When four generations of the Cooper clan come together for their annual Christmas Eve celebration, a series of unexpected visitors and unlikely events turn the night upside down, leading them all toward a surprising rediscovery of family bonds and the spirit of the holiday.

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rizzocr-33093
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This RomCom lacks both humor or romance. One may say it's a dark comedy, but mostly it's just sad. Bits of progressive manifesto are sprinkled throughout the movie with an uneven hand that screams same old formula with a new 21st century face. The main issue with the film is that there are too many story lines, most of which are never worked to denouement. We are left wondering, in many cases, why parts are even added. Then, there are parts which makes you question, why was that even necessary? Tiresome retread characters are abound - see the borderline case of dementia with constant sage lines. Please, I have grandparents with dementia, either don't make light of the issue or don't try to line it with clear one liner tear-jerker intended lines. Thanks but no thanks, I can't recommend this movie.

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rannynm from United States
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I saw this with my husband and daughter in law and we all just howled. It reminds me of Nora Ephron film with all the family and personal drama going on. There is a bit of profanity and sexuality so I wouldn't take your younger kids but, for teens it's a go.

It has a great ensemble cast, each with his or her own personal drama going on. Diane Keaton and John Goodman (who has lost a ton of weight and looks great) make a very believable couple whose kids and grandkids are all slightly off kilter. Steve Martin, who narrates the film through the eyes of the family dog, is a delight. And, the love story between Angie and Sergeant is one of the highlights of the film. "I never believed in love at first sight until now."

As Leo Tolstoy said, "All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." But, you might just see an element of your own family in this film.

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blakerogers2015 from United States
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I want to start off by saying that I am fairly easy to please when it comes to movies. The last movie I saw was Burnt, which received generally negative reviews, but I loved it. There are several other movies recently that have received poor reviews that I enjoyed, so it is easy for me to enjoy movies. But wow, this movie was terrible. I truly do not believe how such an ensemble of wonderful actors and actresses could agree to star in this.

A few nit picky things- This movie was beyond cliché. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy cliché movies. I actually like some movies that have generic parts. But the formula for this movie made me sick. It was so cheesy and so cliché that I really, truly at one point began to think this was a parody or satire created film that makes fun of generic and cliché movies, but it wasn't! There was no parody aspect to it. It was just terrible.

Now let's talk about the characters. I want to start with Olivia Wilde's character Eleanor. Basically, when she enters the narrator says she has been hurt by love and closes herself off to love. Which means we all know where this is going. Which, again, I like cliché, but this was over the top. What happens is she meets an army man played very well by Jake Lacy. Their "love story" was so unbelievable because she, as the narrator says, was so hurt by love, yet when she meets Joe (played by Jake Lacy) she for some reason pursues him and instantly trust him. It was like as soon as the narrator said "She could never love again," she instantly falls in love. And what's more, she was a terrible character. She was completely disrespectful to Joe and for some reason he was into her. She would insult his political views and character and act high and mighty when she was the one sleeping with a married man and the one hating her family. Next was Amanda Seyfried and Alan Arkin's story. It was totally weird. It felt like she was into a man 60 years older than her and it was weird. He gets angry instantly at her as she says she is moving because of "great waitress opportunity." I just didn't get it. She was totally thrown in there for no reason. Oh, wait. There was a reason. Literally the only reason she was in this move was to be the eye candy for ed Helm's character Hank. That is it. And of course Hank is divorced because no family in stupid movie like this can stay together apparently. The only saving grace in this movie... the reason I gave it a 2 instead of a 1, was John Goodman and Diane Keaton's character Sam and Charlotte. They were on the verge of divorce after 40 years of marriage and i felt their relationship real. They were the only two people in the movie I hoped things would work out. And things do work out for the two, it was a completely stupid, cheesy, and cliché way it worked out, but I am glad it worked out nevertheless. I literally could not care for any character in this movie. It was hard to look past the terrible plot to even see such great actors dive into such terrible plots and scripts And my last, most annoying thing to say about this movie, is it is completely narrated through the dog. Yup, you heard me right. It was narrated by the dog of the family. Such a lazy and terrible way to make the plot continue. I wanted to like this movie. I really did. I love many of the actors and actresses in it. But They could not save this movie from such a terrible plot and passing and such terrible dialogue. Save your money.

