javi-y-se-acabo
I watched this movie just because it was on the TV and I got nothing better to do. And this is the typical Christmas holiday movie, but it is entertaining and funny.It tells the story of various members from the Cooper family and how they get to arrive to the Christmas Dinner. As in this kind of movies, there are a lot of characters and you might connect better with ones than others. For example, I think Amanda Seyfried here was misused, and she could have give more, as well as others like the little kids needed less time on-screen (that's also usual in this movies). The characters I liked the most are Eleanor portrayed by a beautiful Olivia Wilde and Sam portrayed by John Goodman. It's not that the acting is superb but for me they were some of the best of the movie.Of course it's not a perfect movie. Since the beginning you probably will guess how it will end. It's full of clichés of romantic-holiday movies but it's still very enjoyable. Watch it if you want to have a good time, and I think this movie is specially made for Christmas time, so better if you watch in that time.
Nikita Wannenburgh
When I started watching this, I was expecting – hoping – for something along the lines of "The Family Stone" which, I thought, was a great film; a perfect family drama with a touch of everything. But "Love the Coopers" was a major disappointment, and it unfortunately failed to deserve its awesome cast. The main problem with this film is that the idea had been done to death. To make it standout, it had to bring something new to the table. But it didn't; it was very poorly written, jumbled and choppy, painfully predictable, with mostly awkward romance, not enough humour, and basically a mess of a story. Since they were working with an overused idea, the producers and writers had to have the film add something that others with the same type of story didn't; and yet they failed on that. It was bland and boring and a huge waste of a good cast. It is also very slow-moving and lacked "punch". The humour is virtually nonexistent, and the romance is awkward and very cringe- worthy (with one exception; Lacy and Wilde's couple I liked very much). The characters are stereotypical and lacking depth (with the exception of Wilde's and Lacy's), and, frankly, I think they could've done without the teenage subplot; the acting was horrendous, it was ridiculously clichéd, and the kissing was, to be honest, absolutely repulsive – not to mention completely devoid of chemistry. So many family dramas end up portraying teenagers in the same cheesy way: sex-crazed, stereotypical, and with absolutely predictable scenarios and dialogue. Oh, and dialogue. Throughout the whole film it was terribly unoriginal, boring, and too infrequently scattered with smile-only one-liners. But yes, the cast is good. Diane Keaton, John Goodman, Ed Helms, Amanda Seyfried, Olivia Wilde, Alan Arkin and Marisa Tomei are all solid, but the real standouts for me were Tomei, Wilde and Keaton. Keaton is always consistent and good, and she plays the mother figure very well; although nowhere as good as her mother character in "The Family Stone" – which I can't seem to stop comparing this film to. The film is awfully cheesy and clichéd, and the only subplot I actually enjoyed was the romance between Wilde's character and Jake Lacy's; they had real chemistry, and despite the actual relationship being quite unrealistic and cheesy, it worked because they portrayed the characters well, their chemistry was on point, and they gave their characters real depth. Tomei was excellent; her conversations in the squad car opposite Anthony Mackie – who was very underused - gave the film its rare slices of humour, and she fitted her character perfectly. Alan Arkin is the grandfather of the family, but he's not brilliant or entirely convincing in the role, and his rather creepy relationship – which I guess is supposed to be friendly grandfather figure to quiet, reserved granddaughter - with Amanda Seyfried's character isn't as sweet or touching as it should be. Their scenes are uncomfortable and awkward and while Seyfried acts well, there wasn't enough to make me feel for them. Overall, if you're wanting to watch a feel-good, moving, brilliantly acted, hilarious family drama in the holidays – preferably Christmas – then watch "The Family Stone". Believe me, it won't disappoint. "Love the Coppers" most certainly will.
TxMike
I found this one on DVD from my local public library. My wife and I were entertained. I loaned it to our neighbors and they didn't like it at all.Not all movies are for great drama, great comedy, or great revelations. Some are for just mostly mindless entertainment. This is one of those. Its general theme is love and respect for family members.If you generally like the cast members then you will like this movie. It features a multi-generational extended family getting ready to meet and dine for their traditional Christmas Eve dinner. It is set and filmed (digitally) in Pittsburgh. In a quirky move it is narrated by Steve Martin but we never see his 'character.'The overall story features a number of characters with a number of issues. My least favorite were the arguing adult sisters. But my favorite two were the daughter dreading all the question sure to come, like "Why aren't you married yet?" On a whim she convinces a young man at the airport, a soldier headed for deployment overseas, to accompany her and pretend he is her boyfriend. By the end of the movie it appears they might have changed each other.
