Four Christmases

"His father, her mother, his mother and her father all in one day."

2008 1h 28m EN

😐

5.8

MID

★5.8TMDB · 1,287

ComedyRomanceDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Brad and Kate have made something of an art form out of avoiding their families during the holidays, but this year their foolproof plan is about go bust -- big time. Stuck at the city airport after all departing flights are canceled, the couple is embarrassed to see their ruse exposed to the world by an overzealous television reporter. Now, Brad and Kate are left with precious little choice other than to swallow their pride and suffer the rounds.

“His father, her mother, his mother and her father all in one day.”

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Cast

Vince Vaughn
Brad McVie
Reese Witherspoon
Kate
Robert Duvall
Howard McVie
Sissy Spacek
Paula
Mary Steenburgen
Marilyn
Jon Voight
Creighton
Kristin Chenoweth
Courtney
Jon Favreau
Denver McVie

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Seth Gordon
Writers: Matt Allen, Caleb Wilson, Jon Lucas
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

88 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $80M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 18 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Seth Gordon, shot by Jeffrey L. Kimball. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Alex Wurman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Mark Helfrich shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon and Robert Duvall carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "His father, her mother, his mother and her father all in one day.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Seth Gordon directs. Jeffrey L. Kimball behind the camera. Alex Wurman scores. Mark Helfrich cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

188 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Mid-budget at $80M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
3Released 18 years ago.
4Directed by Seth Gordon, shot by Jeffrey L. Kimball. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Alex Wurman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Mark Helfrich shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon and Robert Duvall carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "His father, her mother, his mother and her father all in one day.".
9IMDB entry: tt0369436 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 12 themes, including "holiday", "romcom", "relationship problems", "dysfunctional family".

The technical file

Cinematography: Jeffrey L. Kimball
Original score: Alex Wurman
Editing: Mark Helfrich
Production design: Shepherd Frankel
Costume design: Sophie de Rakoff
Makeup / hair: Lisa Marie Rosenberg
Stunt coordinator: Allan Graf
Runtime: 88 min · 1h 28m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $80,000,000
Box office: $164,112,721
Return: 205% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Four Christmases (2008)

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Seth Gordon

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What people are saying

r96sk2020-12-07
★ 7/10
I enjoyed <em>'Four Christmases'</em>, even if it does gradually drop in quality throughout. I found the premise and set-up of it entertaining, the execution may not be perfect but it leads to a satisfactory Xmas comedy. The plot does get slightly repetitive, but there's enough in there to keep it watchable. They also, smartly, keep the run time low at 88 minutes. Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon are a fun pairing, I felt the necessary chemistry between the two. Elsewhere, the likes of Robert Duvall, Jon Voight, Mary Steenburgen and Jon Favreau all make noteworthy appearances. It's good. If it kept up the strong start then I'd be rating it a tad higher.

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