It’s a perfect time for Christmas movies to start coming out, seeing as the decorations have been up in the stores since like September. And so, we’re tackling Four Christmases today, a movie that shows that sometimes, time with the family is the best gift of all.
Even if you don’t notice it at first.
This time, a young couple who’s not terribly interested in getting married, usually manages to duck their family obligations around the holidays by making up elaborate stories and going off to various getaways instead. But a surprise San Francisco fogbank socks in the airport irrevocably, and so the four are left forced to spend Christmas in the last place on earth they want to…with their families.
Families. FOUR of them. Both of their families are divorced, and thus, they’ll have to spend four Christmases in just one day.
What’s so unnerving about this movie is that it veers so wildly between hilarious and awkward that it almost can’t decide whether it’s supposed to be funny or uncomfortable. It’s like the fat kid at school…he’s trying desperately to be funny, but it’s actually just about as sad.
Each of the families is deranged for its own reason, and believe me, they’re deranged. The least of the deranged is a family of backwoods amateur ultimate fighters. It gets worse from there.
It’s awkward. It’s painful, in spots. But it’s also got a lot of humor and warmth to it. There’s lots to enjoy here. We’ve all seen this kind of thing before. This is Christmas at its absolute. Family, friends, lovers, growth. Life.
And as such, the Screenhead Ten Scale gives this strange little allegory a six out of ten. There’s lots to like here, and there’s lots to feel uncomfortable about. It IS life. Take it for what it’s worth.
Previously shelved sci-fi comedy Used Guys is being brought back to life, courtesy of Ben Stiller and Reese Witherspoon. The project was previously setup at Fox, with Stiller and Jim Carrey slated to star. It was cancelled due to budgeting issues and the fact that the big names would bring down profit levels for the studio.
The film is now being retooled into a vehicle for Stiller and Witherspoon. The story is set in a future run by women who clone and trade men like used cars. It will focus on the relationship between a clone (Stiller) and his owner (Witherspoon).
Directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (Little Miss Sunshine) are negotiating to helm the project. It is expected to undergo a script rewrite/polish but no one has been hired yet.
Variety reports that Fox Searchlight has acquired screen rights to Jen Sacks’ 1998 dark comedy novel Nice and is planning to develop it as a potential acting vehicle for Reese Witherspoon.
The book followed a magazine writer who accidentally kills her boyfriend. She finds a way to get rid of the body and discovers in the process that killing boyfriends is easier than breaking up with them.
The project was previously in the works at Warner, who tried to make it a lighter-toned film. Fox plans to maintain the dark, edgy tone of the novel.
Hollywood Elsewhere reports that Paul Giamatti, Meryl Streep, Sacha Baron Cohen and Reese Witherspoon are apparently circling a project called Downsizing that will be directed by Alexander Payne.
"Nothing is locked down at this juncture, not even script, certainly not cast,” a source told blogger Jeff Wells. “[Payne is] still working on screenplay, although he’s close."
Payne is currently working on HBO series Hung that stars Anne Heche and Thomas Jane as a high-school basketball coach who capitalizes on his large penis.
Production Weekly reports that Robert Downey Jr, Reese Witherspoon and Wanted director Timur Bekmambetov are in talks for sci-fi epic The Days Before.
The film tells the story of a race of aliens who invade Earth by travelling backwards through time and wiping out humanity, one day at a time, yesterday by yesterday. Quite interestingly, one man attempts to stay “a yesterday ahead of them”, trying to convince the world that the “ending is coming” again.
It is written by Chad St. John and will be produced by Gianni Nunnari.
When California girl Susan Murphy is unexpectedly clobbered by a meteor full of outer space gunk, she mysteriously grows to 49-feet-11-inches tall and is instantly labeled a “monster” named Ginormica. The military jumps into action, and she is captured and held in a secret government compound. The world learns that the military has been quietly rounding up other monsters over the years. This ragtag group consists of the brilliant but insect-headed Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D.; the macho half-ape, half-fish The Missing Link; the gelatinous and indestructible B.O.B.; and the 350-foot grub called Insectosaurus. Their confinement time is cut short however, when a mysterious alien robot lands on Earth and begins storming the country.
Director James L. Brooks will work with Reese Witherspoon on his next untitled comedy produced under Columbia Pictures.
Brooks’ new project is explained as an ensemble piece that possesses at least three main characters (Witherspoon is the only one now) similar to Brooks’ two successful films as Broadcast News and Terms of Endearment.
Not much is being said about the story, but its working title is How Do You Know?
If all aligns correctly the shooting date is set for March.
It’s a perfect time for Christmas movies to start coming out, seeing as the decorations have been up in the stores since like September. And so, we’re tackling Four Christmases today, a movie that shows that sometimes, time with the family is the best gift of all.
Previously shelved sci-fi comedy Used Guys is being 
Variety 
Hollywood Elsewhere 
Production Weekly 