Four Christmases
Short description
Brad and Kate are a San Francisco couple who have long kept their families at a distance by spending Christmas abroad. Their usual escape fails when flights are cancelled and a television news crew interviews them at the airport, letting both sets of parents know they are in town. With no way out, they must visit four households in a single day: his father, her mother, his mother and her father, since both sets of parents are divorced. Across the visits, old tensions resurface and the couple's unmarried life is scrutinised by relatives they have avoided for years.
Seth Gordon directed the film, his first feature in the chronological list of his credits, which continues with Freakonomics, Horrible Bosses and Baywatch, among others. Jon Lucas, Scott Moore and Caleb Wilson wrote the screenplay, and Vince Vaughn, one of the producers, stars as Brad alongside Reese Witherspoon as Kate. Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Mary Steenburgen and Jon Voight play the four parents. The production cost about 80 million dollars and returned roughly 164 million worldwide.
Audience response was moderate: on IMDb the film holds 5.7 out of 10 from about 89,000 votes, and on TMDB it sits at 5.8 from around 1,280 votes. A critics' rating of 4.5 out of 10 from 145 reviews places it below those viewer scores. The 88-minute comedy was released in November 2008.
What's left behind the scenes
- During the filming of the dinner scene, Reese Witherspoon was hit in the face with a ceramic plate. The actress required five stitches. This delayed filming for 3 days.
- Many key episodes of the film were pure improvisation.
- As director Seth Gordon stated, this film is about how difficult it is for a person to reconcile who they are with who they are expected to be. That’s why it’s so hard to spend Christmas with family, and why celebrating this holiday is fraught with stress. Overall, Gordon simply believes that Christmas is excellent material for a comedy.
- While working on the depth of the characters, director Seth Gordon created detailed biographies for all the main characters in the film.
- Work on the film began during the strike called by the Writers Guild of America in 2007-2008, so making any revisions to the script during filming was impossible.
- After reports surfaced in the press about friction on set between Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon, the actor categorically refused to participate in the film's promotional campaign.
- All those involved in the process, from the screenwriters to the director and actors, shared their memories of celebrating Christmas – some of which were depicted in the film, others were not.
- Vernon Vaughn, the father of actor Vince Vaughn, played an extra as a churchgoer in the comedy "Four Christmases" (2008), where his character sits to the right and behind Reese Witherspoon. Vernon Vaughn also appeared with his son in cameo roles in the films "Swingers" (1996), "Old School" (2001), and "Wedding Crashers" (2006).
- The film's cast includes two country music performers (Dwight Yoakam and Tim McGraw) and three actors who have won Oscars for portraying country music performers on screen. These are Reese Witherspoon, who starred in James Mangold's "Walk the Line" (2005), Robert Duvall, who appeared in Bruce Beresford's "Tender Mercies" (1983), and Sissy Spacek, who starred in Michael Apted's "Coal Miner's Daughter" (1980).
- Seth Gordon was chosen as the film's director at Vince Vaughn's insistence. The actor is a huge fan of the documentary "The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters," which Seth Gordon directed in 2007.
- The Howard house in Shadow Hills, California, was built "from scratch." The roof beams were specially reinforced to support the weight of the actors and crew. Deceived by the house’s respectable and “lived-in” appearance, some crew members were very surprised to discover that it was completely empty inside. This greatly amused director Seth Gordon.
- While working on the film, Seth Gordon drew on his own memories of celebrating Christmas with his family, when tension hung in the air, his sister constantly annoyed him, and everyone hoped someone else would invite Grandma to Christmas dinner.
- Vince Vaughn, who played the lead role, producer Peter Billingsley, and actor Jon Favreau have been friends for a long time. They had already worked together on various projects before the film "Four Christmases" (2008).
- Vince Vaughn, the lead actor, on the idea behind the film: "That’s what Christmas is all about—bringing together everyone you’re close to—good, bad, or ugly—remembering your roots and the need to love and forgive each other. And, of course, to celebrate the holiday properly."
- The plot of "Four Christmases" (2008) is one of three that Blake Snyder described in his book "Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need," and the only one that has been made into a film. According to Blake, each of the screenplay templates he presents in the book "[would] fetch a six- or seven-figure fee."
- All the parents in the film are played by “Oscar-winning” actors who have received the golden statuette for Best Actor or Best Actress. Robert Duvall for "Tender Mercies" (1983), Sissy Spacek for "Coal Miner’s Daughter" (1980), Jon Voight for "Coming Home" (1978), and Mary Steenburgen for "Melvin and Howard" (1980).
- Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, and Patrick Van Horn first met on the set after working on "Swingers" (1996).
- Seth Gordon, the director of "Four Christmases" (2008), filmed the famous documentary "The King of Kong" in 2007. It featured, among other things, Steve Wiebe, a two-time US champion in the arcade game "Donkey Kong". In "Four Christmases" (2008), Wiebe played the role of Jim.
- In the comedy television series "Friends" (1994-2004), Jon Favreau played Pete, a millionaire and Monica's boyfriend. They broke up because Pete wanted to become a champion in mixed martial arts. Favreau plays a mixed martial arts participant in the film "Four Christmases" (2008).
- Upon hearing the question of why they didn't get married after dance lessons, Brad mentions Richard Connell's short story "The Most Dangerous Game" (1924). It tells the story of a wealthy Cossack who organizes a hunt for people on his island.
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