Christmas with the Campbells
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Christmas with the Campbells
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Christmas with the Campbells is a gentle parody of Hallmark-style holiday romcoms. Co-written and produced by Vince Vaughn, it plays with the formula of many of those films, finding humor in taking wholesome-seeming characters in adorable situations and having them behave in unexpected ways -- like talking about sex or getting high. To that end, expect lots of innuendo, double entendres, and spicy language ("p---y," "d--k," "horny," "s--t," "f--k"). But despite all of the suggestive talk, action is limited to a couple of kisses. Similarly, the examples of getting high are all depicted in a way intended to be seen as ridiculous, although there's some drinking throughout. It's all super "wink-wink," and those most likely to enjoy it are people who tune in to made-for-TV holiday movie marathons without taking them too seriously.
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What's the Story?
In CHRISTMAS WITH THE CAMPBELLS, family portrait photographer Jesse (Brittany Snow) is blindsided when her longtime boyfriend, Shawn (Alex Moffat), breaks up with her a week before Christmas. With Shawn away on a business trip, Shawn's mother, Liz (Julia Duffy), invites Jesse to stick with the plan and spend the holidays with their family anyway. With nonrefundable plane tickets, Jesse agrees, thinking that a week in picturesque Ketchum, Idaho, will save her holiday and just might help mend her broken heart. But when Shawn's cousin, David (Justin Long), shows up unannounced, Jesse's holiday plans may be permanently altered.
Is It Any Good?
Legitimately and sometimes outrageously funny -- and definitely not for kids -- this comedy from writer-producer Vaughn spikes the intoxicating cider of a certain brand of Christmas movies. Similar to the way that Enchanted parodied a Disney princess movie while also being a thoroughly fantastic Disney princess movie, Christmas with the Campbells spoofs the Hallmark-style holiday romance while being a laugh-out-loud, completely entertaining gift of a romcom.
Directed by Clare Niederpruem (The Christmas Bow) and written by Barbara Kymlicka (Baby, It's Cold Inside) -- both of whom are known for creating squeaky-clean made-for-the-small-screen Christmas romances -- Campbells hits all of the "hallmarks" of a holiday heart warmer. Snow is perfectly cast as Jesse, the typical heroine of these kinds of films: She's an aspirational yet relatable early 30s White woman who's been dumped a week before Christmas by her obviously unworthy boyfriend Shawn (Moffat puts his "guy with a boat" character from SNL to good use). After her meet-cute with David (Long, who delivers his lines like a bespoke Sam Elliott mixed with Ted Lasso), the two traipse through the quaint small town of Ketchum and bond over the joys of nature, small-town life, and the pursuit of passions that don't result in material wealth. Slightly souring the eggnog is the beautiful owner (Joanna Garcia Swisher) of the local bakery, who has her pies set on both David and Shawn. Whatever will happen?! You can probably guess, but in answering the question, this saucy, playful pic provides two hours of ha-ha-holiday fun.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why holiday romance movies are popular. How does Christmas with the Campbells compare to others you've seen?
Do you think Christmas with the Campbells rises to parody level, or is it just having fun with the genre? What hallmarks (no pun intended) of the holiday romcom does the film include?
Do you think drinking or using drugs is glamorized in the movie? How does the humor come from playing into stereotypes as well as playing against expectations?
Movie Details
- In theaters: December 2, 2022
- On DVD or streaming: December 2, 2022
- Cast: Brittany Snow, Justin Long, Julia Duffy
- Director: Clare Niederpruem
- Studio: RLJE Films
- Genre: Romance
- Topics: Holidays
- Run time: 88 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: January 17, 2023
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