Fridae

Reese Witherspoon is so in trouble. After winning Best Actress for Walk The Line two years ago, she has risen to become one of the most expensive actress in Hollywood, commanding US$25million per picture. But her new comedy Four Christmases is so mediocre, it makes you wonder if she's really worth her weight in gold.

Reese plays a woman married to Vince Vaughn. The two are successful yuppies who simply detest Christmas, preferring to spend the festive season vacationing on some warm tropical island instead of with their dysfunctional families.

But this year is turning out to be different. A heavy fog at the airport forces them to cancel their flight, and they find themselves reluctantly having to visit each of their divorced parents and celebrating four Christmases�

Despite the presence of excellent actors (their parents are played by veteran Sissy Spacek, Jon Voight, Robert Duvall and Mary Steenburgen), the script is too unfunny to make this anywhere near a good comedy. The occasional dive into slapstick gags and cheap plot twist make you wonder why Oscar-winning actors have been given non-Oscar-worthy material.

Corny and crass, Four Christmases isn't going to generate much Christmas cheer for anyone, so skip it.