Vince Vaughn: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked
3. Brad - Four Christmases
Four Christmases has a somewhat intriguing idea: a couple having to visit four sets of families thanks to their parents all being divorced. Given the splintered nature of many modern American families, its certainly a relatable idea, but the execution is just awful.
The situation should have provided ample opportunity to find the inherent, biting humour in this situation and to offer a funny, but still thought-provoking portrait of dysfunction, giving the film a little more depth. However, the screenwriters instead opted to make the kind of dumb, broad family comedy that can be found every week on basic cable sitcoms.
Leading the pack is, of course, Vince Vaughn who seems very flat, and simply doesn't put anything like his usual level of energy into the performance. While co-star Reese Witherspoon puts a bit of fire into her scenes, Vince tends to coast by aimlessly.
To be fair, its hard to blame him since he isn't really given the opportunity to do much at all, and thus he is constantly outshined the entire movie, which is never a good thing for the lead actor. Chances are, you've probably seen this, as it's the kind of diet comedy that inoffensively fills out the holiday schedule, but once you start scrutinising it, it falls to pieces, and Vaughn's absentee participation is definitely one of the chief reasons.