Surviving Late October

Spots are now running for the Affleck/Gandolfini insta-classic, Surviving Christmas. Apparently, rich Ben Affleck wants to spend Christmas in his childhood home because...well, I don't know why. I assume he lost his way while chasing that cheddar. I further assume that he's an advertising executive, since that job title has become movie shorthand for "Rich jerk."

Now, you might be saying that this flick's biggest problem is that the best comedy they could find for the trailer consists of Affleck getting Gandolfini to wear a Santa hat against his wishes and then somebody says, "Nice hat." Personally, I think this movie's biggest problem is that it's being released on...OCTOBER 22ND! A Christmas movie coming out more than a week before Halloween!

I guess they're releasing it so early because they fear the titanic comedy power of a Tim Allen Christmas movie. Why not just release it on Memorial Day weekend and get an eight month jumpstart on the holiday season?