Oh. What. Fun. review by Bobby Blakey
From hilarious performances in the fun, We Hot American Summer to directing great flicks like The Big Sick and Hello, My Name is Doris, Michael Showalter has established himself as a man of all trades in the industry. His latest film Oh. What. Fun. brings together a great cast including Felicity Jones, Chloë Grace Moretz, Denis Leary, Dominic Sessa, Danielle Brooks, Devery Jacobs, Havana Rose Liu, Maude Apatow, with Jason Schwartzman with Eva Longoria, and Joan Chen with Michelle Pfeiffer leading the charge. Could this flick become another holiday classic, or will it get left behind?
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Oh. What. Fun. follows Claire Clauster who is the glue that holds her chaotic, lovable family together every holiday season. From perfectly frosted cookies to meticulously wrapped gifts, no one decks the halls quite like Claire. But this year, as her grown kids and distracted husband get swept up in their own seasonal dramas, they make one crucial mistake: they forget their mom. By the time they realize she's missing, Claire’s already set off on a festive adventure of her own - one that doesn’t involve cooking, cleaning, or coordinating anyone else’s chaos. As her family scrambles to find her and salvage their Christmas, Claire rediscovers what the holidays mean when you’re finally free to put yourself first.
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I am always hesitant with Christmas movies because they often end up leaning into the Hallmark vibe as opposed to something fresh and new. With this cast and Showalter at the helm I had higher hopes heading into this one, but even more pleasantly surprised with its overall direction. The film immediately points out the sadly too common nature of moms being ignored in these kinds of movies. It is always about the kids or the romance with the moms, usually the supporting player. This is the perfect catalyst for something new to have fun, albeit with familiar directions.
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Pfeiffer is great, leading the charge almost reminding me of her role in Batman Returns with evolving emotions and sanity. Her emotions and physical appearance change as the film progresses to fully immerse the audience in what she is dealing with, and it works without ever getting too heavy for the source material. The rest of the cast are all great as well bringing the usual chaotic dysfunctional family dynamic reminding me of the opening insanity of Home Alone. The usual holiday family fights and fun are here with it shifting to road trip insanity like Planes, Trains and Automobiles but with its own flair. The film really works because Pfeiffer embodies every aspect of this character that allows the rest of the cast to feed off of her and bring their own issues and love to the forefront.
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The film isn’t anything we haven’t seen a thousand times before in the realm of the holiday film, but the focus on the mom helps to make it feel like something new. Not sure if this will find its way into being a new holiday classic, but it is worth checking out.
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Decide for yourself and check out Oh. What. Fun. streaming now on Prime Video.