Surviving Christmas

Amazon.com

Ben Affleck is well-cast as Drew Latham, a millionaire on the verge of nervous collapse, a man with no sense of self who tries to buy the trappings of life--including the family that just happens to be living in his childhood home. He jumps around with a plastic smile on his face, trying to impose himself on the bribed household, who--even though the parents are on the verge of divorce--are still more psychologically coherent than he is. Surviving Christmas has been unfairly trashed due to anti-Affleck sentiment in the post-Gigli era; though the movie eventually succumbs to bland formula, it has some moments of bracing dark comedy and genuine empathy, mostly thanks to James Gandolfini (The Sopranos, The Mexican) and Catherine O'Hara (A Mighty Wind, Beetlejuice) as the parents--two superb actors who could breathe life into any banal script. Also featuring Christina Applegate (Anchorman, View from the Top). --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

I quit after 20 minutes.......2007-07-17

This is such an artificial movie. Acting is nearby that bad as the storyline. There are really very few movies out there that do not touch me, but this one really does not. Everything is so forseeable. The guy who is big in selling advertisement, presenting his client's product on christmas for the people that have it so hard to go through it with their hatred family, then he for himself does not even have a family and finds himself on christmas alone. Of course as a successfull business man he pays some people to be his family during christmas. It is a wannabe comedy, and the laughers it creates in me are just of that kind of painful-"attention now is coming something they wanted to be funny"-laughing. It is so bad!

Good product!.......2007-01-10

Love the movie, and the product was exactly as I had expected! I even received it before Christmas-- Thanks Amazon!

Ho Ho Humdrum.......2006-12-21

This is the worst excuse for a Christmas film I have ever seen. I have seen Christmas abused and trivialized in a variety of ways in my life, but this film really "takes the cake."
For those of you who like slapstick comedy irregardless of the theme used, this movie is for you. For those of you who like slapstick comedy and have absolutely no problem with the commercializing and trivializing of Christmas, go for it. But for those of you who like slapstick comedy but yet have a deep respect and a feeling of endearment toward this holiday, don't bother reaching for your pocket books; it's not worth one penny.
Already in the beginning when Drew shows up at his childhood home, I knew where this movie was headed. But I thought I'd view it all the way through; I was curious as to how it was going to turn out. Toward the end, however, I was anxious for it to finish; in fact, I almost fell asleep at one point.
If you like Christmas slapstick, then it would be better to invest in something like "Christmas with the Kranks," or "I'll Be Home for Christmas," with Jonathan Taylor Thomas, or the Tim Allen Santa Clause movies, or Macaulay Culkin's "Home Alone" (1 and 2). These movies are comical and very honoring of the holiday at the same time.
Plus the casting, I thought, was whacked. Ben Affleck belongs in movies with serious social and political issues with romantic twists, but the part of Drew should have been given to any one like Jim Carrey, Martin Short, Ray Romano, Owen Wilson, Adam Sandler, Eddie Murphy, Steve Martin, Tim Allen, or David Spade, etc. These characters are all-time buffoons; Affleck is not. Affleck is more of a romanticizer.
Drew is a lonely well-to-do executive who thinks nothing of spending time in Fiji with his girlfriend without any regard for her feelings about it. She walks out on him, and then he desperately finds someone to spend Christmas with.....even if he has to pay to do it.
In order for Christmas memories to be relived, he ends up at his childhood residence and is willing to pay as much as $250,000 to the current owners just so that he can re-live his childhood Christmases.
Family togetherness and fond memories are natural, but they cannot be bought at a price and they cannot be rehearsed via a script (another thing he puts the reluctant family through). It all has to be spontaneous.
This movie was not only mis-casted, it was mis-matched. A Christmas movie that's rated PG-13 is a new one for me. The foul language and the sexual implications are no match for a movie that's supposed to have the trappings of Christmas. I would have given this movie two more stars had, let's say, Jim Carrey played in it and had Christmas not been the theme.
This movie does not deserve the accolades of all the time-honored Christmas films of the past.
Just the title, "Surviving Christmas," puts the holiday on the same level as a disaster. What's to survive? It's as though Christmas has to be put on the same footing as, let's say, surviving the sinking of the Titanic or Hurricane Katrina.
You want a good Christmas movie without all the commercial and secular trappings? Then rent or purchase "The Bells of St. Mary's," or something similar.

Better than expected.......2006-12-12

I actually skipped this movie several times when I saw it in the TV Guide. I thought it would be some war movie or something, didn't know Ben Affleck was in it and it is actually a sort of a light comedy movie. I pretty much enjoy it, and would actually add this one to a layback movie list.

A successful cold-hearted executive, Drew Latham (Ben Affleck) decided to go back home to visit his childhood home -- to unexpectedly "shovelled" by Tom Valco (James Gandolfini), cause he thought Drew was about to burn their house down. As he came to, Drew realized the Valcos was presently the owners of the house and figured he should rent the family for the holidays. The Valcos were pretty much ok with the situation, hey, who wouldn't like a $250,000 easy. Easy was an understatement. Drew's pressence actually broke the family's internal problems down. Cards laid on the table and Drew, silently tried to help his new family to mend the wounds, not knowing he fell in love with his "sister" in the meantime.

The movie is actually full of laugh, romance, sadness, and complete with the silent quirks in between. Watch it with your family, friends and love ones. Ben is pretty stiff in this one, I guess it fits with his character. but it was enjoyable t watch. The the rest of the cast really connect with each other and their quirks would make you laugh your heart out.

Come on, Surviving Christmas is hilarious!.......2006-11-28

First of all, I don't know where all the negative hype is coming from regarding this movie. I love Surviving Christmas, and I ended up watching it over 7 times. It is beyond hilarious, and if you don't think so you must be the grinch. I thought it was much better than the average Christmas movie, that normally just shows neighbors who compete for the most xmas lights/decor. This movie has an actual story! Anyway I absolutely loved it, and so did the rest of my family and friends. It's a MUST see if you want to a real good laugh.

Happy Holidays to All!

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