Title: Happy Christmas
MPAA Rating: R
Director: Joe Swanberg
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Melanie Lynksey, Joe Swanberg
Runtime: 1 hr 28 mins

  What It Is: Jeff (Swanberg) just had his immature younger sister Jenny (Kendrick) move in with him. She’s a wreck. A pseudo-alcoholic ball of neurosis. Upon getting to Jeff’s house she almost immediately leaves to go party with her friend Carson (Girl’s Lena Dunham) it is during said party she gets wasted to the point that Jeff has to pick her up from the party. It’s seems things may not work out with Jenny living there, however both Jeff and Kelly realize that Jenny may just be the right person to break up the doldrums of their existence.

What We Think: It’s a bold look at the familial unit much in the way Swanberg’s 2013 film Drinking Buddies took off the beer-googles and really sunk it’s teeth into the relationship between and man and a woman. Here we get brother and sister conflict, the depression of motherhood, and career realization along with several other less then unique issues looked at in a new light. Everyone here is fantastic in their performance, but extra point to Kendrick for carrying this, and Swanberg for using a keen eye for nuance to tell a story that we’ve probably seen many times and making it feel fresh. It’s title is a tad misleading as Christmas is really an afterthought here and you wouldn’t even know the time of  year until the end that is.

Our Grade: A-, This is a really good indie flick that won’t get the love it deserves If you’re in Los Angeles, or New York this film will be opening there this today! Outside of that it’ll probably hit Video On Demand in a couple of weeks. If you can see it in a theater please do. It’s worth your time and legitimately has a great story, and funny moments. Films like this are a reason the film industry isn’t completely lost. With ticket purchases down and this summer slumping films like this and the Chris Evans vehicle Snowpiercer demand your attention because they’re good enough to deserve it.