The latest Ben Affleck flop to reach theaters, "Surviving Christmas" is a mildly entertaining comedy that never quite clicks.
Dumped by Dreamworks in October, long before anyone was interested in Christmas movies, the kiss of death seemed to have already been given to this film for no apparent reason. It''s not great, but it''s harmless fun.
Affleck stars as an obnoxious millionaire who discovers that once again he''s going to be alone on Christmas. So, he does what any obnoxious millionaire would do - he returns to the house where he grew up, offers the working class family that lives there $250,000 to provide holiday cheer until midnight on Christmas Day and forces them to act like his real family. The family, consisting of James Gandolfini, Catherine O''Hara, Josh Zuckerman and Christina Applegate, immediately realize just how crazy he is, but $250,000 is more than enough to overcome their differences... or so they think.
Affleck thrives in this kind of movie. He may not make a very good action hero, nor is he always great in romantic comedies, but if there is one role he can do, it is an obnoxious, carefree millionaire. While his character is hard to like at times, and seemingly psychotic, Affleck''s over-the-top and crazy performance works perfectly. Matched against the tough guy humor of Gandolfini, the bored look of Zuckerman and the disgusted expressions of O''Hara, director Mike Mitchell assembled the perfect cast.