Starring: Anna Kendrick, Melanie Lynskey, Joe Swanberg, Mark Webber, Lena Dunham
Directed By: Joe Swanberg
Mumblecore. You’ve heard this word, and you don’t know what it means. It’s kind of another way of saying “slice of life”, but a more hipster version of it. Director Joe Swanberg has made a career out of basically taking a camera and filming his friends talking to each other. Happy Christmas is lightly plotted. Anna Kendrick plays a girl who breaks up with her boyfriend and moves in with her brother (Swanberg) and his wife (Lynskey) and their baby. She reconnects with an old friend (Dunham) and connects with a new one (Webber).
There’s a lot of talking, and sitting around. There’s some getting high and getting drunk. Kendrick endangers a child. It all happens really quickly too, as the movie doesn’t even run 90 minutes. I’m pretty sure the entire cast has had better roles in other films. It’s not the worst film I’ve seen this year, but I’d rather not see it again. It’s just dull.
FINAL GRADE: C-
