Four Christmases   Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Vince Vaughn, Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Mary Steenburgen and Jon Voight Entertainment in Video RRP: £19.99 EDV9592 Certificate: 12 Available 16 November 2009

Brad and Kate are a happy upscale San Francisco couple who tell their respective families that they can't see them over Christmas as they're busy doing charity work. It is a Christmas tradition they have shared every year since they met - ditching their crazy families for a relaxing, fun-filled holiday in a sun soaked exotic location. However, this year Kate and Brad are in for a shock. They arrive at the airport only to discover that a huge fogbank has grounded all of the planes. Worse still, they are caught on camera by a local news crew, revealing their whereabouts to their families. They are now expected back home to join in the Christmas festivities with Brad's father... and Kate's mother... and Brad's mother... and Kate's father...

For those that dread spending Christmas with their family every year, Four Christmases looks at what it would be like if a couple had to spend it travelling between all four of their parents (both sets are divorced and have new families).

As you'd expect, each family has it's own unwelcome nightmares. For example, Brad's father and two brothers are real men's men - enjoying fighting a little too much and never showing any emotions, whilst Kate's mother is a bit of a man eater.

As the couple visit each set of parents they learn something new about each other which the other party had kept hidden. But will any of this be enough to break up the very happy couple?

There are numerous familiar faces which pop up throughout this movie, including Robert Duvall and Sissy Spacek (as Brad's father and mother); Jon Voight and Mary Steenburgen (as Kate's father and mother); and Jon Favreau (director of Iron Man) as Brad's brother.

The oddest thing about this movie is how its focus seems to be off on occasion. The film starts with a rather odd (for a family movie) opening segment, but then grinds into slapstick as we meet Brad's family. But, by the end of the film it's transformed into more of a romantic comedy. There's nothing overly wrong with this, it's just it felt as though it was directed by someone who hadn't made a comedy film before and was trying different styles out.

The build-up is also well handled, but then after we've met Kate's mother the writers seem to get bored with the idea of nightmare families and so we quickly visit the remaining two households with very little comedic value being offered. The ending also wraps up rather cheesily - if you don't reach for the sick bag when Brad congratulates Kate in the hospital at the end of the movie then you've seen one too many sickly sweet endings.

Extras include Gag Reel (2 min, 37 sec); Deleted Scenes (8 min, 31 sec - one of which explains how Pastor Phil know's Brad's name when they are sitting in the congregation); and theatrical trailer.

While far from an instant classic, Four Christmases is an entertaining and amusing enough film which all the family will find something to laugh at.

7

Darren Rea