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flamingblok11 from United States
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Love the Coopers? I didn't. Neither will you.

The first holiday film of the year arrives with a monumental thud, despite an impressively decorated, and star-studded cast. The dramedy revolves around the matriarch of the Cooper clan (Diane Keaton), who tires to bring her misshapen family together for a final Christmas dinner, before her and her husband of forty years (John Goodman) divorce. Like Love Actually, we jump from storyline to storyline, as we chart the progress of each family member's trek homeward.

Unfortunately, comparing Love the Coopers to any film with the words "love," or "actually" in the title would be an insult to those movies (Love the Coopers being the exception that establishes the rule). Actual jokes with a real set-up and punchline are few and far between, and rarely land anyway. Coopers largely relies on out of place vulgarity in place of comedy, or utilizes site gags that it recycles until there is a permanent dent in the ground where the dead horse used to be.

As far as the movie's attempt at subversive drama, most of the characters are too poorly developed, or unrealistically written to be genuinely compelling. The script occasionally comes close to insight into some of these characters, but sheepishly walks away from the doorbell, instead of knocking down that door. The direction ranges from uninspired to downright disruptive of the film's flow, and the insistence on narrating every plot point and character trait before we actually get to see it, makes watching the film a formality.

There are, maybe, one or two laughs to be had, and perhaps two subplots are somewhat compelling. Bucky (Alan Arkin) and Ruby (Amanda Seyfried) share a couple of scenes in a diner that are at least watchable, and Arkin turns in fairly solid performance. The most fleshed out story belongs to the romance between Eleanor (Olivia Wilde) and Joe (Jake Lacy). There's a real chemistry between the two of them, and there seems to be genuine depth to their characters.There might be a good movie based on their few scenes, if Eleanor weren't such an insufferable jerk.

The real problem with Coopers is that it doesn't seem to have any fun, or good intention. I wouldn't mind the movie if it were just formulaic, and I can tolerate a bad movie. The reason that the film gave me a headache is because it seems to exist solely to grab the money out of your wallet. The film industry is undoubtedly a business, but at least disguise yourself; have some respect for your audience. By the film's end, you know it was sponsored by Southwest Airlines and McDonalds, and you know it went out of it's way to shamelessly appeal to every demographic (Anthony Mackie plays the generic black/gay guy). It's borderline offensive.

Please, for the sake of your health, and for the future of the cinema, stay away from Love the Coopers.

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Helen Lee from United States
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Me and my friend decided to watch this movie early last night in the theater. I would say that I was pleasantly surprised by the great ensemble cast in this movie. Each main character had his/her own little story; stories that will either touch your heart, make you smile or laugh. Even though I feel like Diane Keaton plays the same character in most of her films :P I think she did really good in this one. The other two that really stood out for me in the movie were Marisa Tomei and Olivia Wilde but each character had their moments in the movie so I doesn't seem like someone got left out in the overall story. It's not a perfect Christmas movie but this is definitely worth watching in the theater this Holiday season. I've seen a lot of Christmas movies and this is not the cheesy type that sometimes you see on channels like Lifetime. It's something that I could watch again so also I'd get a copy of the DVD when it comes out and add it on my list of great Christmas movies. I highly recommend the movie.

