New comedy Love the Coopers is a Christmas treat gone stale [Review]

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Ethan McGrath
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Ethan McGrath |
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At this time of year, cinemas are full of movies using the same, worn-out formula to part people from their cash. Despite a stunning cast, Love the Coopers is no exception.

The film follows the members of the Cooper family as they prepare to gather for Christmas dinner.

Each member of the cast (which includes Diane Keaton, Alan Arkin and Olivia Wilde) plays their role with enough emotional depth to differentiate their less than three-dimensional characters with near-identical problems. But by failing to avoid predictable holiday movie clichés, the script is nothing but cloying smarm.

Though billed as a comedy, the movie only has a handful of funny moments that fall flat. Some of the situations are so convenient that they clearly serve only to tie together the different storylines, while some interactions, such as the relationship between the elderly Bucky (Arkin) and young waitress Ruby (Amanda Seyfried), feel out of place. Even the talking dog isn't funny or sweet - just odd and childish.

Though the cast does deserve credit for breathing life into the story, the film suffers from under-thought, underwritten ideas, and a predictable plot. This all makes Love the Coopers a pretty much average holiday movie - a mere bauble on a repellent subgenre.

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