I really wanted to like this movie and, in the right hands, it could have been great.
The concept is one of my favorites - a large dysfunctional family has one of those "crazy gatherings", where all the baggage is brought out, fights ensue, hilarious lines are offered up, and, ultimately, old grudges are resolved, and the family comes together, providing hope for the future.
Unfortunately, I think this one missed the mark in a big way. It was miscast - the actors are all too pretty and polished (should have gone lower budge). The comedy borders on slapstick, followed up by one too many "serious" moments (bad combination). Plus, it's about 30 minutes too long (it's like a slasher flick - every time you think it's building to a resolution, it starts over again).
Most importantly, the characters felt contrived and none of them are terribly likable. So ultimately, after suffering through this crazy night of fights and yelling and all around twisted zaniness, you really don't care that they all love each other at the end.
In a nutshell - Contrived, miscast, poorly edited, and too darn long. Come to think of it, it was just very dysfunctional, just like the Stuckmans themselves.
The concept is one of my favorites - a large dysfunctional family has one of those "crazy gatherings", where all the baggage is brought out, fights ensue, hilarious lines are offered up, and, ultimately, old grudges are resolved, and the family comes together, providing hope for the future.
Unfortunately, I think this one missed the mark in a big way. It was miscast - the actors are all too pretty and polished (should have gone lower budge). The comedy borders on slapstick, followed up by one too many "serious" moments (bad combination). Plus, it's about 30 minutes too long (it's like a slasher flick - every time you think it's building to a resolution, it starts over again).
Most importantly, the characters felt contrived and none of them are terribly likable. So ultimately, after suffering through this crazy night of fights and yelling and all around twisted zaniness, you really don't care that they all love each other at the end.
In a nutshell - Contrived, miscast, poorly edited, and too darn long. Come to think of it, it was just very dysfunctional, just like the Stuckmans themselves.