Kids in London - Four Christmases

After another trip to skating at Kew Gardens (where there was so much water it was more like a swimming pool than an ice rink), some last minute Christmas shopping in Richmond and a hungrily devoured family meal at Pizza Express we wondered what we might do on a Saturday evening now that X Factor had finished.

We weren't expecting much - and as my daughter already had plans to see Madagascar 2 with her friends - we decided we would give this movie a go. Partly because I think Vince Vaughan is strangely attractive and partly because she likes Reece Witherspoon from the Legally Blonde and other movies.

And what a pleasant surprise. The film was laugh-out-loud funny - on a number of occasions. And very apt for those of us who have "fragmented" families which means you get to enjoy several versions of a "traditional" family Christmas with different sets of parents and step parents and assorted other relatives.

Yes, some of the scenes were predictable - learning about each other's childhood embarrassments and coping with relatives who have a completely different take on life etc. There was lots of juvenile slapstick humour. There was also a romantic undertone but enough "boys stuff" to appeal to them too.

There was also some new takes (e.g. the cougar set, the best mate who is dating his obviously much older mum, the undisclosed 10 dollar gift limit, the adult participation in the church nativity) on things and interesting situations to keep us thoroughly engrossed. The baby sick scenes were really funny.

It appealed to me and my 11 year old daughter thought it was really funny too. We came out of the cinema with big smiles on our faces - and full of renewed Christmas spirit - even though an older chap came out saying that he didn't think it was funny at all! (Humbug!)

:santa_cheesy: :presents2: :santa3: