Christmas with the Coopers

If you're dreaming of a grey Christmas, this seasonal comedy might be for you. Diane Keaton is on neurotic autopilot as the ashy-bloused Mrs Cooper and John Goodman is the husband who is in two minds about their impending divorce. It's a secret, of course, to be revealed after their big Christmas Eve get-together and the table is nearly set in their posh gunmetal-grey kitchen-diner. The guests are delayed though, mostly by their own personal problems. They include the son (played by a typically teeth-gnashing Ed Helms) and daughter, a cynical self-absorbed writer (Olivia Wilde) who is bringing home a fake fiancé (Jake Lacy) to impress everyone. Marisa Tomei puts on a sour face, too, as Keaton's shoplifting sister (also wearing a nice shade of slate) and grandpa (Alan Arkin) gets creepily involved in the private affairs of Amanda Seyfried's near-suicidal waitress. Inevitably, the spirit of Christmas thaws things out towards the end, but it's too much of a dull slog getting there. The Coopers are, quite simply, bad company.