OFFICE CHRISTMAS PARTY (6.5 out of 10) Directed by Josh Gordon, Will Speck; Written by Justin Malen, Laura Solon, Dan Mazer, Jon Lucas, Scott Moore, Timothy Dowling; Starring Jason Bateman, Olivia Munn, T.J. Miller, Jennifer Aniston, Kate McKinnon, Courtney B. Vance, Jillian Bell, Rob Corddry, Vanessa Bayer, Randall Park; Rated R for crude sexual content and language throughout, drug use and graphic nudity; Running time 105 minutes; In wide release Dec 9, 2016.
Office Christmas Party is what happens when a dozen people decide to independently spike the punch bowl, creating a weird, boozy concoction that is stronger than it is well-balanced. It’ll get you drunk–and fast!!– and isn’t unpleasant, but it also isn’t anything you’d drink for taste or for any other express purpose than to get tore up as quickly and efficiently as possible.
The cast list is a veritable who’s who of comedic actors, and with six (6?!?!) screenwiters, two directors, and an obviously large amount of improvisation, this is a barely cohesive film whose only saving grace is its “more is more” attitude with the jokes. With their commitment to throw as many jokes and gags at the audience as possible, you don’t notice if one of two fall sort of flat because you’re immediately on to the next one. Unfortunately, there isn’t much else here except for bringing a bil ol’ Santa-sized bag of teh funneh.
Clay Vanstone (TJ Miller) runs the Chicago branch of a successful network solutions firm his father started along with their Chief Technology Officer (Jason Bateman) and lead engineer (Olivia “I Make Nerds Look Good” Munn). When Clay’s older sister Carol (Jennifer Aniston), acting as interim CEO decides to shut down the branch to squeeze some extra profit, their only hope is to land a giant contract to save everyone’s jobs by throwing the best office holiday party and impressing potential client Walter Davis (Courtney Vance). And wackiness ensues.
This plays out exactly as expected, and is very obviously inspired by the wacky screwball comedies of the 80’s where throwing a big party always seemed to be the answer to every ill. This also pushes the boundaries of both an R-rating and good taste as often as possible. A very specific eggnog gag will leave you wondering exactly how they got that one approved.
But the real magic of this film are its stars. The main cast are phenomenal, but with so many great actors and characters they’ve created and in trying to give each person their moments, it feels incredibly overstuffed, especially for a film that clocks in at only a bit over an hour and a half. The best reason to see this is another ridiculously amazing performance by Kate McKinnon as the overzealous HR rep. Her SNL costar Vanessa Bayer also is incredibly funny, especially in an awkward office party hookup with Fresh Off the Boat‘s Randall Park.
The only soft spot in the cast is Bateman. Despite being charged with playing the center of the cast– the one “normal” guy in an office full of freaks and weirdos– he seems to just be going through the motions.
And then there’s the ending. This film decided it needed to have even more of a plot and then everything sort of comes together to create their Christmas miracle and blah blah blah, pass the fruitcake and eggnog. For that and because seemingly everyone has to learn some sort of message, this movie loses a lot of points in its final 10 minutes. But up until then, it’s a fun ride as long as you don’t expect too much from it.
Office Christmas Party won’t change your life, or even really make your season all that bright, but it will make your belly laugh and shake like a bowful of jelly as long as the ending doesn’t turn you into too much of a grinch.
6.5 out of 10