©Courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios
Fear not, It’s a Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th Street, you’re not in danger of being toppled from your thrones this Christmas. Though Amazon/MGM’s Oh. What. Fun. boasts a competent director (Michael Showalter) and an equally competent cast headed by Michelle Pfeiffer and Denis Leary, the movie seems more like something a disgruntled Santa might leave for kids who leave him a saucer of curdled milk and a plate of stale cookies.
Oh. What. Fun. derives its title from the “Jingle Bells” chestnut about the carefree joys of riding in a one-horse open sleigh. But as I watched this well-meaning attempt at Yuletide frivolity, I could not help thinking of the song’s little known second verse: “The horse was lean and lank/Misfortune seemed his lot,/We got into a drifted bank/And there we got upsot.”
If anything is to blame for this upsotting film, it is the lean and lank script co-written by Showalter and Chandler Baker from the latter’s original short story. While their script nobly attempts to make the point that mothers are often underappreciated at Christmas, it too often relies on cliché-ridden and uninspiring voice-over narration to describe what’s happening.
©Courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios
Pfeiffer at least deserves plaudits for her good intentions. “When I read the script, I immediately connected with Claire because she represents so many moms who are the unsung heroes of their families especially during the holidays,” Pfeiffer said. “She’s this incredibly capable person who makes everything look effortless. But inside, she’s yearning to be seen and appreciated. And what I really loved is that this isn’t just another holiday movie. It’s really a story about self-discovery and finding your voice all wrapped up in this wonderful [sic] comedy.”
The narrative centers on the aptly named Clauster family, consisting of husband Nick (Denis Leary), his wife Claire (Jennifer Pfeiffer) and their three grown children, played by Felicity Jones, Chloë Grace Moretz, and Dominic Sessa. Claire is plagued by an obsessive desire to celebrate the holidays, and feels ignored when her family neglects to promote her cause by singing her praises in a Best Holiday Mom contest run by her heroine, Zazzy Tims (Eva Longoria). The prize is an all-expense trip to Burbank to appear on the show—remember “Queen for a Day”?
While Oh. What. Fun. could have been a heartwarming paean to motherhood, the film gets positively slapsticky when the kids, caught up in their own celebrations, inadvertently leave Claire behind in a holiday trip, each thinking their mother is in a different car. Claire eventually makes it to Zazzy’s show in Burbank after various adventures, including a hilarious segment where she is forced to share a motel room with a stranger (another woman). But this all-too-brief attempt at humor is not enough to rescue this labored production from the grinches.
©Courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios
Rating: C
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Here’s the trailer of the film.