Noelle

This movie contains a ton of product placements. Its script is not nearly as clever as it could or should have been, leaving plenty of obvious opportunities for amusement just hanging there. Being postmodern Disney, it genuflects at the altar of identitarianism to an irksome extent. And in certain places, it's just downright dumb. So why did I enjoy it so much? Because it has Anna Kendrick in nearly every frame. Duh. Anna, one of your correspondent's personal favorites, really shines here, bringing plenty of sincerity to a silly role as Santa daughter (and would-be replacement), not to mention that she looks surprisingly hot throughout, despite--or maybe even because?--she's decked out in winterish costumes all the way. However it plays, it plays; Kendrick works her usual magic and provides plenty of individual delight. Meanwhile, there's just enough good humor from the rest of the tableau to counteract the film's worst indulgences. (Also, it's great to see Julie Hagerty in a movie again.) A great Christmas movie? Hardly. But if you like a certain girl...required viewing, I guess it all depends upon which way your North Pole points.

Happy Christmas

The cat purrs, but ... it's close. This movie is entertaining, it's engaging, it holds the interest--but then again, it's also kind of fuzzy, somewhat lightweight, and seemingly inconsequential. A lot of this flick seems improvised, which makes judging the performances difficult. The strong suits are the female leads, Melanie Lynskey and Anna Kendrick, who make their impact largely via their personal charm. (Especially in the New Zealander Lynskey's case, as much because she uses her natural, Kiwi-inflected voice--which is gorgeous--as for her acting.) But individual charm from a film's actors can be a thin gruel to feed upon. The viewer is ultimately left to wonder, do the problems of these three little people amount to more than a hill of indie movie beans? I'm not sure about that. I guess it boils down to how much you like your movies personal vs. something a little more universal. Your mileage may vary.

Office Christmas Party

Yeah, this movie is exactly what you think it is. So why the positive review for something so formulaic and utterly predictable? Because it's particularly well-done formulaic and predictable work. It's funny most of the way through, delivering occasional laugh-out-loud moments, and never really goes particularly wrong in performing its mission. The real strength here may lie in the fact that, even with such a large ensemble cast, no one ever really steps on anyone else or tries to take over the show (maybe T.J. Miller, a little bit, but he is what he is). All in all, this is exactly what an unabashed raunchy, adult comedy is supposed to be like, and when people achieve their own goals, that should be recognized.

Groundhog Day

I must be missing a gene or something. Everyone else seems to love this movie; I'm less enthusiastic. I wouldn't call this a laugh riot, but the film also isn't gentle enough in its vision to be a heartwarming story either; there's a little too much of a cynical, acerbic air to really accept the emotional stuff at face value. Thus, the film winds up caught somewhere between two worlds--trapped in its own dilemma, as it were. Nor is this movie engaging for its entire length; in fact, I'm tempted to call some scenes downright boring. I guess it's good enough to avoid a HISS from the Bad Cat, but had I developed a more nuanced ratings system, this would probably get something below a MEOW.

Bad Santa

Of such stuff are a curmudgeon's dreams made. In a world where corporate radio stations start playing Christmas carols in mid-November--the better to distract people with schmaltz--we need more works like this. Special props to Billy Bob Thornton for giving a tour-de-force as the scuzzy Santa. It gets a demerit or two for wimping out a bit at the end; otherwise, this would be "Best Of All" material.