FOUR CHRISTMASES To brand, then dismiss, this seasonal allergen as a disappointment would be giving it too much credit. Never, for a second, did this New Line Cinema cast-off scream or even whisper decent in the run-up to its opening. The story of couple Kate (Reese Witherspoon) and Brad (Vince Vaughn)—not married, might as well be—who, fogged in on Dec. 25, put their planned Fiji frolic on hold to visit their four divorced parents in the course of a single day, the movie doesn't offer a single surprise within its scant 82 minutes, which feel like at least twice that. There's happiness and cheer and more than the occasional tear dropped between shouting matches and withering stares, all pre-assembled and gift-wrapped by the ho-ho hos at The Studio. There was every reason to hope for more: Four Christmases was directed by Seth Gordon, who made the bittersweet, hilarious documentary The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, and Vaughn and Witherspoon would seem as sure a pairing as pancakes and bacon on Christmas morning. But even there, the magic's off: He's too much, she's too little. The movie's pace is lethargic; it desperately needs a laugh track, only the joke's terrible to begin with. Still, it's not as bad as Vaughn's last movie: Fred Claus, last year's holiday lump of coal.