Review: 'Happy Christmas' Starring Anna Kendrick, Lena Dunham, and Melanie Lynskey

NOTE: This is a reprint of my review from the Sundance Film Festival. Happy Christmas is available now On Demand.

As the most prolific indie filmmaker around with six feature films over the last two years, Joe Swanberg has perfected the art of the loose-knit, improvisational comedy. Last year's Drinking Buddies was his first with actors audiences recognized, and it ended up on a number of "Top 10' lists while increasing his profile signicantly. His latest film, Happy Christmas, is another directionless charmer that touches on a number of ever-lasting themes dear to Swanberg's heart.

Despite the title, Christmas has very little to do with the story, which centers on new parents Jeff (Swanberg himself) and Kelly (Melanie Lynskey). A stay-at-home mom, Kelly is a writer itching to get back to work but is torn between her duties as a mother, taking care of their expressive, scene-stealing son (played by Swanberg's real-life kid). Their lives are comfortable until Jeff's train-wreck sister Jenny (Anna Kendrick) pops in for a visit of undetermined length. Having recently broken up with her boyfriend, Jenny is an absolute mess who threatens to ruin everything.

Hoping to instill some responsibility in Jenny, Jeff and Kelly ask her to babysit, only to have her party too hard the night before with best friend, Carson (Lena Dunham). She hooks up with a pot-dealing nice guy (Mark Webber, stuck in these roles for eternity) and has Kelly worried about having her around, especially after Jenny nearly burns the house down.

But Jenny also proves to be the spark that reignites Kelly's creative side, helping her realize the value in writing trashy novels of the Danielle Steele variety. The film nearly abandons Jenny's dysfunction in favor of Kelly's balancing act between motherhood and parenthood. Swanberg has always favored an improvisational approach, allowing his actors the freedom to personalize their characters, but it works only sparingly here, and always when Dunham is around to anchor. One instance where it shines is during a funny conversation about the language of "mommy porn". The first half of the film moves along glacially, saved only by Swanberg's son who is already a future star. Sometimes you can tell they just plop the camera down and let the little guy go, and it's always a treat. All of the performances are terrific, but Lynskey really stands out as Kelly, who worries if wanting a career makes her a bad mother. Kendrick somehow manages to make you care about Jenny despite her repeated bad behavior.

Issues of parenthood, loyalty, substance abuse, and more are touched upon briefly, but at only 78 minutes in length the film doesn't attempt too much beyond being a funny, warm-hearted slice of life.

 Rating: 3.5 out of 5

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Review: 'The Big Ask' Starring David Krumholtz and Melanie Lynskey

There’s a pretty big ask at the heart of The Big Ask, and the answers will provide an inquisitive if tonally awkward look at grief, mental illness, and the need for human connection.  Like Lynn Shelton’s brilliant Humpday crossed with Lawrence Kasdan’s The Big Chill, the ensemble film dutifully explores deep psychological questions by wrapping them in the promise of unusual sexual hijinks, and while the answers co-directors Thomas Beatty and Rebecca Fishman come up with don’t amount to much, the honest performances of the cast provide sufficient emotional truth.

David Krumholtz, at his most schlubby, plays Andrew, a man adrift in life after the sudden death of his mother. Along with his concerned wife Hannah (the ever brilliant Melanie Lynskey), Andrew invites fellow couples and best friends  Dave (Zachary Knighton) and Zoe (Ahna O’Reilly) and Owen (Jason Ritter) and Emily (Gillian Jacobs) to a desert retreat for some mental relaxation and bonding time. Or at least that’s what they think the trip is for, only to arrive and find out that Andrew’s real motive is to sleep with all of the women there in one big orgy. The reason, or so he puts it, is to experience a wave of love that will basically wash the depression he feels away.

It’s a ridiculous idea, and to the film’s credit the premise is treated as such, but in the most realistic way as possible. The reactions to Andrew’s request hit the entire spectrum. Hannah is embarrassed and unsure of Andrew’s mental state, Zoe wants to skip town immediately, while Emily seems sort of open to the idea, a fact which drives Owen to start exploring other salacious options.  While these longtime friends ponder whether Andrew is being genuine or just trying to get laid, the close confines force them reevaluate the strength of their own relationships.  Adversity affects them all in different ways, with Zoe and Dave contemplating a move towards marriage while others see it as a doorway to potential infidelity. The small moments, the quiet contemplation of the path to be taken, are where the film finds greatest purchase, strengthened by a cast that is always fully in touch with their characters. Krumholtz plays it close to the vest to maintain the mystery of Andrew’s sanity and authenticity, while Lynskey perfectly captures Hannah’s desperate edge. The picturesque southwest locale and tight-knit cast add a real sense of friendship and camaraderie, which makes the personal betrayals all the more effective.

