Love the Coopers



Love the Coopers (titled Christmas with the Coopers in the UK and Ireland) is a 2015 American Christmas comedy film directed by Jessie Nelson and written by Steven Rogers. The film stars an ensemble cast, including Alan Arkin, John Goodman, Ed Helms, Diane Keaton, Jake Lacy, Anthony Mackie, Amanda Seyfried, June Squibb, Marisa Tomei and Olivia Wilde, and follows a dysfunctional family that reunites for the holidays.

The film was released on November 13, 2015 by Lionsgate, received generally negative reviews and grossed $42 million.

Plot
As Sam (John Goodman) and Charlotte (Diane Keaton) are to have a divorce after forty years of marriage, Charlotte wants to have one last Christmas for everyone in her family to enjoy. Therefore, so that they can remember it as the "perfect Christmas" before announcing the two's agreement for divorce.

Throughout the movie, scenes shift to different situations of the Cooper family. Hank (Ed Helms) is recently recovering from the divorce of his wife, Angie (Alex Borstein), and tries to find a new job after being replaced as a family holiday photographer by a machine, making him no longer needed. Sam and Charlotte take Hank's daughter, Madison (Blake Baumgartner) and their aunt Fishy (June Squibb) to run errands, including Christmas shopping, where the soon to be divorced couple loses Madison in the store and must come up front to get her when she says a newly picked up phrase, "you guys are such a dick". Eleanor (Olivia Wilde) waits for her flight at an airport and finds an Army soldier (Jake Lacy) named Joe. The two talk about their different points of views and stances on relationships. Eleanor does not want to be in a relationship because of the burden and hardship it may have to offer, but also tells that everyone, including her parents, believes that she should be in one. Finally, Eleanor convinces him to go home with her and pretend to be her boyfriend for Christmas so that her parents will be pleased.

A local diner waitress (Amanda Seyfried) is a good friend of Bucky (Alan Arkin), an old-fashioned senior regular customer who enjoys her company, but gets into an argument with him because she did not tell him that it was her last day working there and will move to another diner for a "fresh change". Charlie (Timothée Chalamet), Hank's older son, makes a move on crush Lauren and while kissing her, but an introverted police officer, Percy Williams, (Anthony Mackie), arrests Emma (Marisa Tomei), Charlotte's sister, after attempting to steal a piece of jewelry by hiding it in her mouth. Going against protocol, Percy goes along with the conversation Emma starts, which makes him reveal his homosexuality.

As Sam and Charlotte fight while preparing dinner, family members of the four generations of Coopers start to come in, including Hank's ex-wife Angie. Joe stretches the lie by pretending to be also engaged to Eleanor. During the dinner, chaos unleashes when Hank and Angie verbally fight about their divorce, which leads to Bo, their younger son, asking the two of them to stop fighting. Soon after, a power outage occurs, and when it comes back on, Bucky collapses and is taken to the hospital. Before he is taken into a room to be treated, however, Ruby kisses Bucky on the lips. During the hospital wait, Eleanor and Charlotte get into an argument and Eleanor confesses that Joe was used as a prop that she picked up at the airport so that she could please her. Charlotte later argues with Emma in the hospital room Bucky, their father is in about their broken relationship as sisters. Joe leaves disappointingly children love after realizing that Eleanor's affair the two of them previously discussed is with the married doctor that is taking care of Bucky. She chases after him, and the two share a kiss. Charlie unexpectedly sees Lauren at the hospital, and the two horribly attempt to make out. Hank comforts Ruby, which marks the beginning of their soon to be relationship, and Sam and Charlotte finally reconcile and call off the divorce, and furiously make out. Emma buys her sister the most expensive thing there was to offer at a small gift shop, the advice she followed that Percy gave her, which was a shower seat. Everyone eats a happy Christmas meal at the hospital, dance, and appreciate the importance of family.

The film is narrated by Rags the Dog, which is the voice of Steve Martin.

Cast

 * Steve Martin (voice) as the Narrator/Rags the Dog
 * Alan Arkin as Bucky
 * John Goodman as Sam Cooper
 * M.R. Wilsonas Young Sam
 * Ed Helms as Hank
 * Phillip Zack as Young Hank
 * Diane Keaton as Charlotte Cooper
 * Quinn McColgan as Young Charlotte (12-14 Yrs)
 * Farelisse Lassor as 8 Year old Charlotte
 * Jake Lacy as Joe
 * Anthony Mackie as Officer Percy Williams
 * Amanda Seyfried as Ruby
 * Sophie Guest as Young Ruby
 * June Squibb as Aunt Fishy
 * Marisa Tomei as Emma
 * Rory Wilson as Young Emma
 * Alicia Valentine as June
 * Olivia Wilde as Eleanor
 * Alex Borstein as Angie
 * Blake Baumgartner as Madison
 * Timothée Chalamet as Charlie
 * Maxwell Simkins as Bo
 * Dan Amboyer as Jake
 * Molly Gordon as Lauren Hesselberg
 * Cady Huffman as Gift shop clerk

Production
Principal photography began on December 19, 2014 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where scenes were filmed at Pittsburgh Crèche, at the U.S. Steel Tower, and at the PPG Place. Filming was also done on Ligonier Diamond in Ligonier. Filming took place at Butler Memorial Hospital in Butler, PA, in January and February 2015, and at Orchard Hill Church, during the week of February the first. Filming also took place in the residential areas of Sewickley and Edgewood, at a diner in Millvale, various areas of South Fayette, Mt. Lebanon, West Mifflin, Franklin Park, Churchill and Wilkinsburg, along with the Boyce Park Slopes.

Release
The film was released in the United States on November 13, 2015, by CBS Films and Lionsgate.

Box office
Love the Coopers grossed $26.3 million in North America and $16.1 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $42.4 million, against a budget of $24 million.

The film opened alongside The 33 and My All American. In its opening weekend, it was projected to gross $6–10 million from 2,603 theaters. The film grossed $2.8 million on its opening day and $8.3 million in its opening weekend, finishing third at the box office behind Spectre ($33.7 million) and The Peanuts Movie ($24 million).

Critical response
Love the Coopers received negative reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 19%, based on 111 reviews, with an average rating of 3.8/10. The site's consensus reads, "Love the Coopers has a talented cast and a uniquely bittersweet blend of holiday cheer in its better moments, but they're all let down by a script content to settle for cloying smarm." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 31 out of 100, based on 26 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B–" on an A+ to F scale.