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Matt Greene from Panama City, Florida, United States
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At one point, a character in Love the Coopers says to another, "I think you're funny 'cuz you're sad." This sentiment seems to be the guiding force of this "December: Osage County" disaster. Unfortunately, like the movie itself, that quote never plays out as true, and the overbearing sadness never plays out as funny. In one of the most abrasive Christmas films ever made, the message ("Your family is irredeemable and Christmas is a fraud, but what can you do?") makes this movie a snide, depressing burden. This unnaturally overwhelming pessimism is so draining, 20 minutes in I was looking for a way out, something I never do (I sat all the way through Pixels, for crying out loud). Alas, I stayed, only to be slaughtered with dialogue and character interactions that were nowhere near being true to anything in reality. I spent the majority of the runtime asking myself questions like: What are the ages of these ill-cast actors? Why is Steve Martin (or anyone, really) narrating this thing, when everything seems pretty clear without it? Why are the cop and his arrestee, who just met, having a heart-to-heart? Why does everyone in the family seem to enjoy watching each other make out? Just…why?! If there was something positive to say about The Coopers, I would say it. However, this is a special kind of awful; a comedy that elicits laughs, but less of the "with" kind and more of the "at" kind. In the end, I was shocked I didn't just reach into the screen, grab an icicle, and violently poke my eyes out. So do I Love the Coopers? Nope…I don't even like 'em.

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rsprengel from United States
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The people who acted in this film, the people who wrote this drivel who may have had real life experience in helping form their view of family life during the Christmas Season, anyone who's relatives actually resemble any part of the film's portrayal of family life and finally anyone who thought this was good, funny or worth recommending to anyone else.

I wouldn't even bother renting this at Redbox for $1.50, if you are inclined to want to see this, as a sort of train wreck type of curiosity, be prepared to be delighted in the downfall of human existence. It doesn't delight me, but you are entitled to your own opinion.

The dog was good, it's why I voted two stars instead of one.

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laurae-86720 from United States
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I have NEVER been so mad for spending money on a movie. 'Love the Coopers' was by far THE worst movie I've ever seen. I was so confused while watching this movie because the storyline was absolutely HORRIBLE! After watching the whole movie, I'm still confused as to what it was about. I think one of the reasons I'm so upset is because so many actors that I adore were hired for this movie, therefore I expected it to be awesome, when in reality, it sucked. Throughout the whole movie, I think I laughed about 7 times, and all 7 of those times were shown in the trailer. The rest of the movie was boring, childish, confusing, and stupid! This was truly one of the worst written movies, and I feel bad for the actors who were in it. I'm telling you, do NOT waste your money on this movie. You will regret it!

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evelinka-03969
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*** This review may contain spoilers ***

That was the first movie that put me to sleep. For the first time in my life I wanted to leave the cinema. I went to see a Christmas comedy and saw Christmas tragedy. Such a stupid plot!!! Why all these people should be so sad and depressed?! I get the main idea of all miserable members of this family getting united at the end. BUT i can't understand why is necessary to be such slow and dramatic storyline. The main characters with their 35 years old marrage are going to devorse because they didn't go to Africa. They had so much fights all the time because of that and when the woman said "Ok, let's go to Africa", he said "No, let's stay" Really?!?! The sister Emma... she was at the back seat of the police car for 70 minutes and was having such pathetic conversation with the officer; the movie is 105 minutes! The daughter... why she and the soldier guy were walking around the airport for 50 minuts of the movie, talking so much nonsense? She is so much hurt and couldn't love again, but she has a ralationship with married man and she fall in love with the solider boy in 5 minutes... There is a son that couldn't buy a presents for his kids because he has no money but he is hiding that fact, there are two terrible teenagers making out in every corner, there is this waitress that tried to kill herself because he mother is an alcoholic... This movie killed my Christmas spirit :( The trailer is far away from the real story. People, please don't watch it, it will depress you... P.S. The only nice thing in this movie is the cute dog

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rgkarim from United States
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Better late than never I always say! Hi I'm Robbie K and this review is on a comedy designed to be a holiday treat for the bunch. The name of the movie is Love the Coopers, which from the trailers looked to be packed with stars who were ready to make you bust a gut with lots of laughs. Of course…we do know that multiple big names in one movie often leads to disaster in terms of quality and plot (Valentine's Day and New Years Eve anyone?). Anyway, let's get started on the review.

