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.

Chase_Witherspoon So it's your average, run of the mill Christmas rom-com about a self-absorbed millionaire who selfishly decides to invade the Christmas of a family who now inhabit the home in which he once lived as a child. A way in which he can re-discover the Christmas spirit, and the common touch from which his hedonistic lifestyle has grown distant. His treatment though of the family (Gandolfini, O'Hara, Zuckerman and Affleck's eventual love interest, Applegate) is borderline exploitation, paying them to affect a Christmas experience to essentially cure his own guilt.Affleck has never much impressed me, and his performance here still carries that air of self-indulgence, even though he's basically playing a self-centred prick. Gandolfini and O'Hara develop a realistic chemistry of a couple who've grown apart in their day-to-day grind (the family are depicted as the typical urban battlers, to emphasise the contrast with Affleck's careless toff), and the remaining cast features some familiar faces in David Selby, Udo Keir, Stephen Root and Peter Jason among others.It's a pretty tame, but watchable Christmas outing, with a clichéd conclusion and message that always seems to strike the right chord when dressed in red, white and green and covered in mistletoe. Definitely an afternoon Christmas flick for the 23rd or 24th of December.

thesar-2 If you love Christmas…If you want to feel the magic…Try your best to Survive 'Surviving Christmas.' This movie is the #1 worst excuse for a Christmas movie. It makes 'Christmas with the Kranks' bearable. It's built on lies, deception, desperation and an incredible lack of humor or homage to the Christmas spirit. At very least, it has Scrooge's blessing, before he becomes good, that is. Here's the deal: Stay clear of 'Jingle All the Way,' 'Christmas with the Kranks' and 'Surviving Christmas' and you will have a blessed holiday season this year. 1/5 Stars.IMD(b) is making me write more. How much more can I say about this? I hated this movie with a Christmas Passion. Jamie Lee apparently was good for one role. Okay, I liked her in TRUE LIES. But other than those two, and I hope you know other role I am referring to...

vincentlynch-moonoi Early on, Ben Affleck made a few entertaining pictures. Then he lapsed into a period where he made some real stinkers. Recently he has begun to come out of that period, and may yet again have a truly successful screen career.This film is not exactly a stinker, but it's like milk that is past the due date...not too far from going bad. If you expect a lot out of this flick, you'll probably be disappointed. Looks more like a TV movie from the Hallmark Channel than a big screen production...although at least a Hallmark television movie would have a little more heart to it. I watched this film on cable because the cable listing description described Affleck as "utterly charming" in this film...but it also had only 1 star...so I was prepared.There were possibilities here. A young ad exec has lost his sense of wonderment of Christmas and family, breaks up with his girl, and ends up looking forward to Christmas alone. He tries to find friends to share the holiday with him, but none want him. No wonder! Then he gets the idea from another minor acquaintance who also doesn't want him, to write his regrets on a piece of paper and then burn them at a place that was special to him. So he goes to the house he grew up in, gets clobbered by the low-class present owner (James Gandolfini), but ends up renting the family and house for an outrageous sum of money. Of course, the family is a bunch of weirdos and he even has to rent a grandfather. We learn that even as a child, Afflect had lousy and lonely Christmases. Of course, Affleck begins falling in love with a somewhat cynical (but at least realistic) Christina Applegate...perhaps the only actor in the film that showed some talent here. But this Affleck's girlfriend and her rich family shows up, and another whole set of somewhat predictable disasters occur.Affleck utterly charming here? I think not. Gandolfini shows the talent he did on cable drama? No.Okay, so I watched it once, but never again. There's just no...well, very little heart to this film. Someone decided they had to make a Christmas flick...they did...it failed...and this is the result. I'd rather meet one of Scrooge's ghosts than meet up with this film again.