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.
Review of Love the Coopers
