Four Christmases : Anti-feminist propaganda.

Anti-feminist propaganda.

At the beginning of this film, we are presented with a light-hearted, carefree couple who choose to go on tropical vacations for Christmas every year, as opposed to visiting their dysfunctional families.

We find out that they are child-free and marriage-free by choice, and quite happily at that. Nowhere in the first half of the film do we encounter Reese Witherspoon's character struggling internally with want for a child or marriage. The only dilemma of the story is that they have to spend a day with their crazy relatives, which would have itself made for an endearing, funny movie.

In a standard anti-feminist turning point, we find out that all of a sudden, Reese is just DYING to have a child, although she never expressed this want before. If, at the beginning of the movie while they were explaining their situation to the ballroom dancing couples, did Reese show us a "look" that she internally disagreed with Vince, we might have understood, but this is TOTALLY out of the blue.

Within these last few hours of spending time with little hellions, Reese decides that she wants a child SO BADLY that she leaves her boyfriend for not agreeing with her sentiments. The audience (myself) is very clearly confused.

They make up, yadda yadda yadda, and a year later they have a baby. WHY was this plot point introduced? It was completely unnecessary. The only reason that I can personally think of is that the director/writer wanted to make sure that the childfree-by-choice women watching know that they are WRONG and being childfree is WRONG, and your partner/husband will never be completely committed to you without one. They want to show you that Reese's character was REDEEMED at the conclusion of the film because she had a child.

I know that some of you may think that I'm reading too far into this because it's a comedy, but I didn't spend hours after my initial viewing of this movie thinking about it. Its true message unraveled during every scene.


Re: Anti-feminist propaganda.

LOL an MRA in another post was saying how it's ant-man and was stating the exact same reasons you did. I agree with you both that it does kinda jam down our throats the notion of the traditional family being the only but I still think up until the let's have a baby revelation it's pretty funny on a screwball level.

"I hate to say this, but this place is getting to me. I think I'm getting the Fear."

Re: Anti-feminist propaganda.

OMG, where the hell do you feminist come up with this crap??? It's a Christmas movie! WTH. Lol

Re: Anti-feminist propaganda.

What do you expect from liberals?

Re: Anti-feminist propaganda.

Umm, I would think that the fact that this woman wants to have a child with OR without Vince is pretty feminist. In fact, I think it's pretty troubling that you seem to equate ''child-free'' living with feminism by default.

How exactly is the fact that Reese wants a child the same thing as telling women that having no children is wrong? And you could apply the same logic to Vince. First he decides that he wants no children, then suddenly he does. It's as much as a face-heel turn. So does that tell us that men should always sacrifice their freedom because their spouse wants a kid? OF COURSE NOT. We are grown men, we can make up our own minds. Can't you?
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