Skip to content
24 October · 62 days to ChristmasThe advent calendar opens 1 December →
A snowy brick house glows at dusk, with a crowded dinner table behind the bay window, a dog on the porch and an unlit police car at the kerb.

Essential Christmas · 2015

Love the Coopers

47/100Festive FactorWhy it scores 47 ↓
UK certificate 12107 min
Comedy · Drama

Four generations of one American family converge on a single Christmas Eve dinner, and every one of them is…

On Lionsgate+ on Prime Video · extra subscription →
Plan this film night ↓Can the kids watch? ↓
Explore this film 9 sections

The CineClaus Christmas score

Festive Factor

Christmas in good measure.

Two paper elves inspect a snowy brick-house model with glowing windows, a small dog on the porch and a police car beside the path.

A little magic in the making.

Five ingredients make the Festive Factor.
Open an ingredient to find out more.

Christmas in the storyChristmas is the deadline.15/30

What we ask: Take Christmas out. Does the plot survive? Worth up to 30 of the 100 points.

A world dressed for ChristmasVisibly Christmas for about half.10/20

What we ask: How much of the running time is visibly Christmas? Worth up to 20 of the 100 points.

The little seasonal details4 of the 10 kinds of Christmas icon we count turn up on screen.6/15

What we ask: How many kinds of Christmas icon turn up on screen: trees, lights, snow, carols and the rest? Worth up to 15 of the 100 points.

A Christmas heartHow far the ending rests on goodwill, family and belief: partly.10/20

What we ask: Does the ending depend on what Christmas means: goodwill, family, redemption, belief? Worth up to 20 of the 100 points.

A returning traditionA December regular (25,000+).6/15

What we ask: Is it actually watched at Christmas in the UK? Worth up to 15 of the 100 points.

57/100

Cosiness Rating Rating

Mixed in tone. Moderate threat. A content ending.

How we score →
What do these scores mean?

Festive Factor measures how Christmassy a film is. Five ingredients add up to 100: story (30), setting (20), seasonal details (15), emotional heart (20) and returning tradition (15).

Cosiness is a separate score for warmth of tone, sense of safety, visual comfort, a reassuring ending and how easily you can settle into it.

How the Festive Factor works →
Your next film night

Where to watch

United KingdomChecked

Lionsgate+ on Prime Video

Extra subscription
See viewing options on Lionsgate+ on Prime Video (affiliate link, opens in a new tab)

Apple TV

Rent or buy
See viewing options on Apple TV (opens in a new tab)

Prime Video

Rent or buy
See viewing options on Prime Video (affiliate link, opens in a new tab)

Rakuten TV

Rent or buy
Search the service for it

Sky Store

Rent or buy
Search the service for it

Love the Coopers · Rental and purchase cost extra, separately from membership.

As an Amazon Associate, Cine Claus earns from qualifying purchases. Buying through a link helps pay for the site - it never changes a score.

Streaming changes constantly and we cannot promise it is still right - check the service before you settle in. Streaming availability information provided by Streaming Availability API by Movie of the Night (opens in a new tab). Sky and Rakuten TV data by JustWatch.

The story

About Love the Coopers

Four generations of an American family head for one Christmas Eve dinner, each hiding something. The hosts mean to give everyone one last happy Christmas before they separate; their son is out of work, their daughter brings home a soldier she met at the airport bar as a pretend boyfriend, the hostess's sister is arrested for shoplifting a present, and the grandfather is losing his favourite waitress. Diane Keaton, John Goodman and Alan Arkin lead, with Steve Martin as the voice of the family dog. Released in the UK as Christmas with the Coopers.

The CineClaus verdict

Four generations of one American family converge on a single Christmas Eve dinner, and every one of them is hiding something: a marriage ending, a lost job, a shoplifting arrest, a soldier met at the airport bar and brought home as a pretend boyfriend. Diane Keaton, John Goodman and Alan Arkin are lovely whenever the film lets them be, but there are too many strands and too little time for any of them.

Released here as Christmas with the Coopers. Warmer at the end than the start, and one for a patient evening.

The family desk

Can the kids watch?

12

Our take: rated 12 by the BBFC for moderate sex references and bad language (12A in cinemas). Nothing is frightening, but divorce, talk of an affair and a dash to hospital make it one for teenagers and adults rather than younger children.

