adionisos So, I saw this with my family last Christmas, and I completely hated it. The story line made no sense. They bounced scenarios around with no real rhyme or reason, constantly switching back and forth: 1. A struggling husband and wife, 2. A sister who meets a soldier and convinces him to act like her fiancé 3. An old man talking to a teenage waitress, 4. A teenager trying to kiss a girl, 5. and a woman being arrested and becoming buddy-buddy with a cop. It honestly felt like they had 5 different movie ideas and mashed them into one. The acting was poor, the ending was bad. OK, spoiler: The old man has heart attack. He lives (Of course) So, dancing in a hospital = family? I saw it just because of the trailer, but that was the only real "Good" things about the movie. This movie is billed as a "Comedy". I didn't even chuckle once.

dflint-39830 I started this movie just because nothing was on (tube full of Xmas). I was first sucked in by the great John Goodman and the sublime Alan Arkin. Once Olivia Wilde's character started to develop I was hooked.I am gobsmacked to see how wrong the low ratings for this movie are. The unique characters and the depth of emotions, mostly love, are incredible. Maybe people want quick cuts and action and just don't know how to let a movie based on dialogue slowly draw them in and make you care about the characters, all of which are rounded and easily lovable,yet each deeply flawed in ways anyone that has lived a few decades will identify with. I am a tough guy in my 50s and I shed tears three times. Not only that,but several times I had to pause the film so I could ponder how the wise words about love and life relate to my life and mistakes. From this day on my life will be better because of what i realized was true,as displayed in this movie, about family, love, regrets. And I will forever love Olivia Wilde. Her scenes alone are worth watching this movie. If you can watch this movie closely and not shed a tear, you are dead inside and should immediately seek psychiatric help. Solid 7.5/10

Alonso Duralde Any number of the films we now think of as unassailable holiday classics -- Christmas in Connecticut, White Christmas, even It's a Wonderful Life -- were dismissed as corny and formulaic in their original reviews, so it's no surprise that Meet the Coopers met the same fate. But I suspect time will be kind to this one: it's warm without being gooey, the humor is sharp and observant, the ensemble is top-notch, and the soundtrack is quite lovely.If, like me, you're a fan of the dysfunctional-family Christmas comedy (The Ref, La Bûche, A Christmas Tale), this one may well sneak up on you and enter your annual holiday rotation. If I ever get to update my holiday film guide "Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas," this one would definitely go in.

Nikita Wannenburgh When I started watching this, I was expecting – hoping – for something along the lines of "The Family Stone" which, I thought, was a great film; a perfect family drama with a touch of everything. But "Love the Coopers" was a major disappointment, and it unfortunately failed to deserve its awesome cast. The main problem with this film is that the idea had been done to death. To make it standout, it had to bring something new to the table. But it didn't; it was very poorly written, jumbled and choppy, painfully predictable, with mostly awkward romance, not enough humour, and basically a mess of a story. Since they were working with an overused idea, the producers and writers had to have the film add something that others with the same type of story didn't; and yet they failed on that. It was bland and boring and a huge waste of a good cast. It is also very slow-moving and lacked "punch". The humour is virtually nonexistent, and the romance is awkward and very cringe- worthy (with one exception; Lacy and Wilde's couple I liked very much). The characters are stereotypical and lacking depth (with the exception of Wilde's and Lacy's), and, frankly, I think they could've done without the teenage subplot; the acting was horrendous, it was ridiculously clichéd, and the kissing was, to be honest, absolutely repulsive – not to mention completely devoid of chemistry. So many family dramas end up portraying teenagers in the same cheesy way: sex-crazed, stereotypical, and with absolutely predictable scenarios and dialogue. Oh, and dialogue. Throughout the whole film it was terribly unoriginal, boring, and too infrequently scattered with smile-only one-liners. But yes, the cast is good. Diane Keaton, John Goodman, Ed Helms, Amanda Seyfried, Olivia Wilde, Alan Arkin and Marisa Tomei are all solid, but the real standouts for me were Tomei, Wilde and Keaton. Keaton is always consistent and good, and she plays the mother figure very well; although nowhere as good as her mother character in "The Family Stone" – which I can't seem to stop comparing this film to. The film is awfully cheesy and clichéd, and the only subplot I actually enjoyed was the romance between Wilde's character and Jake Lacy's; they had real chemistry, and despite the actual relationship being quite unrealistic and cheesy, it worked because they portrayed the characters well, their chemistry was on point, and they gave their characters real depth. Tomei was excellent; her conversations in the squad car opposite Anthony Mackie – who was very underused - gave the film its rare slices of humour, and she fitted her character perfectly. Alan Arkin is the grandfather of the family, but he's not brilliant or entirely convincing in the role, and his rather creepy relationship – which I guess is supposed to be friendly grandfather figure to quiet, reserved granddaughter - with Amanda Seyfried's character isn't as sweet or touching as it should be. Their scenes are uncomfortable and awkward and while Seyfried acts well, there wasn't enough to make me feel for them. Overall, if you're wanting to watch a feel-good, moving, brilliantly acted, hilarious family drama in the holidays – preferably Christmas – then watch "The Family Stone". Believe me, it won't disappoint. "Love the Coppers" most certainly will.