Robert Duvall: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked

3. Howard McVie - Four Christmases

We can't imagine that anyone on planet Earth actually saw the trailer for Four Christmases, and thought: "Yeah, that looks like something that I'd like to spend my hard-earned money on." And yet, for some reason, Robert Duvall read the script for the movie and said: "I'm in. I want to be a part of this thing." So this is one of those Godawful holiday flicks that only serves to have you feeling sorry for the actors who agreed to it. Duvall plays Howard McVie, father to Vince Vaughn's character, Brad, and phones in a performance that he could have done in his sleep (indeed, it looks as though he might actually have been asleep for part of it). The plot of the movie is self-explanatory: a couple spend Christmas at each one of their separated parents houses. Hilarity ensures. Or, at least, hilarity was supposed to ensure. Robert Duvall, you're better than this.
Contributor

Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.