Decline and Fall of American Civilization

No, I'm not talking about "The Swan." This example comes courtesy of RottenTomatoes.com. Christmas With the Kranks, which Stephen Holden describes as "lockstep suburban conformism enforced with fascist severity," and which merited 4% positive reviews, has earned $54.8 million in box office as of December 12, 2004. Sideways, with 97% positive reviews, has pulled in a paltry $14.3 million, especially considering it's 7 Golden Globe nominations (not that the Golden Globes are really a judgement of merit; I mean, Madonna won one for godsakes). It shouldn't be shocking that Hollywood has succeeded in critic proofing the movies, and that a worthy movie should get snubbed by audiences...in fact, I don't know why I even brought it up. Enjoy the holidays, ho ho ho.