O Natal dos Coopers

This is by no means a drama, nor a comedy, but I classify it as a dramedy about real life issues. Family members argue. Family members are sometimes uncomfortable around each other. Husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, have ups and downs in their relationships. All families remember good times and bad times and so do the Coopers.

This is not a warm and fuzzy feel good movie that you finish seeing and you are left with an uplifting feeling of happiness . What you will see is a point of view as if you are sitting at the Cooper's dinner table yourself and as hard as you might try to avoid it, you will consciously take a side with one family member over another.

This film has an all star cast and the family and spouses interactions are sometimes intense but honest in their current feelings towards each other. I especially enjoyed all of the scenes between Alan Arkin the Cooper family patriarch and his waitress actress Amanda Seyfried which take place at his favorite diner.

There are too many scenes throughout this film to mention them all but Olivia Wilde and the war veteran she meets at the airport actor Jake Lacey evolved quickly as each of them dug deep into the others psyche, and I wished there was more that we could have listened in on.

I will be sure to watch this again sometime as it is one of those memorable films, not in a good way, but it may help remind us all to forgive, not forget, but to share our feelings and whatever the outcome the truth should come out. I give this dramedy a 7 out of 10 IMDB rating.

I started this movie just because nothing was on (tube full of Xmas). I was first sucked in by the great John Goodman and the sublime Alan Arkin. Once Olivia Wilde's character started to develop I was hooked.

I am gobsmacked to see how wrong the low ratings for this movie are. The unique characters and the depth of emotions, mostly love, are incredible. Maybe people want quick cuts and action and just don't know how to let a movie based on dialogue slowly draw them in and make you care about the characters, all of which are rounded and easily lovable,yet each deeply flawed in ways anyone that has lived a few decades will identify with.

I am a tough guy in my 50s and I shed tears three times. Not only that,but several times I had to pause the film so I could ponder how the wise words about love and life relate to my life and mistakes. From this day on my life will be better because of what i realized was true,as displayed in this movie, about family, love, regrets. And I will forever love Olivia Wilde. Her scenes alone are worth watching this movie.

If you can watch this movie closely and not shed a tear, you are dead inside and should immediately seek psychiatric help. Solid 7.5/10

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).

Okay so I don't understand the super low reviews here but I understand why it's not a ten. There are parts that are kind of cheesy and silly and I don't love all the characters... But there are moments of such real beauty in this movie. Absolutely worth a watch!!

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.