Christmas Comes Early to Tinseltown

Los Angeles – It may not even be Thanksgiving yet, but in the make-believe world of the movies, Christmas is already here. It came to Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood on Thursday night, as the new comedy "Four Christmases" rolled out the red carpet for its gala premiere.

Of course the film's big stars turned out, including Kristen Chenoweth, Sissy Spacek, Katy Mixon, Mary Steenburgen, Robert Duvall, and Reese Witherspoon, but Reese left her children at home. That's because, as she explained at an earlier press conference for the film, it isn't exactly designed for the younger set, and her two kids are only 8 and 5.

"This is not for your children!" she laughed. "Well, it's a PG-13, so not for little ones."

That's because she and her leading man Vince Vaughn get into a whole lot of adult-themed shenanigans playing a couple who end up visiting all of their fractured, dysfunctional families on Christmas Day, and, as Witherspoon describes it, "have to kind of face that horrible fear of bringing home your significant other to really meet every humiliating memory that you have of your past."

Witherspoon, whose own real-life divorce from actor Ryan Phillippe was tabloid fodder for months and who now dates Jake Gyllenhaal, another famous face, is also one of the film's producers, and she frankly explained why "Four Christmases" appealed to her so much.

"I think my character and his character sort of learn in this movie that it's important to have honesty and openness and communication," Witherspoon mused. "I think that's what they learn in this film. You can't have a relationship without those things."

Also on hand at the holiday-themed premiere and after party were actors Minnie Driver, Ted Danson, Schuyler Fisk and Jon Favreau. The comedy opens on Nov. 28.