A sporadically funny adult comedy about a major company’s branch trying to avoid layoffs with an epic Christmas party.
The Chicago branch of a large IT company is gearing up for its annual Christmas party. Suddenly, branch managers Clay (T.J. Miller) and Josh (Jason Bateman) learn that Clay’s sister Carol (Jennifer Aniston), now head of the company, is pushing for radical cost-cutting measures and mass layoffs. However, the bosses aren’t ready to give up. To save the branch in the few hours leading up to Christmas, they need to land a major contract. And since Clay, who inherited his job, is better at partying than business, he decides to throw a super-party and impress a potential partner with his “fatherly” care for his subordinates and company friends.
The trailers for “Office Christmas Party,” directed by the duo behind comedies like “Blades of Glory” and “The Switch,” promise a wild and out-of-control party. They don’t lie, but they don’t tell the whole truth either. While there is indeed a party in the film, it’s not just a Christmas revelry movie; it’s a comedy about saving a failing business.
The Sobering Reality Behind the Party
The party scenes were filmed on a soundstage, not in a real skyscraper, with a screen displaying views of nighttime Chicago surrounding the set. This was cheaper than creating window views with computer effects.
Why is this important to emphasize? Because the “saving the business” plot isn’t just a setup for the action; it permeates the entire production. While the supporting characters are having fun, the main characters are constantly thinking about how to keep the branch afloat and what they’ll do if it goes under. Therefore, they maintain a sober mind and common sense. Even in the film’s climax, where the characters are about to do something crazy, they don’t leave it to chance but make mental physics calculations and then argue, not comically, about whose formulas better describe the situation. This super-rationality grounds the film and prevents it from reaching the absurd heights you’d expect from a party farce.
Lost in Plot
Simply put, the film has too much plot-related tedium that doesn’t resonate with the audience. Nothing we learn about the Zenatek company and its Chicago office convinces us that we should root for the branch. Its best employees could easily find new jobs, and its worst employees should be kept in cages, not allowed near clients. Therefore, we don’t care whether the branch thrives or goes bankrupt. We came for the escalating drunken madness performed by famous comedians, not for Jason Bateman with a worried look and Olivia Munn with a straight face. Yes, a party movie should have someone who doesn’t drink and is horrified by what’s happening to provide comedic reactions. But the main characters have far more complex and extensive plot tasks, and they don’t highlight the corporate madness; they hinder our enjoyment of it.
Missed Opportunities for Absurdity
To make matters worse, the film sometimes restrains itself even in scenes that demand maximum absurdity. For example, Jennifer Aniston’s character is presented as a tough woman who knows martial arts and isn’t afraid to use them. This is funny in itself (Rachel from “Friends” knows judo!), and when the film takes Carol to a den of Russian gangsters, we anticipate an epic and hilarious brawl between an enraged woman and a gang of bewildered thugs. This scene could have been the main comedic event of the year, but it turns into a disappointing fizzle because the directors try to keep it within the bounds of plausibility. But it’s clear that in reality, Aniston couldn’t handle even one strong man. So why the plausibility? Why hold back? Give us “The Matrix”! Rachel, kick butt!
Saving Graces
Fortunately, not all the actors in the film are as restrained as Bateman, Munn, or Aniston. Kate McKinnon carries the film as the HR manager, who doesn’t even need to drink to be unpredictably strange and very funny. Who would have thought you could get so much humor out of driving a Korean minivan! Not to mention everything else McKinnon does in the film. She was the “most valuable player” in the recent “Ghostbusters,” and she earns that distinction again for “Office Christmas Party.”
T.J. Miller and several supporting actors also contribute to saving the film, especially Rob Corddry as the sexually obsessed head of customer relations and Jillian Bell as the hyper-aggressive pimp who brings a prostitute for one of the employees.
If you could make a movie out of their solo scenes, add some group antics, and unleash Aniston in her potentially strong episodes, you’d have a wonderful adult farce – pointless but relentless. Instead, “Office Christmas Party” tries so hard to be meaningful and even sentimental that it stifles its own song and leaves a feeling of dissatisfaction. There are funny scenes in the film, but they don’t come together into a cohesive, hilarious movie because they’re interspersed with weak and unnecessary fragments that disrupt the comedic rhythm and spoil the fun.