Dreadfully Boring

Best movie of this year hands down!

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

Christmast 'romcom' is a unique genre where maximum score is 8 (out of 10) as it is inevitably full of cliché.I had to give this maximum score as this movie brings virtually everything it has to: divorce, unemployment, shame, affront, loud quarrel -- and the catharsis, the resolution we all longing for, but many people are afraid to admit that.The "extras" I decided to sit down in front of the computer this evening was a discussion between two characters: one recalls her parents hate each other since they are fighting on every subtle matter -- the other recalls his parents love each other since they are fighting on every subtle matter, this is not hate but blood, passion.The opposite of love is not hate. The opposite of love is indifference.

Review: I wasn't a big fan of this movie because I got fed up with the constant moaning from the various characters, who really had nothing to moan about. Its based around a dysfunctional family, who are getting together for Christmas at the family home but the mother and father of the family, Sam Cooper (John Goodman) and Charlotte (Diane Keaton) are having problems with there marriage, because they have grown apart since the kids have left home. Charlotte's sister, Emma (Marisa Tomei) is jealous of her sisters huge family, and she is caught stealing a present for her, whilst shopping in a department store. Officer Williams (Anthony Mackie) has to chaperone her to the local police station but after bonding in the police car, he decides to take her to the family home. Meanwhile, Charlotte's daughter, Eleanor (Olivia Wilde) becomes friends with a soldier, Joe (Jake Lacy) whilst drinking at the airport bar, and she manages to convince him to act like he is her boyfriend, so her prying mother will stop going on about how disappointed she is with her life. Charlotte's father, Bucky (Alan Arkin) falls for a waitress, Ruby (Amanda Seyfried), who makes him feel young and has the same interests as her but he doesn't make it known to Ruby, mainly because of the age difference. He asks her to come to the family home for Christmas, as she has decided to leave her job to pursue her dream. Charlotte's son, Hank (Ed Helms) is going through a divorce to Angie (Alex Borstein), so he is constantly searching for a job to support his kids. With Sam's senile Auntie, Aunt Fishy (June Squibb) and the family dog Rags (voiced by Steve Martin), also around the family dinner table at Christmas, all hell breaks lose when they finally get together, and Bucky takes a turn for the worse, which eventually brings the family together. I really did try to get into this film but the storyline was weak and the characters wasn't that interesting. The script also became a bit annoying, especially between Keaton and Goodman who were arguing about complete rubbish, and the witty side of the movie wasn't that funny. With such an impressive cast, I was totally let down with this film but I'm sure that dysfunctional families will enjoy it. Disappointing! Round-Up: This movie was directed by Jessie Nelson, who also brought you I Am Sam starring Sean Penn and Corrina, Corrina with Ray Liotta. She also wrote and produced Fred Claus, Because I Said So, The Story of Us, Stepmom and Danny Collins. Although I didn't really find this movie that interesting, it did make a profit at the box office, mainly because it was released close to Christmas. I couldn't see were the budget went, and I personally think that the director didn't take full advantage of the cast but on a good note, it does have a sweet ending, which was quite predictable.Budget: $17million Worldwide Gross: $42.4millionI recommend this movie to people who are into their comedies, starring Steve Martin, Diane Keaton, John Goodman, Ed Helms, Alex Borstein, Amanda Seyfried, Alan Arkin, Dan Amboyer, Marisa Tomei, Olivia Wilde, Anthony Mackie and June Squibb. 2/10

It's Christmas Eve and the Coopers are gathering for a family dinner. Sam (John Goodman) and Charlotte (Diane Keaton) are fighting after a long marriage. Their son Hank (Ed Helms) lost his job and is struggling to get his kids gifts. Emma (Marisa Tomei) has always been jealous and bitter at her sister Charlotte. She tries to steal a broach and is arrested by Officer Williams (Anthony Mackie). Sam and Charlotte pick up Aunt Fishy (June Squibb) from the retirement home. Charlotte's father Bucky (Alan Arkin) keeps eating at a diner for the companionship of waitress Ruby (Amanda Seyfried) and definitely not for the food. Eleanor (Olivia Wilde) hates to be the disappointment to her mother Charlotte and picks up military Joe (Jake Lacy) at an airport bar.This is a rather standard PG dysfunctional family Christmas. There is some good and some less-than-good from the talented cast. Wilde and Lacy are the most fun and their formulaic rom-com works well. Goodman and Keaton's fighting is a little annoying. Keaton has played this character a lot and this is not her best. Helms plays the pathetic guy. It's not the most endearing performance. I expected more back story from Arkin and Seyfried. There should be a bigger reason why he keeps going to the diner to see her. All in all, this is a functional dysfunctional family fare with a few minor problems. The one problem that keeps distracting from the story is Steve Martin's narration. Both the narrations and the flashbacks keep disrupting the flow. The narration's reveal do not help either. It's a gimmick that is too cheesy to spoil. The standard material and good cast should be good enough for a passable movie except for the disruptive narrations.

I found this one on DVD from my local public library. My wife and I were entertained. I loaned it to our neighbors and they didn't like it at all.Not all movies are for great drama, great comedy, or great revelations. Some are for just mostly mindless entertainment. This is one of those. Its general theme is love and respect for family members.If you generally like the cast members then you will like this movie. It features a multi-generational extended family getting ready to meet and dine for their traditional Christmas Eve dinner. It is set and filmed (digitally) in Pittsburgh. In a quirky move it is narrated by Steve Martin but we never see his 'character.'The overall story features a number of characters with a number of issues. My least favorite were the arguing adult sisters. But my favorite two were the daughter dreading all the question sure to come, like "Why aren't you married yet?" On a whim she convinces a young man at the airport, a soldier headed for deployment overseas, to accompany her and pretend he is her boyfriend. By the end of the movie it appears they might have changed each other.