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5.2/10
8.6K
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Boyd Mitchler and his family must spend Christmas with his estranged family of misfits. Upon realizing that he left all his son's gifts at home, he hits the road with his dad in an attempt t... Read allBoyd Mitchler and his family must spend Christmas with his estranged family of misfits. Upon realizing that he left all his son's gifts at home, he hits the road with his dad in an attempt to make the 8-hour round trip before sunrise.Boyd Mitchler and his family must spend Christmas with his estranged family of misfits. Upon realizing that he left all his son's gifts at home, he hits the road with his dad in an attempt to make the 8-hour round trip before sunrise.
J.J. Jones
- Young Boyd
- (as JJ Jones)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
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Every actor in this movie is amazing, but what a waste. The writing was poor and the character development was lacking, so they all had little to work with. Why would you cast Robin Williams as a racist, swearing, gun-toting jerk when he is amazing as a heart-warming, loving lunatic? Lauren Graham was probably the best casting in this film as the understanding, patient wife and Joel McHale was great as a sarcastic, weary son. But Candice Bergen was also wasted as a tired, docile wife. Clark Duke, although a brilliant, talented actor, was also miscast as a veteran with PTSD. What?? I would love to see all of these actors in a better film.
Going to start this review of by saying that the world is at such a loss without robin Williams as this feel good xmas comedy shows just how great of a actor he was. the film starts off bit slow but then once robin Williams character comes into the plot it becomes interesting. the plot is a simple one which I feel helped this film evan more and you can read the plot above in the info next to the picture. The jokes and one liners are great and funny and despite all the mishaps it gives off a nice message and just in time for xmas as let's face it films like "jessabelle, horns, dumb and dumber too" don't really give you a festive feel. So if you want a original xmas comedy with a great cast a funny drunk santa and a overall feel good film for this time of year then be sure to go watch this film.
This film tells the story of a hedge fund manager who goes home to spend the Christmas with his estranged family. He forgets to bring along with him the Christmas present for his son, and has to go on a long journey to rectify his mistake.
I watched this because it's one of Robin Williams' final films. He plays a grumpy old man who seems to know how to enjoy life, as opposed to his son, who goes a long way to try to be a good father. The plot is very weak, however, and I don't really care for any of the characters. The jokes, which include Nelson the supposedly a war hero, and the recurrent police encounters, are simply not funny. I find "A Merry Friggin' Christmas" a huge disappointment. The only good thing is that the main bulk of the film only runs for 73 minutes.
I watched this because it's one of Robin Williams' final films. He plays a grumpy old man who seems to know how to enjoy life, as opposed to his son, who goes a long way to try to be a good father. The plot is very weak, however, and I don't really care for any of the characters. The jokes, which include Nelson the supposedly a war hero, and the recurrent police encounters, are simply not funny. I find "A Merry Friggin' Christmas" a huge disappointment. The only good thing is that the main bulk of the film only runs for 73 minutes.
If you liked Four Christmases, this is like an entire movie set at Brad's dad's house, and that's a good thing. This is a dark comedy about a family with past hurts. We loved it. Disfunction is real life people. If you like Four Christmases, Bad Santa, or Surviving Christmas then give this a go. Life is ugly. Stop pretending Christmas is a just like a Hallmark movie and have fun.
As a Robin Williams fan, I'm sad to say that this, one of his last films before he died, was not a good one. This is not the film by which you should remember the late great Robin Williams. It is an affront to his legacy as a great comedian and actor. This is a forgettable film that will forever be overshadowed by his much better performances, and relegated to the dustbin of sub-par forgotten Christmas films, of which there are many. Now I'm not criticizing Williams, I think he was a wonderful actor but this film thoroughly stinks and, well, he signed on to play a role in it.
The writing was pretty bad and the dialogue felt forced and unnatural. It felt like the actors were playing parodies of dysfunctional characters from other family films. Joel McHale was very dry and awkward throughout the film. His delivery did not come across as genuine and the scenes where he was supposed to be emotional felt fake. I felt the highlight of the film was actually the interactions between two side characters: Luann played by Lauren Graham, who you know as the mom from Gilmore Girls, and the always delightful Candice Bergen infamously known for her character Murphy Brown. There is a section of the film where these two, annoyed by the antics of their respective spouses, decide to drink until intoxication while reminiscing and goofing off. It is genuinely the highlight of otherwise dreary 88 minute mess.
The writing was pretty bad and the dialogue felt forced and unnatural. It felt like the actors were playing parodies of dysfunctional characters from other family films. Joel McHale was very dry and awkward throughout the film. His delivery did not come across as genuine and the scenes where he was supposed to be emotional felt fake. I felt the highlight of the film was actually the interactions between two side characters: Luann played by Lauren Graham, who you know as the mom from Gilmore Girls, and the always delightful Candice Bergen infamously known for her character Murphy Brown. There is a section of the film where these two, annoyed by the antics of their respective spouses, decide to drink until intoxication while reminiscing and goofing off. It is genuinely the highlight of otherwise dreary 88 minute mess.
Did you know
- TriviaThe first of three movies released after the death of star Robin Williams.
- GoofsIn the final scene in the front yard, as Nelson carries the baby, the neighbor's yard shows a blooming dogwood tree and flowering white shrub revealing the Christmas cold-weather scene was filmed in the spring.
- Crazy creditsAt the very end of the credit roll is displayed a picture of Robin Williams as his Mitch character with this dedication: "Dedicated to the loving memory of the man who made us all laugh. Robin Williams 1951 - 2014"
- ConnectionsReferences Jeopardy! (1984)
- SoundtracksIt's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
Written by Edward Pola, George Wyle
Performed by Rufus Wainwright
Courtesy of Barnaby Music Corp. and Sycamore Music
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
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- Also known as
- A Merry Friggin' Christmas
- Filming locations
- Stone Mountain, Gwinnett County, GA, USA(Family's house)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $5,000,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 28 minutes
- Color
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