Surviving Christmas
| Surviving Christmas | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Mike Mitchell |
| Produced by | |
| Screenplay by | |
| Story by |
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| Starring | |
| Music by | Randy Edelman |
| Cinematography |
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| Edited by | Craig McKay |
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Production
companies |
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| Distributed by | DreamWorks Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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91 minutes |
| Country | United States |
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| Budget | $45 million |
| Box office | $15.1 million |
Surviving Christmas is a 2004 American romantic comedy film directed by Mike Mitchell, written by Harry Elfont, Deborah Kaplan, Jeffrey Ventimilia, and Joshua Sternin based on a story by Elfont and Kaplan, and starring Ben Affleck, James Gandolfini, Christina Applegate and Catherine O'Hara.
Originally slated for a Christmas 2003 release, the film was pushed back to avoid competition with Affleck's 2003 sci-fi thriller Paycheck. The film was a critical and commercial failure, grossing $15.1 million worldwide from a $45 million budget, making it a box office bomb.
Drew Latham is a wealthy advertising executive. Just before Christmas, he surprises his girlfriend Missy with first class tickets to Fiji. She is horrified that he would want to spend Christmas away from his family. Citing the fact that Drew has never even introduced her to his family, she concludes that he will never get serious about their relationship and dumps him. Drew has his assistant send her a Cartier bracelet to apologize. Desperate not to spend Christmas alone, Drew calls all of his contacts to find a place to stay on Christmas, but he is not close enough to anyone to be invited.
He tracks down Missy's therapist, Dr. Freeman, at the airport, hoping to squeeze in a therapy session. The hurried doctor tells him to list all of his grievances and then burn them at his childhood home. The house is now occupied by the Valcos, who wonder what Drew is doing on their front lawn. When he sets his grievances on fire, Tom Valco sneaks up behind him and knocks him out with a shovel. After he comes to, Drew explains what he was doing and asks for a tour of the house. Thrilled to see his old room, Drew impetuously offers Tom $250,000 to let him spend Christmas with the Valcos. Tom accepts, and Drew's lawyer draws up a contract that requires the Valcos to pose as his family.
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Wikipedia