Day 4 - Surviving Christmas

 

Surviving Christmas

Starring: Ben Affleck, Christina Applegate, James Gandolfini, and Catherine O’hara

Director: Mike Mitchell

Writer: A lot

Streaming: Amazon Prime

Spoilers: Hopefully no to many

 

 

I am not a Ben Affleck fan.  I always sort of thought he sucked.  Then South Park destroyed him for me for all time.  As I sit here and think about ole’ Pancake Head my blood starts to boil knowing he is dating Ana de Armas.  I just can’t understand how someone as wonderful and sexy as her could end up with such a douche bag like Assfleck.  I guess the sun really does shine on a dog’s ass some days.  However, we are off topic, and this is not the time of year to dwell on such unexplainable phenomenon. 

 

 

As I was saying not a big Assfleck fan but I had heard about Surviving Christmas and when I came across it on the Holiday Movie list on Amazon Prime and watch the trailer and saw that this had mild chuckles in it and the beautiful Christina Applegate it was the movie of choice on Day 4 of the Holiday Movie Marathon.  It also had James Gandalf in it, and I know his name is Gandolfini, and I should be respectful of the deceased it is just I know I am going to do typos of Gandalf for Gandolfini, so I might as well just do it on purpose and get it out of the way. Most people of Gandolfini and think of the Sopranos but to this day I still haven’t watch that show, so when I think of him, I think of him in True Romance slapping around Alabama Worley.  Also, I think of his character Bear from Get Shorty, former stunt man turned bodyguard.  Catherine O’hara is a good actress, although I still blame her for leaving Kevin at home alone.  What kind of mother would do that?  Applegate how can you not love her.   Thought she was smoking hot as Kelly Bundy.  Loved her in Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter is dead and Anchorman.  She was beautiful and sweet in this movie and she mad me smile. 

 

 

The biggest drawback of the movie was Ben Assflack and a young weird head having Assflack at that.  It was hard to watch him seeing how young he was.  The film was from 2004 and we were all a little younger back then.  However, Pancake heads face is so much smaller than what it is now, it was almost hard to look at.  I am dead serious I kept think man his head and face are so much smaller than it is now.  Anyway, other than his head bothering me and it being him, he actually played the role of slightly deranged, and super needy, spoiled rich brat very well.  The character as foolish as he is does grow on you over the course of the movie and you find yourself rooting for him.  While the highlight of the movie if I have not said so already was Christina.  She is very pretty and sweet in the movie and I found her character to be grounded and likeable. 

 

 

I think this movie did a really good job of doing the Holiday Movie Formula.  First, we have a lonely millionaire who need a family for Christmas.  Then we have a Gandolfini and O’hara as two loving parents who are having some problems at home and with their teenage son who doesn’t do anything but sit in his room and look at porn that need a spark plug in their life. Then enter the grounded and seemingly only normal person in the movie Applegate as the other child of the Gandolfini/O’hara coupling.  You take these three ingredients and toss them together and we watch how the spark plug slowly but surely turns every member of the family into an ally.  Then you seem sparks of chemistry between our lead actor and our beautiful young women.  Just when things seem to be going right our spark plug takes a seemingly kind and genuine moment and destroys it.  Leading to him and the beautiful young women go in their own directions. All while the shit is hitting the fan back at the home front and parents are splitting up, the young man breaks his girlfriend the computer.  The real question here is can the magic of Christmas safe them all and bring them back together?  Well watch the movie and find out. 

 

 

I found the love story a little rushed.  I thought there should have been a little more conflict between the two potential lovers thought about getting together.  Assfleck’s character needed to do some more grounded down to earth things.  However, I found myself really liking this movie as it went on.  I found myself sort of sucked into the movie.  I was sitting there thinking now this is working thru what I expected in a holiday movie.  Conflict breaking people apart and love bringing them together.  After all don’t we all just want to be loved and with people we love for Christmas. 

 

 

The movie is getting a 7 on my cheer meter.  It got me there, after it was over, I was telling Kona that it was a great movie and that we were glad we watched it.  I must tell her these things because she normally sleeps through them.  I don’t think she likes movies as much as her Dad.  I was happier when I finished the movie than I was when it started and that to me rings the cheer meter. 

 

What I really find surprising is how hated this movie is on Rotten Tomatoes and on IMDb, the Snow movies both did better than this one.  Rotten Tomatoes gave this a 29%, while IMDb said 5.4 out of 10.  I mean don’t get me wrong this isn’t the greatest movie of all time.  It should not be a critically acclaimed movie.  No one should win Oscars for it.  However, the cheer was there.  I guess not everyone sees it the way I do.

 

I will recommend this movie and I am sure some people will tell me I am crazy for doing it, but hey, what can I say Pancake Head grew on me and Applegate charmed the hell out of me.