kwlandry
Underrated. Far from perfect but a really good, enjoyable movie nonetheless. Great chemistry between Applegate and Affleck, Affleck like you'll never see him again, enjoyable, but as he's far down the "Serious, Serious" road now, you'll not see him anywhere near this funny and goofy again. Fantastic supporting cast, Gandolfini is so good as the gruff Dad, O'Hara so perfect as the Mom and to Gandolfini's Dad, Macy as the granddad, and others, can't imagine a better cast. Really good lines peppered throughout, overlook the odd bit here and there and just an enjoyable hour and a half. Clearly there was some struggle during production to get this made, makes you wonder what it could have been, but also clearly why a good cast is so important, and what a great cast can do to save a movie even to the point of making it an enjoyable 90 minutes.
pemme001
I really enjoyed this film, and I think it is more interesting and certainly more believable than the ridiculous scenarios foisted upon us by the writers of Christmas Vacation. The performances by all the cast members ring true, again as compared to the aforementioned supposed "classic" National Lampoon production. The story makes sense, as set up in the beginning when Drew gets dumped by Misty, and Christina Applegate's performance is authentic. The chemistry between Ms. Applegate and Mr. Affleck is palpable and I was won over by their growing attraction to each other. The supporting cast, particularly James Gandolfini as Ben's "father" and Katherine O'Hara as his "mother" , create interesting, well rounded characters whose lives come together again as the result of the new family situation they find themselves in. bill Macey is very believable as Drew's grandfather , or "DooDah." I realize I am probably in the minority in terms of finding the film quite entertaining, but that is the truth.
D_Burke
"Surviving Christmas" is not a train wreck of a movie: with train wrecks, you can't look away. Calling "Surviving Christmas" a train wreck would be insulting every professional member of the railway industry, including some conductors who show up drunk to work.It is truly appalling that a movie this bad ever got green-lit. Ben Affleck is more obnoxious in this movie than he has ever been in any of his other movies (and yes, that does include "Gigli" (2003)). His acting is terrible, his timing is worse, and every time he opens his mouth, you can see him sucking every ounce of heart from this movie.To be fair, Affleck is not the only guilty party here. According to some IMDb trivia I read, the movie began filming when the script was not even finished yet. Given many of the plot holes and inconsistencies in the final product, that fact is unfortunately not too surprising.Affleck plays Drew, a rich advertising executive who apparently has no family to visit during the holidays. When he buys his girlfriend tickets to Fiji for Christmas, she walks out on him because of his steadfast refusal to spend Christmas with his family.Where is his family, you ask? Well, Drew never explains until near the end of the movie. At that point, there are so many inconsistencies with his alleged back story that it feels like a lousy excuse to justify his reasoning for many of his actions through the film.In any case, when Drew finds his girlfriend's shrink (Stephen Root), he tries to get advice from this doctor despite the fact that the doctor is rushing through the airport trying to get on an airplane with his kids. Talk about inconsiderate! The blatantly rushed psychiatrist quickly tells Drew to write down his family grievances on a sheet of paper, go to his childhood home, and burn the paper right there. That way, he will be putting his past behind him, and feeling less lonely on Christmas.This setup is only a contrived way for Drew to return to his family's home in the suburbs, and find it occupied by the Valcos, a working-class, unhappy, dysfunctional family. This family is so not into the Christmas spirit that they made me wonder if they even celebrated Christmas, a question Affleck's character appeared too dumb to ask.Ben Affleck appears so desperate for laughs in the scene where his character ventures upon his childhood home for the first time in years. He starts hugging the tree in the front yard, and laughing hysterically as he burns his grievances out front. He acts so stupidly in this scene, and comes off like a bad comedian imitating a mentally challenged man on Prozac. It's baffling how Affleck destroys his character's credibility instantly. Millionaire ad executives don't act like this.The movie doesn't get much better, as Drew offers the Valcos $250,000 to stay at their house through Christmas. The family has to play along with Drew's idea of a perfect Christmas if they want to get paid, whether they like it or not. Glum patriarch Tom (James Gandolfini) is the most begrudging in this charade, but does everything that's asked of him anyway.This movie falls apart in its failure to make sense at any point. If some douche bag were to offer me a quarter of a million dollars to stay with my family through the holidays, I would want to SEE that money IN CASH. This guy better have a suitcase with that money in it, and some form of I.D. would also help.However, Gandolfini just hears that Affleck will pay him, and jumps to the conclusion that this guy is credible. He never once thinks for a second, "Gee, this guy just might be a serial killer, or an escaped mental patient, who is just saying he has this money. He is probably bluffing us, and will rob us the first chance he gets." THAT reaction would have been plausible.After that totally contrived exhibition, the rest of the film instantly loses its credibility. Ben Affleck maintains an all-too eccentric Joker-like smile throughout the film that he practically gives himself wrinkles. Similarly, the Valco family is so surly throughout the film that it's impossible to feel any compassion for them, even when Affleck's too-chipper antics, like a mental patient tripping on Saint John's Wart, get under their skin as much as they will get under yours.Although Affleck drove his acting career into the ground with a handful of flops before this holiday dreck came out ("Gigli", "Paycheck" (2003)), it's surprising to see the very talented James Gandolfini, Catherine O'Hara, and Christina Applegate go along for the ride. These actors also looked unhappy to be in the film, and who could blame them? "Surviving Christmas" is a huge miss. It's a terrible comedy, a horrible Christmas movie, and proof that Affleck cannot carry a leading role without Matt Damon co-starring or Kevin Smith directing. Granted, in later years, Affleck has proved himself worthy as a director, but his acting career has suffered permanent damage because of dismal films like this.I cannot imagine anyone actually liking this atrocious film. The only worthwhile scene is when James Gandolfini hits Ben Affleck over the head with a large shovel. However, that scene only happens once, and will make every audience member wish they could jump into the scene with their own shovels in hand.
