Surviving Christmas
This year, Christmas comes early. Really early.
2004 | 91m | English
Popularity: 5 (history)
| Director: | Mike Mitchell |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Jennifer Ventimilia, Joshua Sternin, Deborah Kaplan, Harry Elfont |
| Staring: |
| 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. | |
| Release Date: | Sep 21, 2004 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Mike Mitchell |
| Writer: | Jennifer Ventimilia, Joshua Sternin, Deborah Kaplan, Harry Elfont |
| Genres: | Comedy, Romance |
| Keywords | holiday, romcom, christmas |
| Production Companies | DreamWorks Pictures, LivePlanet, Tall Trees Productions |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $14,793,624
Budget: $45,000,000 |
| Updates |
Updated: Feb 01, 2025 Entered: Apr 13, 2024 |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Jennifer Ventimilia | Screenplay |
| Makiko Carlson | First Assistant Camera |
| Caroline Hanania | Production Design |
| Jeanne McCarthy | Casting |
| Joshua Sternin | Screenplay |
| Juel Bestrop | Casting |
| Tom Priestley Jr. | Director of Photography |
| Mary Jane Fort | Costume Design |
| Mike Mitchell | Director |
| Deborah Kaplan | Screenplay |
| Harry Elfont | Screenplay |
| Tad Griffith | Stunts |
| Peter Lyons Collister | Director of Photography |
| Melissa Yonkey | Hair Department Head |
| Eliza Coleman | Stunts |
| Doug Coleman | Stunt Coordinator |
| Linda Perlin | Stunts |
| Craig McKay | Editor |
| Lisa Hoyle | Stunt Double |
| Randy Edelman | Original Music Composer |
| Joey Box | Stunts |
| Willie D. Burton | Sound Mixer |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Erin Stam | Associate Producer |
| Betty Thomas | Producer |
| Jenno Topping | Producer |
| Patricia Whitcher | Executive Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 20 | 37 | 11 |
| 2024 | 5 | 25 | 61 | 12 |
| 2024 | 6 | 15 | 22 | 8 |
| 2024 | 7 | 20 | 34 | 11 |
| 2024 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 8 |
| 2024 | 9 | 11 | 18 | 7 |
| 2024 | 10 | 12 | 21 | 7 |
| 2024 | 11 | 18 | 45 | 10 |
| 2024 | 12 | 23 | 35 | 12 |
| 2025 | 1 | 18 | 40 | 10 |
| 2025 | 2 | 10 | 18 | 3 |
| 2025 | 3 | 5 | 14 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| 2025 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 3 |
Trending Position
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 12 | 561 | 820 |
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>.