Holiday comedies at the box office are hit or miss, and sometimes even the ones that are successful end up being pretty forgettable. The newest to give it a shot is LOVE THE COOPERS, which features a big name ensemble cast and several separate stories that ultimately connect for a big Christmas dinner. While most of the proceedings are fun and funny, this is also a more poignant Holiday comedy than most.

Sam and Charlotte are a couple of old hippies facing the fact that their relationship is coming to an end. Charlotte has asked that they hold it together for one last Christmas dinner with the family, for the sake of the kids. Hank (Ed Helms) is raising two boys and a girl while trying to find a steady job. Emma (Marisa Tomei) is dreading the dinner, knowing she’ll have to continue living in the shadow of her sister Charlotte, and even resorts to shoplifting… and gets caught and taken away by Officer Williams (Anthony Mackie). Eleanor (Olivia Wilde) is killing time in the airport, avoiding seeing the family, and befriends a soldier named Joe (Jake Lacy). And finally there’s diner waitress Ruby (Amanda Seyfried) and her favorite customer Bucky (Alan Arkin), who have a strong connection with each other, but risk ending things badly when she reveals suddenly it’s her last day before moving. All of these stories are eventually going to connect when everyone heads to Sam and Charlotte’s place for Christmas dinner… that is if they all make it. And more importantly, can Sam and Charlotte hold it together with their relationship long enough to make it through that dinner.

There’s not a ton of surprises in a film like this, you can pretty much predict where everything is going to go, but the interactions with these great actors is what makes LOVE THE COOPERS such a fun experience. Steve Martin serves as the narrator, and is a character within the story you may or may not figure out early on – some got it right away, others were surprised when it’s truly revealed at the end. And just having Martin’s soothing voice deliver each scene adds a layer of enjoyment to the proceedings. What I appreciated most about the production is how incredibly flawed all of these characters were, as it adds significant realism and makes much of the movie easy to relate to.

Most of the cast is understandably picked for their respective roles, like Alan Arkin as the wise older and somewhat vulnerable grandpa, or Olivia Wilde as the attractive but damaged swinging single daughter. Even June Squibb, who plays the aging Aunt Fishy, is ever-so-appropriate as she delivers her sometimes inappropriate but always laughable lines. But I was most impressed with the unlikely pairing of John Goodman and Diane Keaton as the long-married patriarchal center of the piece. Goodman seems to be used more in supporting roles these days, but here he’s a solid leading character, and his chemistry with Keaton feels very sincere and honest. Keaton is also great, moving beyond her usual frantically smiling self into an angry and discontent mother who only sticks things out for the sake of her children. Those two performances are the heart of the film, and go through the most satisfying arcs by the end. The Alan Arkin/Amanda Seyfried plot thread also ends up being rather tragic while still heartwarming. I wasn’t sure where they were going with it until toward the end, but it’s ultimately very endearing. The hardest relationship to buy into is the Olivia Wilde and Jake Lacy story, as these admittedly likable characters are so different and really have too many reasons to avoid each other to ever make it believable they could end up together… but hey, Hollywood, right?

LOVE THE COOPERS overstays its welcome a bit by the end, but director Jessie Nelson (I AM SAM) keeps the pacing quick and funny when necessary. As one might expect with so many overlapping stories, certain threads feel a little underdeveloped (I’m looking at you Marisa Tomei and Anthony Mackie… and you Ed Helms) while others seem to play out too much, but in the end it’s a rather satisfying ride the whole family can enjoy. I don’t know if this has the makings of a great Holiday classic, but what is here is serviceable and safe for most audiences hitting theaters these days, and one of the better ensemble casts of any film to come out this year.

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