Grade: C+
Director: Jessie Nelson
Starring: Diane Keaton, John Goodman, Ed Helms, Olivia Wilde, Alan Arkin, Amanda Seyfried, Anthony Mackie, Marisa Tomei, Jake Lacy, June Squibb
Rated: PG-13 for thematic elements, language and some sexuality
Length: 2:00

Being a fan of both Diane Keaton and John Goodman, I walked into the theater hoping this movie would let the two stars show us all what they are capable of.  I wanted to see all the things I love about both stars.

We meet the Cooper family on Christmas Eve and learn all about them through the narration of their dog, voiced by Steve Martin.  No, it isn’t a talking dog.  We just hear his thoughts. He seems to know everyone’s thoughts, dreams and so on, which helps to move the picture along.

Charlotte and Sam Cooper (Keaton and Goodman) have been married for 40 years, and we learn right away that things are not good with their marriage.  They have grown tired and have lost what they once had.  It is Charlotte’s wish that they can just have a good Christmas, and so both run around trying to make this happen.  We follow them as they pick up Sam’s kooky Aunt Fishy (June Squibb) at an assisted living facility, then go along with them as they try to entertain their potty-mouthed granddaughter whose parents (their son Hank, played by Ed Helms and the underused Alex Borstein as his estranged wife) are going through a divorce.

Meanwhile, the Coopers daughter Eleanor, played by Olivia Wilde, meets a charming serviceman (Jake Lacy) at the airport.  Even though he’s her total opposite, they hit it off (sort of) and she convinces him to come home with her, just for Christmas evening, so that her mother will think she’s settling down.  There are a few other subplots involving Charlotte’s father, played by Alan Arkin and a waitress, played by  Amanda Seyfried and also ones involving the misfit grandsons and Charlotte’s bitter, younger sister (Marisa Tomei).

I tend to notice all the little things about a movie first.  The Coopers live in a nice home, decorated to the hilt for the holidays.  Diane Keaton seems to always have a well-appointed kitchen in most of the movies she’s in lately.  In fact, the house and interior look a little like a smaller version of her digs in “Something’s Gotta Give” with Jack Nicholson.  John Goodman looks a little thinner than his Dan Conner “Roseanne” days and also quite a bit older, of course.  And he seems like he’s a tad bit tired.

Speaking of Nicholson and Keaton; well, I’m wondering why their onscreen chemistry seemed to work, yet there were few sparks between Goodman and Keaton in this movie.  Maybe I’m silly for comparing, but I figured such accomplished actors could pull it off.  As I said, I love both of them.  I just could never quite buy their relationship. No chemistry.  I’m sure they tried their best with what they had to work with.  Plus, we never know how much was cut out of the final product.

Still, both Keaton and Goodman have great moments.  Both of them show their charming sides, and we get to see a lot of why we like them.  I do think that Goodman was another underused actor in this movie.  He mugs a little and cuts up some in certain scenes, but he seems to be a little stiff much of the time.  As expected, he shines in the scenes which appear improvised or ad libbed.   I’ve always thought that the best part of John Goodman was his ability to be a grown-up kid.  We didn’t see much of that, but maybe that’s not what the director wanted anyway.

The rest of the ensemble is talented and good, and I really liked the way most of them looked fairly ordinary and middle class.  However, Olivia Wilde, even when trying to downplay her beauty, is a stunner.  It was a little difficult to see her fitting into the family.  She was also a bit unlikable, but her scenes with Jake Lacy were balanced by his sensitive portrayal and were well done. Movie goers will invest in that relationship from the get-go.  The scene on the train going home was exquisite, with both of them sharing their true feelings for one another under the guise of making up a phony courtship story for Eleanor’s parents.  I often gripe about relationships happening too fast in movies, but in this particular case, it worked well and the writers and director did a good job of convincing us.

I was also impressed with Marisa Tomei’s small part in the movie.   She plays Charlotte’s misfit, younger sister who never has felt she measured up.   While onscreen, Tomei really shines.  You feel sorry for the character, and after watching her performance, I feel sorry for Marisa Tomei and all those silly rumors about her not really winning the Oscar for “My Cousin Vinny” She’s dynamite, even in a role where she didn’t get much screen time.

June Squibb, who first came to our attention when she was in the movie “Nebraska” is like a lot of other older folks in movies: she’s reduced to bathroom humor and kooky behavior.  However, she makes the most of her scenes and I kept thinking the character would have a lucid moment where she imparted some wisdom to someone in the family.  There wasn’t, but she still sparkles and is fun to watch.

Ed Helms is someone I hadn’t really paid much attention to before now, but I thought he did an admirable job as the frustrated son, trying to get through a divorce, find a job, and manage his family.  I’d like to see more of his work.  He pulls off the downtrodden guy thing quite well but we really didn’t get to know his character very well.

If I were to give an award for the best performance of the movie, it would got to Alan Arkin.  He is really something.  It is amazing how he portrayed an elderly man who still thinks and feels like a young man.  He played young and old a the same time.  It was a fantastic performance and much too short.

“Love the Coopers” has so many great moments, so many good quotes about life, and a lot of great intentions.  Still, much of it seems strained and a little on the fake side.  I’m wondering why the director didn’t catch this and I’m also wondering if these actors were the original choices for the characters.

The movie is pretty predictable and uses a lot of the dysfunctional-family-at-Christmas formula; but it still manages to teach us how, in the end,we love our families anyway.  There’s snow through much of the movie and everything looks good, so it’s not hard for moviegoers to expect that everything will end up wrapped in a neat little package.  With a sweet, heart-warming scene at the end.  And a bow on top.  Just in time for Christmas.

Should you go see it?  Considering the price of movies these days, I’d say you could wait for the DVD release.  The talented cast is fun to watch and I’d watch most of them in anything.  They certainly tried to do their best.  As always, I blame the director if a show is not as good as it could be, and it wasn’t.

Plus, I’m still not sure about whole the Steve Martin dog narration thing.