Content advice & accessibility
Our age guidance
Editorial, separate from the official 12 certificate, and never looser than it.
The people behind the film

Cast and crew

The faces in front of the camera, and the people who brought the story to life.

Main cast

In billing order
Portrait photograph of the actor Diane Keaton at an event in 2012.Diane Keatonas Charlotte
Close photograph of John Goodman speaking at a panel, in a dark blue shirt with a microphone at the edge of the frame.John Goodmanas Sam
Head and shoulders photograph of a man with short dark swept hair, in a blue jacket and white open-necked shirt, in front of a festival backdrop.Ed Helmsas Hank
Amanda Seyfried smiling at the camera, with long straight hair and red lipstick, in a yellow striped strapless dress at an event.Amanda Seyfriedas Ruby
Alan Arkin, a bald older man in a dark suit and tie with a white pocket square, raising one hand in greeting outdoors.Alan Arkinas Bucky
Olivia Wilde smiling and waving in a bold orange, yellow and black floral top, photographed outdoors.Olivia Wildeas Eleanor
Marisa Tomei with long brown hair and a faint smile, in a sequinned metallic top, in front of a blue festival backdrop.Marisa Tomeias Emma

Behind the camera

Directed by
Jessie Nelson
Original score
Sepia concert photograph of a man singing into a microphone while playing a dark electric guitar on a stage with a curtain behind him.Nick Urata
Writing & production credits
Writer
Steven Rogers
Photo credits

Portraits via Wikimedia Commons, each under its own licence, approved for this page by a person. Sources and full photographer credits:

Diane Keaton · Sbclick · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY 2.0 (opens in a new tab).

John Goodman · Gage Skidmore · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens in a new tab).

Ed Helms · Jay Dixit · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab).

Amanda Seyfried · Toglenn · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab).

Alan Arkin · gdcgraphics · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY-SA 2.0 (opens in a new tab).

Olivia Wilde · Mario A. P. from San Sebastian, Spain · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY-SA 2.0 (opens in a new tab).

Marisa Tomei · Elena Ternovaja · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens in a new tab).

Nick Urata · Haylie Cook · Source image (opens in a new tab) · Public domain.

Step into the story

Filming locations

The real places behind Love the Coopers. Choose one to explore.

Find it on the mapPittsburgh International Airport

© OpenStreetMap contributors (opens in a new tab)

Open larger map ↗ (OpenStreetMap, opens in a new tab)

Map shows the selected place. Drag to explore; use + and − to zoom.

Choose your next scene

Photographs of the real places

There’s more behind the film.
Explore the next place.

Photo credits & location sources

These are photographs of the places, not film stills. Dates vary; photographs do not show current conditions or guarantee access.

Pittsburgh International Airport · John Marino · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC0 (opens in a new tab) · CBS Pittsburgh (opens in a new tab)

Butler Memorial Hospital · CBS Pittsburgh (opens in a new tab)

Boyce Park · CBS Pittsburgh (opens in a new tab)

Map pins mark the place, not a camera position or a route. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), including any pin positions read from OpenStreetMap.

A little more Love the Coopers

Film facts &
behind the scenes

For the fans who stay after the credits.

On set

A flashback was shot on a real municipal ice rink

The childhood flashback of Sam and Charlotte's family was filmed at a local recreation centre's ice rink near Pittsburgh. Children played the younger characters, local kids filled out the crowd, and the crew hired the rink for eight hours.

Read the story

Source: Lebo Magazine ↗ (opens in a new tab)

And at a glance

Releases and certificates
: In cinemas, rated 12A. UK cinema release under the title Christmas with the Coopers.
: On disc, rated 12. BBFC classification date for the disc and VOD release, which carried a 12.
Sources & a note on these facts

Each production story is linked to its source, in our own words. Ending details stay behind a spoiler reveal.

More like this

If Love the Coopers is your kind of Christmas…

Find another favourite →
Swipe to browse all three →

Collections, stories & Christmas memories

Elsewhere on CineClaus

More places to find Love the Coopers, and a few good reasons to keep exploring.

In this collection

The best Christmas films for adults

Love the Coopers is in this collection

Explore the collection
Stay for another story.All collections · The Christmas Edit