I have been loading up on all things Christmas. Christmas books, Christmas treats and Christmas movies. I have watched a Christmas movie a day, but I have been a little slack on sharing them. So let's get going.
Movie Five -
Four Christmases
Starring - Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon, Mary Steenburgen, Robert Duvall, and Sissy Spacek.
About the movie (from Amazon): A happily unmarried San Francisco couple find themselves socked in by
fog on Christmas morning, As a result their exotic vacation plans morph
into the family-holiday.
My Review: When I started watching "Four Christmases" I was kind of looking for a Romantic Christmas Comedy. It was definitely a comedy, but it wasn't terribly romantic. For me that was no major deal because most romances can almost be too formulaic in a holiday movie anyway.
As the movie begins, Kate and Brad seem like a married couple who like to explore all kinds of activities together. They look like an absolute fun couple who are trying to take the biggest bite of life that they can. At first this seems refreshing but as they share about their feelings against marriage with others, they start to get more and more unlikeable. It was actually kind of weird.
When the weather causes their annual Christmas getaway to be put on the back burner, Kate and Brad instead visit their family who they have actively avoided spending the holidays with. Each visit gives us a little glimpse into who Brad and Kate are as well as their families. As both have divorced parents and are fairly dysfunctional, you can kind of see why they are not married themselves.
Overall, considering the actors in the film, I really expected more. Obviously they didn't write the dialogue nor direct it, but still there just was too much missing. It was funny in parts but not that funny and it completely lacked warmth which is something I would expect in a holiday film. Even when redeemed, these characters were not terribly likeable.
Because of the actors and title, I would have thought this would be a family friendly film. I am not a prude when it comes to movies, but I would say that this is not one I would share with my son. It isn't over the top in sexual nature, but there are moments that would require conversations that I don't think any of the kids in my family would be interested in having. Especially around the holidays.
I'd give it about 2.5 stars because there are moments that are good, but again, I would NOT recommend this as a family Christmas film.
FAMILY FRIENDLY FILM REVIEW-
When I was a kid, I loved old movies. I watched many and certain ones always stuck in my mind. Whenever I would run across one of those films on television, it didn't matter what point the movie was in, I would watch it through to the end. I thought it would be fun to revisit some of these oldies that I loved, and share some reviews.
The Long, Long Trailer
Starring: Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz
About the film (from IMDB):
Nicky and Tacy are going to be married. Nicky wants to save up money for
a house, but Tacy dreams of starting off with their own home on
wheels--a trailer. After the two are hitched, they hitch up their
trailer and begin their honeymoon. The humor comes from several
disastrous adventures the couple has while traveling including Tacy's
awkward attempt to cook dinner in a moving trailer, and a cliffhanging
ride through the mountains that nearly destroys their marriage.
My Review: The Long, Long Trailer is a movie sharing the honeymoon on wheels taken by Nicky and Tacy as they bring their trailer to their future home in Colorado. They pick a trailer because Tacy really wants to set up house with her husband not just an apartment wherever they need to temporarily rest their heads as he is a civil engineer who must travel and remain in various places for his career. Living in a trailer seems a dream come true to Tacy who really doesn't want much more than a nice home for her and Nicky.
As Nicky and Tacy embark on their honeymoon it all seems quite sweet and quaint. In fact, it can make a person kind of want a trailer home themselves, and then the difficulties begin. As idyllic as driving a trailer on a honeymoon sounds, it is a long, long trailer and moving it is not as easy as it looks, but there are great places to visit and fun and quirky people to meet. Troubles come and go sometimes with big laughs and other times with sweet charm.
What I liked: First of all there was not a lot for me to not like in this film. When I first saw it as a child, I was enchanted by the idea of taking a trailer on a honeymoon. As an adult I am charmed by old trailers and actually would love to get a nice small trailers for a little camping hop here and there (I would especially enjoy something vintage and quite similar to what Nicky and Tacy first look at when they are shopping). I know much of it was on a set and looked it, but it kind of made me appreciate not only the film but the time frame. That is simply how things were done then. For me it doesn't even take away from the film. It is like a time stamp. I loved looking beyond the story to the props (even the cookware). Lucy and Desi were a great team. They worked well with each other on film. I enjoyed the larger than life supporting cast too. They were all certainly characters and added to the fun of the film. The Long, Long Trailer really reminded me of what I like about old films and comedies. There is an innocence of the characters and the circumstances and although we know that historically there was certainly bad in the world, it is easily escaped by movies such as these.
What I didn't like: I am fairly certain that the movie was a bit longer. It was cut down, but I do not know why or exactly where. It was a long time since I first saw it.
I received this movie from my husband for Christmas. It was on my list for a very long time, and I was overjoyed when I received it. He's so awesome. :)
My rating: Four big smiles
Side note: The Long, Long Trailer was based on the novel by Clinton Twiss. I found it as a free download for Nook at Barnes & Noble. Of course I had to download it now. More gym reading. :)
