Four Christmases

Projectile baby vomiting is a recurring gag. I cried mistletoe well before the film was halfway through.

This is marginally better than most, with a few offbeat comic ideas, a reliably droll performance from Vaughn, and, as the parents, four watchable old troupers in search of a fat paycheck.

You can see most of the big slapstick set-pieces looming long before they hit but there are a few smaller routines that pack a punch just because they have an unexpectedly manic tilt to them.

Four Christmases is the kind of film that you should only watch if you're trapped on an airline and can't fall asleep, the kind of holiday film that makes Jingle All the Way look like a cinematic tour de force.

Gordon's stars are charmless, his script cheerless, and his sterling supporting cast can't seem to figure out what they've been brought on board to do.

Four Christmases represents the kind of passable holiday comedy that Hollywood serves up every year.

Is this the worst Hollywood festive rom-com ever made?

Thanks to a satisfying performance by Witherspoon and Vaughn's dependable comic chops, Four Christmases is a modestly entertaining holiday film for the entire family.

A tried and true formula that's like a repackaged Christmas gift; it's sort of comforting in its predictability but totally lacking in solid film form and originality.