Photo: New Line Cinema
Is it possible to see Four Christmases and actually like it? Next week's box-office grosses will tell. Maybe word of mouth will be so bad that audiences will wise up and stay away. No knock on moviegoers for being curious. If you build a comedy—even a lousy one— with sass man Vince Vaughn and Oscar winning cutiepie Reese Witherspoon, they will come. And did they ever! The heavy-handed, holiday farce grossed a whopping $46.7 million for the Thanksgiving weekend, driving the vegan vampires of Twilight to $39 million and second place. The Twi-hards must have traded in multiple viewings for turkey and leftovers since the vamp epic declined a steep 62 percent from its opening week. Girls, get back out there—Twilight needs your help. Stupid movies, from Max Payne to Beverly Hills Chihuahua, have been topping the box-office for months with each studio claiming bragging rights. It's got to stop. No way does being No. 1 translate into being good. So fight back. I need to hear from those of you who shelled out hard cash for Four Christmases. Did you feel satisfied or scammed? Don't mince words.
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Sam | December 26, 2008 4:09 PM
I'm so sick of stupid comedies like Four Christmases that I wouldn't spend 2 cents to see it or any of the Yes Man type of movies. Entertainment doesn't mean our intelligences have to be insulted.
Rolling Stone lives by that.
Decosnelli | December 4, 2008 9:29 AM
This question is stupid, becuase we already know the answer. And the answer is that a majority of American public look to movies as pure entertainment, just bright pictures flashing before their eyes. Hollywood preys upon this fact, intelligent people piss themselves with laughter when they hear some grown dolt claim NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM, etc. should've won a best picture Academy Award; and the so the endless cycle continues. Unfortunately we have no WALL-E that comes into a theater during a showing of these films and collects all the morons, compacting them into cubes for disposal. What a few of my friends have wondered is would Hollywood be the same if they only focused upon good films ? This would include comedies like SUPERBAD or adventure such as THE DARK KNIGHT. Would hack writers like Akiva Goldsman (screenwriter of every bad film, like the DA VINCE CODE) still work. Hey, Travers please write an article about this, you've got time and enough clout with RS to write some investigative articles on Hollywood, use Matt Tabbi if you need help punching it up a little with sarcasim, apparently some people dont get it (TWILIGHT).
bizarro | December 2, 2008 4:45 PM
i'm just glad it beat twilight - i still wont pay for this dreck though...
Ryan | December 2, 2008 4:08 PM
Since I work at a theater I watched "Four Christmases" for free, otherwise I wouldn't have paid dick for this movie. I love both Vaughn and Witherspoon, but I knew by the trailer that this had disaster written all over it, and boy did it ever, not one funny part I can really think of. However, I did make a trip to Portland to see "Milk," seeing as our theater only gets blockbuster trash, and THAT movie was money well spent. Fantastic in every way, Van Sant doesn't hit a false note, and Penn is simply stupendous!
radio zero | December 2, 2008 3:37 PM
i think "four christmases" succesfully updates the classic christmas movie to modern times. christmas movies never showed the horrors of divorce, horny elderly people, starlets desperate for attention, aging frat boys who smirk and constantly pat their beer bellys or jon favreau.
kudos to the visionary makers of this film. let's keep exploring these dark themes.
Yep | December 2, 2008 2:21 PM
To Annoymous...
No he wasn't joking... Peter liked Twilight... and he IS on of the girls.... just in case you never noticed
TankCat | December 2, 2008 12:35 PM
I think anyone who pays $10 to see a 90 minute comedy is a sucker, even if the movie isn't a complete abomination. Comedies are just as funny on a television as they are on the big screen.
Anonymous | December 2, 2008 11:16 AM
I think Peter was being sarcastic when he said go out girls and help Twilight. It was an obvious pun!
Anonymous | December 2, 2008 11:09 AM
four christmases was actually highly entertaining; of course not a very exciting plot and very unoriginal, but what mainstreem movies are anyways. if your looking for a good laugh, then it's a good movie. but don't expect too much more.
Movie Mike | December 2, 2008 10:01 AM
It pretty much sucked. My wife wanted to go for Reese Witherspoon, and I like Vince Vaughn, so I said ok.
Vaughn has two or three funny moments but Witherspoon's are just loud and annoying.
I think the funniest thing about it, was that the actual movie itself is only 80 minutes long. Litterally 30 minutes of commercials and previews, but the flick is only 80 minutes.
Come on Vince Vaughn...get back to rated-R a** whipping! Old School 2...please!!!!
Jennifer | December 1, 2008 11:28 PM
I saw Four Christmases on Thanksgiving day with my friend. I actually wanted to see this film...I mean come on, who doesn't love Vince Vaughn. But, even he couldn't carry this film.
LOVEtherealMEN | December 1, 2008 10:10 PM
looks like someone needs some chill phill!
take it easy men.
JiveTurkey | December 1, 2008 9:24 PM
The Wife talked me into seeing Four Xmasses with her. To tell the truth it was actually a little better than I expected. Don't know if I'd go out of my way to recommend it, but I had a few laughs and it didn't get overly sappy at the end.
I've been avoiding Twilight 'cause I heard it was a teeny-bopper flick and not a very good one.
JP | December 1, 2008 5:04 PM
Peter, why are you recommending primo scumbucket movie "Twilight"? Stilted dialouge, wooden acting, horrible cinematography (looks like a cheesy '70 TV movie), and bad special effects. At least "Four Christmases" doesn't make any pretensions of being a good movie. Sometimes people like intentionally dumb movies. Especially, holiday theme movies that are intentionally goofy.
The Pig In Zen | December 1, 2008 4:52 PM
Did you just call for an end to stupid movies right after calling for people to see "Twilight"? That's... confusing.
Blake H. | December 1, 2008 4:07 PM
"Four Christmases" was alright. I didn't feel gypped. Vaughn had some good moments but it was a complete waste of a bevy of Oscar winners. And from about the 50-minute mark on it felt like they were sprinting headlong into the feel-good ending, insteading of letting everything develop naturally.
Still, the girlfriend wants to see "Four Christmases," we go see "Four Christmases." It could have been worse. She made her last boyfriend go see "Failure to Launch." I got off easy.