Was looking for a Christmas themed movie to watch on Netflix, the cast and overall score looked good, so went for this. What a train-wreck it was! I don't know where to start, because it failed on every level.

I'm assuming it tries to be a comedic drama that has a bit of craziness to it. The problem is that it's neither funny nor a good drama. The script is just insane, and not in a good way. I don't know if a different director would've gotten a decent movie out of it, but nothing really works in this effort. Everything is unnatural and cringe-worthy. The characters are annoyingly clichéd like any Christmas family movie - and it's OK for a Christmas movie, but here they have zero chemistry nor are they at all likable.

The movie is like a badly tuned piano, it just sounds wrong and hurts all senses. It may look good on the outside, but in the inside it really is not.

I can't remember when I last saw so badly developed character as Dermot Mulroneys, who I assume is kind of the main character here. You have absolutely no clue what the guy is about. He's just creepy at times.

Bad bad bad.

I admit, I only rented this DVD because I like the Wilson brothers and one of them (Luke) is in it. I don't even remember this film being in the theaters. But I loved it! It was one of the most entertaining movies I've seen in quite awhile. Cinematically, it was nothing impressive, but the writing and the acting was quite good and the end actually made me cry (that's pretty hard to do). It is a rare movie where I can honestly say, everyone in the cast did a great job. And the screenwriters did a great job too. One problem with a lot of Hollywood films, for me at least, is the unbelievability of the characters or the one-sidedness of characters. All of the characters in this film were believable and had good and bad aspects to them. I guess if you are looking for a more fantasy-based storyline, this wouldn't be the film for you. The interactions are all very realistic and it plays out like a realistic holiday that could occur in just about any family. You won't come away from the film learning any great, deep lessons, but you will come away feeling entertained, and wishing that you could keep in touch with the characters to see where their lives take them.

I was sure that I would enjoy this movie, given its stellar cast and funny trailer. I thought it would be a heartwarming movie about misunderstandings and the mutual awkwardness of meeting your in-laws.

What the trailers left out was the fact that the family hates their prospective daughter-in-law Meredith without ever giving her a chance. That they are irritating people who use their gay deaf son and his black husband to bait outsiders into saying or doing presumably bigoted things. (I'm fine with the fact that diversity is represented here, but I hate how dialogue about that diversity is squelched instead of brought out.) That despite their violent hatred toward intolerance, they are some of the most deeply prejudiced, intolerant, vicious, unsympathetic people of all. And their prideful malice is directed toward an obviously insecure woman with no real faults other than being overly concerned about making a good impression. Let's get one thing straight. Having annoying tics does not make someone a bad person. Being uptight does not make someone a bad person (think Monica on Friends).

Throughout the movie I was waiting for Meredith to get her comeuppance, like Ben Stiller's character does in Meet the Parents. It never really comes. Instead, she learns to be more like them, and they basically get away with what they want. The lesson is, gang up on people who are different than you, and they'll come around.

I truly want to know why some people have such nice things to say about this movie. None of the characters is likable or even realistic. They are rude and unfriendly to whomever they want, and cloyingly sweet and warm with each other. They judge the new girl based on appearances and social class, and make no attempt to hide it. And the women especially are cliquish, bullying, belittling, and can strip down any shred of self-worth she may feel. And the cruelest of them all is played by Rachel McAdams.

Wait a minute, this is starting to sound familiar ...