Christmas Survival | Rotten Tomatoes

Christmas Survival

2018

1 hr. 41 min.

Holiday

Comedy

List

0%

7 Reviews

Tomatometer

38%

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Audience Score

Two sisters come together to spend Christmas with their families in their recently deceased parents' falling down country house.

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Jeff M

A very appealing cast can only do so much to carry a movie that is pretty much dull as dishwater. The filmmakers tend to mistake eccentricity for comedy, so what we end up with is a whole cadre of way too many characters acting goofy and getting into crazy situations, but there just aren't a whole lot of laughs. And when I say way too many characters, I mean WAY too many characters. We have the two sisters, their respective spouses and children, an in-law or two, a son and ex-wife from a previous marriage, a foreign exchange student, a drunken priest and the list goes on. Again, the only thing that makes it watchable is the likability of the cast. For me Whelan is the MVP. I've never seen her in a movie before, but she has a very lovely and comfortable presence on screen and she exudes a warmth that certainly goes beyond how the character was written. I can't say that it didn't hold my attention, but there's not a lot memorable here, and I don't expect this to become a traditional Christmas viewing.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/08/24

Full Review

Scott H

A pity such talented Executive Producers and cast were seemingly sidelined in this production

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/13/22

Full Review

corkball

This is a bad Christmas flick, but in a novel way. They dispense with the over the top shlock you usually see in Christmas flicks (a really good thing) with basically your Christmas you have with your relatives. It is certainly more realistic than the typical movie, but geez, who wants to deal with their own family twice? And a number of these folks, while not strictly evil, are just unpleasant to watch.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Instead of your typical Christmas rom-com where the leads get married on Christmas day, this movie provided a little deeper story on the complications that can come around on a Christmas holiday. None of the characters were crazy villains but each character had a few problems that compounded to the stress of the overall story. Maybe it doesn't have four quadrant appeal, but a Christmas story with just a hint of realism is refreshing after seeing journalists and bakers getting married to royalty in every other movie.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/19/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Very funny, well written

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/19/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Very funny movie, with a great cast and lots of real laugh out loud moments.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

Full Review

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James Dearden

Director

Julian Ovenden

Dan

Gemma Whelan

Miranda

Joely Richardson

Lyla

Michael Landes

Trent

Sally Phillips

Miriam

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Ed Potton

Times (UK)

Despite the concerted efforts of actors as fine as Sally Phillips and Gemma Whelan...tthis is a seasonal British comedy so unfunny and pedestrian it makes you want to gouge your eyes out.

Rated: 1/5

Nov 30, 2018

Full Review

Tara Brady

Irish Times

Never mind Christmas. Can you survive Surviving the Relatives at Christmas?

Rated: 2/5

Nov 30, 2018

Full Review

Cath Clarke

Guardian

There's just too much manic farce. It's one of those films in which characters keep on bursting through doorways...

Rated: 1/5

Nov 28, 2018

Full Review

Roger Moore

Movie Nation

Why do the British hate Christmas?

Rated: 1/4

Dec 10, 2019

Full Review

Barbara Shulgasser

Common Sense Media

Holiday tale about family issues; drugs, sex, language.

Rated: 2/5

Nov 11, 2019

Full Review

Matthew Bond

The Mail on Sunday (UK)

Surviving Christmas With The Relatives looks promisingly like the British Christmas comedy we're all waiting for. Sadly, after an underwhelming hour or so, we discover it isn't.

Rated: 2/5

Dec 10, 2018

Full Review

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Synopsis

Two sisters come together to spend Christmas with their families in their recently deceased parents' falling down country house.

Director: James Dearden
Executive Producer: Charlotte Arden, Peter Gerard Dunphy, Gareth Jones, Ana Marina Smith-Suarez, Chris Wood
Screenwriter: James Dearden
Production Co: Studio Soho Films, Gizmo Films
Genre: Holiday, Comedy
Original Language: English (United Kingdom)
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 27, 2019

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