Navidad con los Cooper

Any number of the films we now think of as unassailable holiday classics -- Christmas in Connecticut, White Christmas, even It's a Wonderful Life -- were dismissed as corny and formulaic in their original reviews, so it's no surprise that Meet the Coopers met the same fate. But I suspect time will be kind to this one: it's warm without being gooey, the humor is sharp and observant, the ensemble is top-notch, and the soundtrack is quite lovely.

If, like me, you're a fan of the dysfunctional-family Christmas comedy (The Ref, La Bûche, A Christmas Tale), this one may well sneak up on you and enter your annual holiday rotation. If I ever get to update my holiday film guide "Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas," this one would definitely go in.

Unsure for the negative reviews, this movie is a moment of reflection and the sad realisation that life moves fast and it won't be appreciated until it's too late.

Yes, it's about a dysfunctional family and equally dysfunctional characters and no, granted there isn't jiggle bells at every turn, tinsel dripping from the mantelpiece but there is absolute warmth and feel good factor about this one. Not every Christmas is about having all the trimmings it's about people and the pressures - A wonderful life broke that cliche. If you've not watched it, give it a go, if you've misunderstood it, give it some attention. Summary, a feel good 'alternative' Christmas movie.

"The main reason Santa is so jolly is because he knows where all the bad girls live." George Carlin

My favorite Christmas movie is Bad Santa, so you know where I'm coming from when I write that Love the Coopers is partly lovable. An upper-class family reunion at Christmas time is Mt. Lebanon, Pa., is fraught with anti-Christmas episodes, barely excluding anyone in the Cooper family from trials that threaten to sabotage completely the elders' attempts to have everything end as in It's a Wonderful Life.

As I reflect on the film family, where even the elders, Charlotte (Diane Keaton) and Sam (John Goodman), have problems—they are divorcing after 40 years, I think of the many challenges of my family, down to grandkids, that threaten to decimate the holiday cheer. However those speed bumps seem to strengthen rather than weaken the family.

The film wisely lets the rough notes be played by the young as well as the old. For example, twenty-something Eleanor (Olivia Wilde) cannot seem to hang on to a man despite her charm and unusually good looks—she's the strongest plot component and deserves more face time. Teen Charlie (Timothee Chalamet) angles for his first kiss while being bullied and humiliated on the path to victory.

Most poignant non-family reveler, Ruby (Amanda Seyfried), has a deep, Platonic connection to patriarch Bucky (Alan Arkin), an odd combination with 50 years between them and a satisfying one at that. It is possible to infer that just about everyone is looking for love, but usually in the wrong places. Although the film does not make that search easy, it has so many funny moments, more than the dark doings should allow, lightening and heightening the aspirations of the characters.

As for the rest of us left with holiday reunions, take comfort: Even the dysfunctional Coopers find enough love to make it through to the next Christmas.

I think this is one of those movies that you either love or hate. I loved it, my husband hated it. It definitely is a bit of a downer which is why I gave it a 7/10. It's not gonna be a movie that puts you in a holly jolly mood (at least not until the last 15 minutes). So I understand why many people disliked it. But with that said, I found the brutal honesty very charming. It felt real and still managed to have quite a few laughs in the midst of the drama. Very reminiscent of The Family Stone. I think if they hadn't marketed it as a comedy, so that people knew what to expect going in, it would have a better score right now. Something else that I noticed and loved was the way it was filmed. It was very beautifully shot, and there were lots of gorgeous close ups that, to me, made the scenes even better. And I really enjoyed how a few shots were filmed from the perspective of the children as they were running through crowds or stores etc. Very unique and added a little extra something (though maybe I only noticed because I'm a photographer). Probably not something kids will enjoy (there were more than a few in our theater and they didn't seem very interested).

I was not expecting "Gone With The Wind" or "The Godfather," - we just needed a break, something light-hearted - and "Love the Coopers" delivered. There are many scathing reviews about the plot and the characters and the clichés. Evidently what we needed yesterday were clichés - because we enjoyed it.

Yes it was predictable - yes it was cliché ridden, but we have to remember this is a Christmas movie - and in our age of cynicism, foreign threats, daily shootings in the "hood," and politically charged nastiness, sometimes we just need a little break and watch something which is warm- hearted and positive.

If you want nasty "realism" try "August: Osage County" or "Glengarry Glen Ross" - both of those show people at their absolute worst. But if you want a light, uplifting story, "Love the Coopers" will fill the bill.