Movies that are focused around a ‘holiday’ with an ensemble cast are usually a messy affair that works in increments, and unfortunately Michael Showalter’s Oh. What. Fun co-written by Chandler Baker is no exception to this rule. It is a lot to take in, with some moments that are genuinely touching and endearing, some that are just there, and a lot of happenings throughout the movie but overall the general gist of the movie is to be cheery and jolly during the holiday season, but most importantly take care of and focus of your loved ones during the holiday season. Whatever you may think about Christmas and the season, this is a harmless fireplace burner to watch with the family and then casually forget about the next day.
Oh. What. Fun focuses on Claire (Michelle Pfeiffer) as her favourite holiday is fast approaching, Christmas, and the entire family is going to get together and be together again as her kids have grown up and moved on. Her husband, Nick (Denis Leary) supports her unhealthy obsession with Christmas, but her three kids are exhausted by it. Her three kids centre around Channing (Felicity Jones), and her husband Doug (Jason Schwartzman), Sammy – the youngest (Dominic Sessa) and the middle child Taylor (Chloe Grace Moretz) and her partner Donna (Devery Jacobs). Claire really doesn’t expect *much* from her family as she knows this is more of a holiday for her, at least to the extent she wants, but for practically the entire year she has been dropping hints that all she wants is for her children to enter her unto the Best Holiday Mom contest with a heartfelt letter – spoilers – none of them clue in or care enough to do this and chaos erupts.
While realizing no one cared enough to give her the one thing she wanted for Christmas, she feels disconnected, hurt, and discontent and decides to say screw it and abandon them on Christmas. No more being mom, no more bending over backwards, no more doing any of it she is going to do what she wants and get what she wants, and screw everyone else. It’s a very silly plot, but its believable and plays on the overdrawn mother whose simply done and exhausted with the family overlooking her. When it comes to the cast Pfeiffer is great, as is Leary but it is Sessa who stands out from the children and when these three are not the centre of attention the rest of the movie feels disjointed. This is not to say that Jacobs and Moretz story isn’t interesting, it is, it just feels out of place for the rest of the movie, while Schwartzman and Jones’ story is so paint by the numbers it fails to captivate anything remotely interesting to say.
Overall, Oh. What. Fun is a harmless family Christmas movie to watch that may have audiences being a little nicer to their respective moms when the film concludes. It is not going to become the holiday classic you watch yearly, it’s not offensive in a way to not be enjoyed by the entire family together, but it lacks something new and original to say to the point of meandering nothingness that refuses to evoke a response out of its audience unfortunately.
