A wealthy executive, Drew Latham (Ben Affleck) has no close relationships and becomes nostalgic for his childhood home as Christmas approaches. When he visits the house and finds another family living there, he offers the residents, Tom Valco (James Gandolfini) and his wife, Christine (Catherine O'Hara), a large sum of money to pretend they are his parents. Soon Drew tests the couple's patience, and, when their daughter, Alicia (Christina Applegate), arrives, things get increasingly tense.
Ben Affleck
Drew Latham
James Gandolfini
Tom Valco
Christina Applegate
Alicia Valco
Catherine O'Hara
Christine Valco
Josh Zuckerman
Brian Valco
Bill Macy
Doo-Dah
Jennifer Morrison
Missy Vanglider
Udo Kier
Heinrich
David Selby
Horace Vanglider
Stephanie Faracy
Letitia Vanglider
Stephen Root
Dr. Freeman
Sy Richardson
Doo-Dah Understudy
Tangie Ambrose
Kathryn
John 'B.J.' Bryant
Cabbie
Peter Jason
Suit
Phill Lewis
Levine the Lawyer
Tumbleweed
Santa
Kate Hendrickson
Santa's Photographer
Bridgette Ho
Five Year Old
Hailey Noelle Johnson
Little Girl
Sean Marquette
Older Brother
Caitlin Fein
Freeman Twin
Amanda Fein
Freeman Twin
Kent Osborne
Marley
Bill Saito
Christmas Past
Mike Bell
Christmas Present
Amy Halloran
Fanny
Josh Siegel
Young Scrooge
K. Troy Zestos
Chad
Sonya Eddy
Security Lady
Smalls
Security Man
Ron Karabatsos
Deli Man
Wynn Irwin
Customer
Angela Gacad
Cute Girl at Play
Tom Kenny
Man Wrapping Gift
Joan Blair
Lonely Lady
John Carter Brown
Depressed Donator
William Thomas, Jr.
Choir Director
Karen Furno
Choir
Melanie Taylor
Choir
David Atkinson
Choir
Linda Kerns
Choir
Precious McCall
Choir
Reynaldo Duran
Choir
Cynthia Marty
Choir
Anika Noni Rose
Choir
Michael Kosik
Choir
Jon Simanton
Elf
Allison Queal
Elf
Kacie Borrowman
Elf
Director
Mike Mitchell
Screenplay
Deborah Kaplan
Screenplay
Harry Elfont
Screenplay
Jennifer Ventimilia
Screenplay
Joshua Sternin
December 10, 2022
6
The star cast elevate this a lot.
Ben Affleck, James Gandolfini, Christina Applegate and Catherine O'Hara are, honestly, the only reasons this was watchable, for me personally at least. If it was a film with a lesser known cast, I wouldn't have any positives for it.
For a festive flick, it's a little too mean-spirited. Of course that's the way these films usually go so the eventual pay-off can occur, though with this it's a bit too the other way and the aforementioned pay-off isn't all that pleasant. You gotta make the characters way more likeable if you're only gonna redeem them a tiny bit.
<em>'Surviving Christmas'</em> is at least only a relatively short film at around 90 minutes and there are a couple (if not enough) amusing moments. There's also a surprisingly topical commentary on unintentionally consenting your likeness away via photos - I'm looking at you, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2022/dec/09/what-does-the-lensa-ai-app-do-with-my-selfies-self-portrait-photos-magic-avatar-generator-gone-viral" rel="nofollow">latest Instagram trend</a>.
Status:
Released
Original Language:
English
Budget:
$45,000,000.00
Revenue:
$14,793,624.00