Office Christmas Party has all the elements of a killer blowout: a great guest list, celebrity cameos, witty banter, lots of alcohol, recreational drug use, and just the right amount of sexual tension. Directors Josh Gordon and Will Speck (Blades of Glory, The Switch) deliver a light-hearted, R-rated comedy that is mostly the good time it claims to be, except when it’s interrupted by pesky attempts to insert a plot.
When cutthroat CEO Carol Vanstone (Jennifer Aniston) threatens to shut down the company branch run by her irresponsible younger brother Clay (T.J. Miller), the employees must find a way to save their jobs. Along with two of his technical officers (Jason Bateman and Olivia Munn), Clay comes up with what is the most obvious logical solution: throw the Christmas party of the century, in hopes of snagging a potential client whose backing will keep the branch afloat.
As Josh Parker—recently divorced, self-deprecating, and by-the-book—Jason Bateman plays the same character he always plays. Luckily, he does it well, and is a great everyman stand-in for the hijinks that ensue. As his co-worker and love interest Tracy Hughes, Olivia Munn is the stereotypical cool-girl—smart, sassy, chill, and perhaps most of all, hot. It’s a testament to both her and Bateman’s likability that they can render such flimsily written characters appealing.
Jennifer Aniston, meanwhile, is deliciously bitchy, and SNL star Kate McKinnon (as an overly zealous HR rep) livens up every scene she’s in. But the real standout is T.J. Miller. Most famous for the TV show Silicon Valley and the superhero film Deadpool, Miller brings just the right amount of innocence as a dopy man-child to make him endearing rather than obnoxious (more Will Ferrell than Seth Rogen). And, he seems to get all of the best lines (“I majored in Canadian TV Theory, with a concentration in Drake.”). The ensemble cast is rounded out by Vanessa Bayer, Rob Corddry, and Courtney B. Vance, along with a handful of other comedic actors who you’ll recognize but not quite be able to place. Directors Gordon and Speck wisely give each a scene or subplot to themselves in which to shine.
Unfortunately, the party (both the actual party and the movie) is interrupted by needless side plots involving Clay getting kidnapped by a pimp, and Tracy more or less re-inventing the internet. The problem isn’t that these twists are unrealistic, but rather that they distract from the fun. Frankly, no one in the audience is going to care if the company survives; they just want to watch funny people do hilarious things. We’ve already got them all in the same room, why not keep them there?! Still, the dialogue is packed with quotable one-liners, and the ongoing references to current consumer and pop culture are on point (Clay asking God to say “What’s up” to Prince and David Bowie, or Josh saying he doesn’t have cash to avoid donating to a bell-ringer only to have him hold out his Apple Square.) Though there are a number of over-the-top visual gags, and the comedy mostly trends towards witty dialogue rather than raunchy slapstick.
Office Christmas Party neither soars nor flops, but it did have an effect on me that was unexpected—it put me in the Christmas mood. And I don’t mean the mood for bows and lights and carols, but the mood to celebrate, to really let go, to be silly, and to appreciate the daily humor that’s around us. In short, it inspired me to seek out and create joy this holiday season. If someone asks you, as Clay does in the film, “Do you party?”, don’t let your answer be “I used to.” Let it be an emphatic “Yes.”
Rachel Woldum is barista and bartender currently living in Minneapolis. An MFA in Creative Writing from Seattle Pacific University, Rachel also writes a TV column for Southern Minnesota Scene, and develops comic book scripts for Cartoon Studios.
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