Where Beatty, who took a solo pass at the screenplay, goes wrong is in attempts to force humor and meaning in a situation that’s already pretty far out. When the guys order up a couple of hookers for Andrew it predictably goes awry, and lame side plots involving a missing dog and a distressed drunk (Dale Dickey) are of little value. There’s a struggle to maintain the already-sluggish momentum and the story meanders with no direction for far too long, becoming an issue when Beatty tries to tie up every thread in a slapdash final act. As a result, some of the decisions made are simple and unjustified, disappointing given the strong character work The Big Ask has to offer.

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Anna Kendrick and Lena Dunham Share a 'Happy Christmas' in New Trailer

The prolific Joe Swanberg (Drinking Buddies, All the Light in the Sky) has so many movies coming out at all times of the year that he's even got a Christmas movie arriving in the thick of summer. At Sundance he debuted Happy Christmas, which like many of his recent films features a big-time Hollywood cast starring in a film about family dysfunction over the holidays.

Boasting the star power of Anna Kendrick, Lena Dunham, Melanie Lynskey, and Mark Webber, Happy Christmas centers on the hard partying, hard-drinking Jenny (Kendrick) who spends Christmas with her brother, his wife, and their young son. Jenny's life is a wreck after a break-up with her boyfriend, and the irresponsible actions she takes shake-up her brother's happy home.

I enjoyed the film well enough, calling it a "funny, warm-hearted slice of life", but it probably will have a tough time finding an audience outside of Swanberg's most ardent supporters. Happy Christmas hits VOD on June 26th and in theaters July 25th.

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Sundance Review: 'Happy Christmas' Starring Anna Kendrick, Lena Dunham, and Melanie Lynskey

As the most prolific indie filmmaker around with six feature films over the last two years, Joe Swanberg has perfected the art of the loose-knit, improvisational comedy. Last year's Drinking Buddies was his first with actors audiences recognized, and it ended up on a number of "Top 10' lists while increasing his profile signicantly. His latest film, Happy Christmas, is another directionless charmer that touches on a number of ever-lasting themes dear to Swanberg's heart.

Despite the title, Christmas has very little to do with the story, which centers on new parents Jeff (Swanberg himself) and Kelly (Melanie Lynskey). A stay-at-home mom, Kelly is a writer itching to get back to work but is torn between her duties as a mother, taking care of their expressive, scene-stealing son (played by Swanberg's real-life kid). Their lives are comfortable until Jeff's train-wreck sister Jenny (Anna Kendrick) pops in for a visit of undetermined length. Having recently broken up with her boyfriend, Jenny is an absolute mess who threatens to ruin everything.

Hoping to instill some responsibility in Jenny, Jeff and Kelly ask her to babysit, only to have her party too hard the night before with best friend, Carson (Lena Dunham). She hooks up with a pot-dealing nice guy (Mark Webber, stuck in these roles for eternity) and has Kelly worried about having her around, especially after Jenny nearly burns the house down.


But Jenny also proves to be the spark that reignites Kelly's creative side, helping her realize the value in writing trashy novels of the Danielle Steele variety. The film nearly abandons Jenny's dysfunction in favor of Kelly's balancing act between motherhood and parenthood. Swanberg has always favored an improvisational approach, allowing his actors the freedom to personalize their characters, but it works only sparingly here, and always when Dunham is around to anchor. One instance where it shines is during a funny conversation about the language of "mommy porn". The first half of the film moves along glacially, saved only by Swanberg's son who is already a future star. Sometimes you can tell they just plop the camera down and let the little guy go, and it's always a treat. All of the performances are terrific, but Lynskey really stands out as Kelly, who worries if wanting a career makes her a bad mother. Kendrick somehow manages to make you care about Jenny despite her repeated bad behavior.

Issues of parenthood, loyalty, substance abuse, and more are touched upon briefly, but at only 78 minutes in length the film doesn't attempt too much beyond being a funny, warm-hearted slice of life.

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Melanie Lynskey, Lena Dunham, Anna Kendrick, and Mark Webber starring in Joe Swanberg's 'Happy Christmas'

As you well know, we (or maybe it's just me) are huge fans of Melanie Lysnkey around here, and relish any chance to see her whether it's on the big or small screen. Her film Hello I Must Be Going was on my list of 2012's Hidden Cinematic Gems, and frankly I feel she gave the best lead performance of the year. Fortunately, we'll have a chance to see her in action again soon, and it's in a holiday-themed film from the immensely talented and red hot Joe Swanberg.

In a conversation with Indiewire, Swanberg revealed he had completed Happy Christmas, which stars Lynskey, Lena Dunham, Mark Webber, and Anna Kendrick. Kendrick starred in Swanberg's Drinking Buddies, which was a hit out of SXSW and picked up by Magnolia Pictures for release this summer. The film will center on a family during the holiday season. In a change of pace, Swanberg will be venturing away from the digital format that has helped take him to such quick success, working with Beasts of the Southern Wild cinematographer Ben Richardson to shoot it on 16mm film.

Swanberg has the Jane Adams-led film All the Light in the Sky coming up this fall, and another indie film titled 23 Exposures. As for Happy Christmas, it won't be ready until sometime next year, where he hopes it will be hit the festival circuit.

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