A lonely, obnoxious young millionaire pays a family to spend Christmas with him.
Director:
Mike Mitchell
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Title: Surviving Christmas (2004)
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2 wins & 5 nominations.
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Ben Affleck | ... | Drew Latham | |
| James Gandolfini | ... | Tom Valco | |
| Christina Applegate | ... | Alicia Valco | |
| Catherine O'Hara | ... | Christine Valco | |
| Josh Zuckerman | ... | Brian Valco | |
| Bill Macy | ... | Doo-Dah | |
| Jennifer Morrison | ... | Missy Vangilder | |
| Udo Kier | ... | Heinrich | |
| David Selby | ... | Horace Vangilder | |
| Stephanie Faracy | ... | Letitia Vangilder | |
| Stephen Root | ... | Dr. Freeman | |
| Sy Richardson | ... | Doo-Dah Understudy | |
| Tangie Ambrose | ... | Kathryn | |
 |
John 'B.J.' Bryant | ... | Cabbie (as John BJ Bryant) |
| Peter Jason | ... | Suit | |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
Wealthy Chicago ad executive Drew Latham has long avoided the family traditions of Christmas, but has dreaded being alone on the actual day. So when his tropical Christmas vacation with girlfriend Missy Vangilder falls through and Missy breaks up with him in the process, a self-therapy session leads Drew to decide to relive his best childhood Christmases. With his loved ones long-gone, he decides to rent a family: the Valcos, the current owners of his childhood home in suburban Chicago. Tom Valco wants nothing to do with Drew until an exorbitant amount of money is involved; they draw up a contract which expires at the end of Christmas night. What Drew doesn't (or refuses to) realize is that the Valcos are having their own problems, which his presence exacerbates. Can the Valcos endure their unexpected guest? If they can, will the money solve their problems? Meanwhile, will Drew come to realize what he wants in life and how to achieve it? Written by Huggo
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Drew Latham: Folks, my firm's done a tremendous amount of marketing research and we've discovered two critical things, one; most Americans feel that Christmas is a time for family. Two; most Americans feel that in order to stand being around their family, for even one or two days, they need to swill as much alcohol as humanly possible.
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Music by William J. Kirkpatrick (uncredited)
Performed by Nicolaus Esterházy Sinfonia
Conducted by Peter Breiner
Courtesy of Naxos
By Arrangement with Source/Q
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
While this film was in production in early 2003, "Daredevil" was just released that also starred Ben Affleck and his future wife, Jennifer Garner. See more »Goofs
The tree that they buy at the lot, the one that they drive home with isn't nearly as tall as the tree that they decorate in the house. See more »Quotes
[first lines]Drew Latham: Folks, my firm's done a tremendous amount of marketing research and we've discovered two critical things, one; most Americans feel that Christmas is a time for family. Two; most Americans feel that in order to stand being around their family, for even one or two days, they need to swill as much alcohol as humanly possible.
See more »
Soundtracks
Away in a MangerMusic by William J. Kirkpatrick (uncredited)
Performed by Nicolaus Esterházy Sinfonia
Conducted by Peter Breiner
Courtesy of Naxos
By Arrangement with Source/Q
See more »
Frequently Asked Questions
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Details
Country:
USARelease Date:
22 October 2004 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Affreux Noël See more »Filming Locations:
University High School - 11800 Texas Avenue, West Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA See more »Edit
Box Office
Budget:
$45,000,000 (estimated)Opening Weekend USA:
$4,441,356, 24 October 2004Gross USA:
$11,663,156Cumulative Worldwide Gross:
$15,125,687Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
The cast of Surviving Christmas is a sort of hodge-podge of actors/actresses. I could not have imagined ever casting them together, but it works well in the movie. It is better than the average feel-good Christmas movie, but not destined to be a classic. The comedy is well dispursed throughout, and the movie moved along at a good pace. I have seen plenty of holiday movies, but never imagined one with Ben Affleck. As a matter of fact, this is the first time I have seen an Affleck movie. (I have shunned them on purpose in the past - Well, OK, I did like Dazed and Confused). The movie, however, is entertaining, and only a few jokes fall flat. 7 out of 10 on the holiday scale.