John Allman

If you’ve ever wandered the aisles at the video store or surfed the DVR pay-per-view options and seen a bunch of movies that you’ve never heard of, chances are John has watched them. Why? He loves movies. All kinds of movies. Good, bad, so-bad-they’re good, even the truly unwatchable ones. He mostly loves horror and science-fiction and drive-in exploitation movies that most upstanding model citizens wouldn’t dare watch. Then he writes up his thoughts so you can decide - watch, don’t watch or avoid at all costs. Sometimes he even gets to talk to the cool folks who make some of your favorite films.

 Blood, Violence and Babes
 John Allman

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Four Christmases

Posted Dec 29, 2009 by John Allman

Updated Dec 29, 2009 at 08:21 PM

Four Christmases
Genre: Comedy
Directed by: Seth Gordon
Run time: 88 minutes
Rating: PG-13
Format: Blu-Ray

The Lowdown: Vince Vaughn used to make different kinds of movies.

He would topline an R-rated comedy like “Dodgeball” or “Wedding Crashers,” take a challenging role like Lester in “Clay Pigeons,” and flex his acting chops in dramas like “Return to Paradise.”

Now, Vaughn seems content to make family comedies like “Fred Claus” and slightly edgier, more adult-oriented fare like “Couples Retreat.”

“Four Christmases” falls somewhere in the middle.

It’s not a complete loser like “Fred Claus,” but it falls well shy of the comedic brilliance that Vaughn displayed in “Dodgeball” or “Crashers.”

This is a paint by numbers comedy that manages to skate by on Vaughn’s considerable charm and Reese Witherspoon’s perky pluck.

The places it could go dark, and delve deeper into the true dysfunction that marks many families, such as with Robert Duvall’s jaded, disappointed patriarch, it coasts around the corners and goes for the easy laughs of Jon Favreau as a backwoods UFC wannabe.

Keep your expectations low, but it’s suitable for family night during the holidays.

The Stuff You Care About:
Hot chicks – Reese Witherspoon, cute hot.
Nudity – No.
Gore – No.
Drug use – No.
Bad Guys/Killers – None.
Buy/Rent – Rent it.
Blu-Ray Bonus Features – Seven-Layer Holiday Meals in a Flash, a cooking special with Paula Dean and co-star Katy Mixon; Holiday Moments montage; Gag reel; BD-Live interviews.
On the Web – http://www.fourchristmasesmovie.com/dvdsite/index.html
Release Date – Nov. 22, 2009