Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Simple
- Violence
- Mild
- frantic
- irreverent
- abrasive
- christmas viewing
- holiday movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film frantic, muddled, and mean-spirited despite the appeal of its prominent cast.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Drew pays the Valco family to act as his family during Christmas.
Drew's millionaire status enables him to buy companionship but does not solve his isolation.
The family reunion is marked by obnoxious behavior, conflict, and deliberately mean-spirited comic friction.
Drew constructs a paid Christmas household to satisfy expectations of festive family togetherness.
Films like Surviving Christmas, and why
The Family Stone
holiday setting, dysfunctional family comedy, and romantic reconciliation
The Holiday
Christmas romance, fish out of water humor, and a lonely protagonist seeking belonging
Christmas with the Kranks
mean-spirited holiday comedy built around family dysfunction and eventual emotional reconciliation
Movie Details
- Director
- Mike Mitchell
- Release Date
- 2004-09-21
- Runtime
- 91 min
- Rating
- 5.7 / 10 (603)
Cast
- Ben Affleck
- James Gandolfini
- Christina Applegate
- Catherine O'Hara
- Josh Zuckerman
- Bill Macy
- Jennifer Morrison
- Udo Kier
- David Selby
- Stephanie Faracy
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Surviving Christmas about?
- A lonely millionaire hires a dysfunctional family to impersonate his own during Christmas, turning manufactured belonging into chaotic romantic comedy.
- What is Surviving Christmas like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Surviving Christmas as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as simple.
- Is Surviving Christmas violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Surviving Christmas as mild.
- What did critics think of Surviving Christmas?
- Critics broadly found the film frantic, muddled, and mean-spirited despite the appeal of its prominent cast.
- Which films are like Surviving Christmas?
- Films with a similar feel include The Family Stone, The Holiday, and Christmas with the Kranks.
- How long is Surviving Christmas?
- Surviving Christmas runs 91 minutes.
- Where can I watch Surviving Christmas?
- In United States, Surviving Christmas is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
