This year, Santa must be very unhappy because he left us something in our stockings called “Christmas with the Campbells”. It is a piece of coal (actually something much smellier).
Directed by Clare Niederpruem perfunctorily, who in all honesty wasn’t given much to work with, and written badly and sophomorically or is that moronically by Vince Vaughn, Dan Lagana, and Barbara Kymlicka; “Christmas with the Campbells” makes you long to go back to those sickenly sweet, happily ever after Hallmark Channel movies that have a corner on the market at Christmas time.
“Christmas with the Campbells” plot is straight out of this previously mentioned Hallmark Channel. Sweet, unassuming Jesse is dumped by her boyfriend Shawn who is about to interview for a big job in ‘The Big Apple’. She no longer adjusts to fit into his ascendant future. She wants a home and family. He sees money women and non- stop partying life ahead of him. So off he goes leaving her alone before Christmas. But not so fast – his parents in Ketchem Idaho love her and want her still to come along. Sharing this Christmas as well are Mr Campbell’s sister’s son Shawn a rough hewn mountain boy from Colorado now residing in Bend OR Gee I wonder what will happen
But Vaughn et. al. are not content to let a tried and true cliché go by without goosing it up . Mrs Campbell is nothing but a horn dog whose dialogue when reminding hubby it’s date night is the zenith of poetic phrasing.“Pull out your d**k.” This is just one example there are many more.I guess somebody thought that turning traditional christmas film into an adult oriented fun fest was possible through language which left nothing about sex unsaid.
There’s no point in elaborating further on dialogue that will certainly not be up for any awards this year. As for character development? Well that too was left on Santa’s sleigh.
What is amazing though is the cast of good actors who should have known better. Julia Duffy, still pert all these years after “Newhart,” has nothing to say other than sexual innuendo (that’s not entirely true because there is no innuendo there). George Wendt, recognizable from his “Cheers” shuffle but little else, at least spares himself some dignity by avoiding sex. Alex Moffat uses his best SNL leer to eliminate any subtlety from his caddish boyfriend Shawn. Justin Long as David has a voice that seems to have come from a cowboy in a B-rated Western mixed with Wilfred Brimley. For those of you too young or too old to remember, Wilfred Brimley was a folksy old guy from the 80s (“Cocoon”) who sold Quaker Oats on TV for its yummy fiber goodness. And to rub salt into injury,the dialogue sounds like something from a 1950s Zane Grey Theater episode with gems like “Name’s David, kin to the Campbells.” I had cracker Tennessee relatives who never used the term kin.Or how about “No need to hang your laundry on the lawn here in front of me. That’s your Dairy Queen.” I don’t think I need to go further on this one
However, the unfortunate Brittany Snow is the one who deserves our pity. In contrast with others that only played; she acts her role well and almost makes the scenes appear like a Hallmark Movie. Except for her naturalness without fake accent or folksy talk, everybody else in this film is not up to the mark. Her career will be unaffected if people fail to watch this movie.
Watch free movies on Fmovies
