‘Love the Coopers’ Review: A Predictable Holiday Family Film

Love-The-Coopers-Review

Love The Coopers boasts an incredible cast. Alan Arkin, John Goodman, Ed Helms, Diane Keaton, Jake Lacy, Anthony Mackie, Amanda Seyfried, Jane Squibb, Marisa Tomei, and Olivia Wilde all star, and between those names and the quirky trailer, you know exactly what the film has in store for you – a predictable and traditional holiday story for the family.

The dramedy follows the Coopers, Charlotte (Diane Keaton) and Sam (John Goodman), and they are about to split up. However they want to have one last Christmas with the whole family before they announce the news. The film chronicles a 24 hour period showing how each character made it to the dinner – and then of course, the drama of the dinner.

Love The Coopers Official Description

Love The Coopers follows the Cooper clan as four generations of extended family come together for their annual Christmas Eve celebration. As the evening unfolds, 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.

The drama part of the film overshadows any of the lighter more comical moments. The blend between the more serious stories and the funnier ones (something that Love Actually managed to perfectly accomplish by a similar style of storytelling), falls flat here – leaving fans to experience a more tepid film than the trailer suggests.

While Love the Coopers definitely does have its cute moments (and Olivia Wilde and Keenan Jolliff are those moments), the film ultimately feels predictable and uninspired – and really not all that happy. It’s one of the year’s first holiday flicks (and it’s timing is perfect with Thanksgiving right around the corner), but I just wanted something more – something that filled me with holiday spirit. In fact, if the whole film had focused on Olivia Wilde’s character and her handsome solider, I think it would have been a much better and much happier film.

Love The Coopers Trailer

Grade: C

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