With a classic set-up of a frightfully twee upper-class family trudging through the three days before Christmas at a large country house, this unfunny comedy is definitely not the Christmas tonic you might be looking for. Four stereotypically-different warring sisters come together and grind their way through forced dialogue as the film lurches from desperate mugging to crass farce to attempts at heartfelt drama...and then Kelsey Grammer shows up as their long-estranged father. Indeed, Grammer does manage to retain some dignity with a relatively grounded performance amongst many over-ripe turns. The film is not witty enough to skewer is very evident target and not funny enough to entertain. Regarding the title, this film is about the Christmas family and their long-absent father is...back: that is about as inventive as the film reaches.
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