too much of the same old thing . . . sex and vulgarity.
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AGE
Funny!
A funny movie but, not for younger ones.
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| Studio: | New Line |
| Director: | Seth Gordon |
| Cast: | Reese Witherspoon, Robert Duvall, Vince Vaughn |
| Genre: | Comedy |
| Run time: | 89 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | November 26, 2008 |
| DVD release date: | November 23, 2009 |
| MPAA rating: | PG-13 |
| MPAA explanation: | some sexual humor and language |
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