i get the feeling that those involve in make survive christmas do not put much think into the movie . the character be so inconsistent and the plot make so little sense that the movie play like a rough draft of a script throw together with little but the one liner concept of a rich guy pay a family to let him spend christmas with them . ben affleck portrays draw latham and the typical hollywood image of a wealthy and egotistical advertising executive who buy his way through life . his girlfriend and missy and leave him shortly before christmas because she disgust that draw want to take her to fiji for christmas and which she call the family holiday and and the fact that drew have never introduce her to his family . we later find out that draw father leave when he be 4 year old and and his mother be dead and so it a mystery why he doesn not just say that he have no family and rather than allow his girlfriend to believe that he doesn not care about his family . out of fear of be alone on christmas and drew track down missy shrink ( why . i have no idea ) and who suggest he do a forgiveness ritual at his childhood home . when he meet the family living in his childhood home and the valcos and drew offer them $ 250 and 000 to pretend to be his family and so he can relive his fond childhood memory . he get angry when he later find out that they have an adult daughter and alicia ( christina applegate ) and because he doesn not have a sister and and even go so far a to write a script for the family to follow so that they act more like his real family . none of this make any sense once draw reveals that he grow up with no family but his mother . also inexplicable be the character of alicia and who be annoy that her family accept drew money and and refuse to play along with his fantasy . but for no good reason and she suddenly start to like drew and and in a matter of minute go from hat his gut to act like his girlfriend . drew be such a complete jerk throughout the movie that even his sad story about the lonely christmas of his childhood evoke no sympathy while i almost wish he have finish with and just kidding . the real reason i do not see my family be that they all have restrain order against me . ( negative ) .