"Office Christmas Party" Review

Title: Office Christmas Party

Directed by: Josh Gordon and Will Speck

Written by: Justin Malen, Laura Solon, and Dan Mazer

Year: 2016


As I mentioned in my review for Why Him?, this time of year is populated with Christmas comedies that usually turn out to be sub-par at best. These types of movies are typically made as a form of counter-programming or simply for profit. But I quite enjoyed Why Him?. So perhaps there is hope for Office Christmas Party. Is this the Christmas celebration you have been looking for, or should you decline the invitation?

The CEO of a business plans to shut down one of its branches. However, the branch can be saved if they land a potential client. As such, the workers come together to throw a party in an attempt to impress the client and rescue the company.

Jason Bateman, who plays Josh, anchors this film with a very realistic and grounded performance. Bateman's level-headed and cynical personality makes him easily resonate with the audience. The rest of the cast is decent at best, with several over-the-top performances. T. J. Miller essentially plays the same character he portrayed in Deadpool. He works well with this role but it gets repetitive very quickly. Olivia Munn is disappointingly stale. Granted, she does not have much material to work with, but nonetheless, her performance lacks audacity. Kate McKinnon plays yet another zany character, but is considerably dialed back when compared to her outing in Ghostbusters. She is the butt of the joke more often than not, which does detract from her performance.

Karan Soni is genuinely good, probably getting the most laughs in the picture. Jennifer Aniston is also great. She is extremely entertaining to watch as she demolishes everyone around her. Aniston is appropriately bitchy, which works to great comedic effect. This is highlighted in her scene at the airport involving a child.

The plot is thankfully basic but the farthest thing from impactful. The only reason for the story's existence is for the film to have an excuse to take place almost exclusively within the titular party. In that facet, the plot does its job well. However, a sub-plot is introduced within the first few minutes involving another way to save the company from being shut down. This is never mentioned again until the closing minutes of the feature. In addition, the way it is handled is a prime example of poor writing. The extensive and nonsensical techno-babble makes it feel as though you are watching one of the CW superhero shows. It does not help that Munn's character is supposed to be intelligent but makes a very stupid mistake. Furthermore, the forced sentimentality that materializes during the conclusion falls flat, feeling like a waste of time as a result.

One thing that did surprise me about Office Christmas Party is how remarkably well-shot and edited it is. Directing and shooting a comedy is more difficult than you would think because, more often than not, settings mirror reality, which does not lend itself to much creativity. But the way the film is shot deserves credit. The framing and angles are quite imaginative, which helps make the party seem more exciting for the viewer. The editing is what really shocked me. The cuts always favor the comedic beats and the film is exceptionally well-paced (barring the final 15 minutes).

But is the film funny? At times. Office Christmas Party offers the occasional laugh but fails to remain consistently comical. There are good jokes sprinkled throughout the movie, but most of the humor is either terribly forced or bizarre and awkward. The comedy that does work, however, is usually very witty. There is a remark made about McKinnon's sweater that is absolutely perfect; Aniston's banter with a little girl at the airport is gold; and Bateman's sardonic demeanor yields good results.

It should be noted that Office Christmas Party does not offer much variety in its comedy. Most of the humor falls under the category of either gross-out, low-brow, or straight up stupid. There is a gratuitous amount of nudity that emphasizes the absurd nature of the party, but I feel it goes too far. Uncomfortable moments are abundant throughout this picture, with one scene containing a man who has a fetish for discipline and insists on calling the girl his mother and acting like a child. Scenes like these tamper with the film's watchability.

Office Christmas Party is not pulling some great scam masquerading as a quality film. What you see is what you get. The performances overall are alright; there are number of good and clever jokes; and the movie features some great editing. But without any semblance of a solid story, the film is merely a mash-up of clips. It is as if you were viewing the Snapchat story of a heavy partier; small fragments of an event that do not always gel together. Coupled with the grotesque and awkward humor, this film is disposable at best. Watching it with a group of friends could make for an entertaining evening, but the film failed to appeal to me as a whole and on its own.

Grade: C