Despite the talent involved, this fails to raise so much as a smile, let alone laughs and Christmas cheer.
Comment
04/01/06
Surviving Christmas (2004)
7
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:108
Fresh:8
Rotten:100
Average Rating:3/10
Consensus: Surviving Christmas is unpleasant characters attacking each other for 90 minutes before delivering a typical, hollow anti-consumerist message
Runtime: 2 hrs 10 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: Academy Award® winner Ben Affleck ("Good Will Hunting"), Emmy winner James Gandolfini (TV’s "The Sopranos") and Christina Applegate ("View From the Top," TV’s "Married With Children") star in the... [More]
Starring: Ben Affleck, James Gandolfini, Christina Applegate, Catherine O'Hara
Director: Mike Mitchell
Reviews for Surviving Christmas
Top CriticThe moral is that money can indeed buy happiness.
06/24/06
Top CriticA colossal turkey.
12/04/04
The premise has potential, as does the casting, but the script is so mind-numbingly lazy that it insults its audience at every turn.
11/07/04
All that's vaguely funny or Christmassy about this are the sweaty beads of desperation which string together like fairy-lights across Affleck's forehead as he hammers out one lame gag after another.
11/30/04
Top CriticAs light, fluffy, cockle-warming holiday entertainment, this thing is pretty sweet.
10/21/04
'Twas two months before Christmas and D-Works offered this 'fleck flick with glee, but not a consumer was caring, not even that one fan of Gigli.
10/22/04
Top CriticJust like many real-life holiday get-togethers with the family, this comedy starts out pleasantly enough but degenerates into awkwardness and furtive watch-checking to see how much longer you have to suffer before you can leave.
10/22/04
Watching this holiday dud is like opening a fantastic Christmas present -- a gift that is exactly what you wanted and that, shortly thereafter, unravels, breaks, or otherwise falls apart.
10/30/04
Despite the obvious chemistry between the actors, yuletide comedy can’t overcome the innate nastiness and miserable spirit of its premise. **
10/27/04
Ben Affleck delivers a surprisingly on-target performance as a man who thinks money and grandiose gestures are the answer to everything.
10/24/04
This is a dump job worthy of Tony Soprano.
10/21/04
For Christmas to be any source of laughs, many audience members will need to move past their fear of Ben Affleck.
10/21/04
Survive this movie and Christmas will be a breeze.
10/30/04
It is, from conception to execution, an unalloyed, unqualified, unmitigated disaster.
10/21/04
HO, Ho, hhhm. If you like your Eggnog spiked with drivel this is your holiday movie, otherwise I suggest you leave this package under the tree 'til later, much later.
10/22/04
Ben Affleck's latest loser is chronologically short (less than 90 minutes) and psychologically eternal.
10/21/04
A pleasant surprise.
10/22/04
Some screwball moments elicit a chuckle or two, but the script is weak and the characterizations clichéd.
10/21/04
The desperation apparent in Affleck's bug-eyed attempts at whimsy may be the most uncomfortable aspect of Surviving Christmas.
10/30/04
Latest News for Surviving Christmas
October 17, 2007:
Total Recall: Ben (Affleck's) Bits
In Gone Baby Gone, Ben Affleck directs younger brother Casey in a mystery surrounding the case of a missing Boston girl. In the spirit of Total Recall, we decided to take a look... More...
March 12, 2007:
Ben Affleck Goes Straight to Video With "Man About Town"
Okay, we all knew Ben Affleck was having some problems, and earned a few Razzie nominations several years in a row, but he's still a movie star. Could it really have gotten to... More...
December 15, 2005:
Critical Consensus: A Sly "Family Stone," A Towering "Kong"
This week at the movies, we have a giant ape {"King Kong"} and some yuletide dramedy ("The Family Stone"). Will the critics go bananas for these flicks? More...
October 25, 2005:
"Sky High" Director to Helm "Claus" Comedy
The Hollywood Reporter brings news of a new holiday-themed comedy from Mike Mitchell, director of "Sky High." It's about Santa's disgruntled older brother, and it's... More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Fresh Links
Featured
RT on YouTube 
Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.
RT on Twitter
Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.
IGN RSS Feeds