Michelle Pfeiffer In Complicated Holiday Comedy

Oh. What. Fun. is likely to be too assured a title for a Christmas film that on the one hand is damned fortunate to have lured the nice Michelle Pfeiffer to be its star, however however loses the magic of the season by some actually credibility-challenging plotting choices in its second half. But let’s cowl the constructive elements first. That could be Pfeiffer.

The star, who has delivered again and again in such movies as The Fabulous Baker Boys, French Exit, Up Close and Personal, One Fine Day, Dangerous Liaisons, Love Field and numerous others, is one among my all-time faves. In reality, I simply rewatched Love Field the opposite night time and I can inform you she received robbed of the Best Actress Oscar for that one. It actually holds up. And in Oh. What. Fun. she has all the guts and smarts you’ll count on of somebody with that type of filmography. It is only a disgrace the fabric (the script is by director Michael Showalter and Chandler Baker primarily based on the latter’s quick story) she is handed right here isn’t on the identical excessive stage as her abilities.

As Claire Clauster, mom of a dysfunctional clan of three grown children who’s now eager for somewhat consideration and reward on her personal, Pfeiffer, full with Texas accent, begins out with a bang, confronting a lady in a automobile loaded with obnoxious children within the again seat and studying them the riot act on learn how to behave to their mom. It tells us precisely what we have to learn about Claire, who has given her all to her household and usually is taken without any consideration, particularly at Christmas time, her favourite time of yr and one she spends months making ready to make excellent. Does she get the credit score a mother deserves? Of course not, however like all mothers, doing what she has at all times carried out with out the glory is a given. What she actually would love is that if one among her children would submit a letter singing her virtues for the Holiday Mom of the Year contest on her favourite daytime discuss program, The Zazzy Tims Show. Sadly, neither oldest daughter Channing (Felicity Jones), center little one Taylor (Chloë Grace Moretz) or youngest lovelorn son Sammy (Dominic Sessa) would even consider it, although she has dropped them multiple trace.

They all have moved on with their very own lives in their very own methods. Channing is married to Doug (Jason Schwartzman), together with her personal brood to fret about; Taylor is ceaselessly bringing a brand new associate to household celebrations, so who can sustain together with her; and Sammy has been dumped by girlfriend Mae-Bell (Maude Apatow) and now longs for fairly Lizzie Wang (Havana Rose Liu), who lives throughout the road the place her mom Jean (Joan Chen) appears to be cherished and appreciated as the proper mother. Even in exchanging their annual items Jean will get the higher hand on Claire, additional irritating this pissed off matriarch of the Clauster clan. Even loving husband Nick (Denis Leary) doesn’t appear to have a clue right here about his spouse’s disappointment. But it’s Christmas, and the present should go on.

The actual downside arises when the household heads out the door to their conventional Christmas Eve outing to the massive native Christmas manufacturing and one way or the other didn’t discover Claire received by chance left behind. Let the zaniness start as Claire, a lady on the verge, decides she goes to do one thing for herself and — SPOILER ALERT — that is the place Oh. What. Fun. goes south, actually and figuratively.

Claire takes off in her automobile on a wacky street journey to … await it … Hollywood to be able to make her means unannounced on to The Zazzy Tims Show (Eva Longoria ably performs the host), and to grow to be one of many successful Holiday Moms (who apparently aren’t spending Christmas with the household however quite with Zazzy). Driving all day into the night time from Texas no much less, and with crippling issues alongside the way in which (spending the night time with stranger Danielle Brooks in a motel the place her automobile is towed is one among them), she one way or the other exhibits up on the studio gates on Christmas morning simply in time for the reside taping (doesn’t this present comprehend it may have pre-taped?) and manages to get on the lot. It will get crazier from there.

This a part of this vacation confection simply doesn’t appear to reside in actuality as a result of Claire just isn’t some wacky sitcom loopy particular person, she is Michelle Friggin’ Pfeiffer, a star far too clever to make us imagine she is that obsessive about a foolish and nowadays quite dated title on a daytime discuss present. Although the movie goals to highlight the customarily thankless position of the household matriarch, Claire is one step above the stereotype of a ’50s housewife and mom, solely this ain’t the ’50s anymore.

Okay it’s foolish to get too labored up over simply one other streaming Christmas film, however with a star worthy of a lot extra, and a solid this good, I hoped for one thing somewhat extra credible. No doubt Showalter (whose terrific previous filmography consists of gems like The Idea of You, The Big Sick and The Eyes of Tammy Faye) has the chops to tug this off, and for some time specializing in the forgotten matriarch angle, Oh. What. Fun. is Oh. Kinda. Fun. Looking to juggle the rigorously calibrated coronary heart and over-the -top comedy of seasonal staples like Home Alone, Planes, Trains & Automobiles and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, this one doesn’t fairly catch the tone wanted. Is it a Christmas film? A screwball comedy? An announcement on the worth of motherhood? You can see why Pfeiffer might need time doing this, and he or she does her greatest to convey sensibility to some nonsensical conditions that in some components look proper out of an outdated I Love Lucy, however in the long run, as they are saying, you gotta imagine, and I had a tough time shopping for it.

Producers are Kate Churchill, Jordana Mollick, Jane Rosenthal, Berry Welsch and Showalter.

Title: Oh. What. Fun.
Distributor: Prime Video
Release date: December 3, 2025 (streaming)
Director: Michael Showalter
Screenwriters: Michael Showalter and Chandler Baker
Cast: Michelle Pfeiffer, Denis Leary, Felicity Jones, Jason Schwartzman, Chloe Grace Moretz, Eva Longoria, Dominic Sessa, Joan Chen, Danielle Brooks, Havana Rose Liu, Maude Apatow
Rating: PG-13
Running time: 1 hr 47 minutes