For a comedy, Love the Coopers has a bit more wit involved in terms of making you laugh. By wit I don't mean the dry comedy that you have to be in the loop to understand, but more so in how well it is integrated into the story. The dialogue happens naturally, flowing into the normal routine instead of shoving a comedic ploy into our faces. In addition the variety of the jokes helped keep the movie fresh and fun, ranging from sexual innuendos and first time kisses to insults and the art of lying. Even better was how all of these jokes fit into place and worked with the individual's story to further maximize the timing. And yet I think all of it would have failed had it not been for the actor's delivery. Whether it was John Goodman's sarcasm, Olivia Wilde's angst and attitude, or June Squibb playing the clueless aunt it all was maximized by how well they sold the lines. Or in some cases it might have just been a facial expression that got me laughing, primarily from Rags the dog who continues to take the drama and roll with it in some way.

So strong comedy must mean good story right? Wrong! Love the Coopers' plot was very lacking in entertainment for this reviewer. As I feared, the tale was very fragmented with multiple mini-plot lines slowly converging until they all meet in the end. This tactic has worked in the past, but like most modern comedies, they lack balance. Some of these plot lines are strong, taking constant screen time and establishing the backbone. Others however would have their 15 minutes of fame and then not be seen for some time, often hastily concluded with the reunion of plot lines. Fortunately it's all wrapped in a nice Christmas package, however untraditional it is. This isn't the run of the mill, feel good movie that you see on Hallmark though, but instead one that uses the Holiday as a means for character evaluation. Love the Coopers is actually a downer, especially at the beginning where all the problems come to light. Thus with the poor plot and depressing tone, I felt this movie dragged at a lot of the parts, making the 107 minutes feel more like 180 minutes. I'll admit I nearly nodded off a few times as well, so that might be something to take to mind. No surprise…everything comes full circle in the end and you'll get some grand lessons if you keep your mind open, but it certainly isn't the most moving piece I've seen.

As I mentioned earlier, the actors really are the strongest part of this movie. John Goodman was my particular favorite as the big man continues to impress me with his wide spectrum of characters. He's funny, serious, and keeps the stories tethered together and plays exactly like the stereotypical head of the household. Diane Keaton unfortunately was not in my favor this time not so much for her acting, but that her character was so annoying. She's a good counter to Goodman's calmness and a great source of drama, but it was a little too much for me. Olivia Wilde steps back in the light with a decent role that combines sexuality with mischief and uses her gorgeous looks to complete the character. Ed Helms is a little more down to Earth in this film, trading in overacted arrogance and stupidity for a more believable character. It was nice getting to see a more serious side of things, and helps add a bit of awkwardness to an otherwise cut and dry family. Alan Arkin is great as always, though underutilized in my opinion and would have been great to have a few more quips and lessons to add to the mix. Heck even the kids impressed me with how fitting their characters were taking components of a Christmas Story, Christmas Vacation, and a Hallmark kid and wrapping it into one. And Steve Martin as the narrator added a nice tree topper, fitting right in line with the various narrators of classic Christmas stories.

Love the Coopers is an okay film, but certainly isn't your run of the mill Christmas tale. Sure the comedy was a nice variation, and the acting certainly made the characters alive and relevant. Unfortunately this movie was just too monotonous, long-winded and depressing to make this movie fully entertaining. I'm sure you can guess from my review that this movie really isn't worth the trip to the theater, not only due to lack of entertainment but also a lack of special effects. Therefore this reviewer recommends skipping this movie at the time and finding an alternative to this movie.

My scores for this film are:

Comedy: 6.5 Movie Overall: 6.0

christmas|large family|family dinner|husband wife conflict|husband wife kiss|husband wife relationship|mother daughter relationship|sister sister relationship|father daughter relationship|singing in a car|

AKAs Titles:


Certifications:
Argentina:ATP (with warning) / Canada:PG (British Columbia) / Chile:TE+7 / Hong Kong:IIA / Ireland:12A / Japan:G / Portugal:M/12 / Singapore:PG13 / Switzerland:6 / UK:12A / USA:PG-13 (certificate #50040)