Brightest Young Things

Holiday movies tend to fall into one of the two categories:
-those that are there to up your holiday spirit through insane amounts of love, musical montages and perfect presents ("Love Actually" is a prime example)
-and those that are supposed to make you feel better about spending the holidays with your own family because "at least they are not as bad as the people in this movie" (this covers pretty much every other Holiday movie ever made)

"Four Christmases" is, needless to say of the latter category.

It tells a story of Brad and Kate, a couple of self-indulgent yuppies from San Francisco who love each other, role play in public, take dance classes just because, and never spend the holidays with their 4 families ("There have been some divorces"-Brad says at some point) but instead "take vacations on their vacation". They are obviously at least a little ridden by guilt because they can't just straight up tell their parents and siblings they are not seeing them but come up with elaborate lies of goodwill and charity work.
This year Brad and Kate are going to Fiji for Christmas.
They have couples' massages and scuba diving and bad outfits ALL PLANNED.
This year, however, the fog settles on San Francisco, no planes are leaving, Brad & Kate, since they look like the biggest tourist yahoos in the world get stopped by media and THEIR FAMILIES SEE THEM.
They now have no choice but to go visit the people that they are blood related to and whom THEY HATE.
I wonder if hilarity will ensue?
More like sheer pain.

Brad & Kate are, btw played by Vince Vaughn (p.s. I just rewatched "Swingers" the other day and remember how straight up beautiful that man used to be before the bloating did what the bloating did?) and Reese Witherspoon (teeny, tiny, immaculate and powering through this movie in 6 inch heels at all times). They both are great comic actors and they try their best with what is given to them.
Which is:

-House 1: Brad's Dad's House (played by Robert Duvall) where they hang out with Brad's brothers Denver and Dallas (played by Tim McGraw and John Favreau, who LOVES being part of Christmas movies) which is so white trash they make doritos casserole or something in it.

-House 2: Kate's Mom's House replete with Mary Steenburgen as Mom, Kristin Chenoveth as the bouncy (And even tinier) sister, a dreaded moon bounce, a mega church priest (Dwight Yoakim) and that dude Steve from "King of Kong" playing a husband who just plays video games, which frankly, was a nice touch.

-House 3: Brad's Mom's House where Sissy Spacek (are you noticing a theme of amazing casting quality?) who lives with Brad's ex-best friend and frankly, seems very sweet and nice and normal, aside from the fact that Brad can't really deal with his Mom's couguarness.

and finally

-House 4: Kate's Dad's House where Jon Voight (the gene pool these people swim in-seriously) presides over a loving but dysfunctional "American family" Christmas.

Horrible, embarassing things happen to Brad and Kate along the way, involving physical and mental violence, acting in superchurch pageants and being held hostage by 5 year olds. It is maybe funny, but it is mostly painful to watch. You actually kind of squirm, but because the movie aims at mainstream success it never really veers into "Bad Santa" Holiday film territory therefore never fully living up to its sadistic premise. And frankly, I kind of love holiday movies, I just could not fully get on board here, there was just not enough sugar (or spice).

Afterwards, I went to Clyde's and drank A LOT of spiked holiday chocolate/coffee drinks and ate a brownie a la mode, just to recover.
Proceed at your own caution.