How sad is this?

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Camera work is ... did they use a fourth grader? Colors are bad, long moments of nothing (dark black room) for no reason, long shot of woman doing laundry. dialog....they didn't even try, I'm going to look up the name of the screen writer and run from that in the future. I can't imagine who they got to direct, but RUN if you see the name again! I couldn't make it passed fifteen minutes and I only hung in that long because it was clear that the actors were giving it their best shot. What a waste! In a sea of garbage produced by the industry, this wasn't interesting enough to hate.

One thing's for sure – anyone who expects "Happy Christmas" to be some kind of indie Christmas movie is going to be sorely disappointed. Joe Swanberg's follow-up to "Drinking Buddies" has the same naturalistic style and relationship focus as that breakout film – both are short and seemingly aimless movies exploring different interpersonal dynamics between characters."Happy Christmas" centers around a young husband and wife (Swanberg and Melanie Lynskey) and their 2-year-old (Jude Swanberg) and what happens when the husband's 20-something sister (Anna Kendrick), who's in a much different place in life and coming off a break-up, moves in. The film is very much an experiment in how the younger sister's presence in the home shakes up dynamics and behaviors, especially when she engages in her own irresponsible behavior.Swanberg's goal is to capture the subsequent interactions with as much authenticity as possible, which means a lot of improvised dialogue. Each conversation in the film probably only had one or two necessary scripted moments. What's beautiful about this approach is that relating to these characters takes no effort, especially those of us who count ourselves as young adults. That naturalism makes Swanberg's films so refreshing, even when it doesn't seem to have a point other than to be natural.To some extent, the casting really makes a difference. One could argue that without established talents in this movie and "Drinking Buddies" that both films would flounder. To see a big star and talent like Kendrick appearing in a super grounded film playing a character that has none of her stuff together matters; Jenny is not Kendrick's usual type and this role showcases her raw acting ability in a way no other has. Lena Dunham, on the other hand, is right at home playing Jenny's friend Carson, and seems to have only been cast to help facilitate the improvisational style.Of course the best casting of all is Swanberg's son, who easily gives the best performance by a 2-year-old in a movie ever. Presumably the presence of his dad made it easy for him to just behave naturally with all the other actors, but he accounts for a majority share of the film's entertainment value."Happy Christmas" is not a bad movie, but we usually don't watch films just to watch characters have realistic interactions with each other. Swanberg crafts these really touching moments when two characters seemingly at odds with each other find a moment of mutual understanding and appreciation, but the fact of the matter is these moments don't serve any large purpose or narrative, so they fall flat. Tack on the film's anti-climactic ending, both in terms of plot and themes, and it feels like all the good work Swanberg does is for naught. For his films to be special and resonant, he's going to need to give audiences a little more of what they want and expect. It would definitely be possible for him to achieve this without compromising his style and vision. For starters, don't put "Christmas" in the title if Christmas has minimal relevance to your movie.~Steven CThanks for reading! Visit Movie Muse Reviews for more

terrible all the way around except the baby was cute at points but seemed poorly written or poorly performed... both at times..listen guys..just look at who ever you are there with...the entire movie..might get weird after 10 min or so but it will be more entertaining. at first i was like what..her friend and her friends husband is a film maker..uh oh! nope its her brother..it was over after that..sorry Anna ill be honest i liked pitch perfect..this movie..was cine muck............guys..if you are doing this..she is worth it right? i have faith in you..good luck!

Joe Swanberg was on the precipice of becoming a recognized force in the indie film universe. He has plugged away for years making one film after another. They have grown from the "has promise" stage to the "this is pretty good" level. Drinking Buddies looked like he had found his footing and was going to build upon this success. It did not hurt Joe that his former muse, Greta Gerwig was nominated for a Golden Globe with "Frances Ha". Happy Christmas is blessed with a July release so that the world may not see it on the shelves in December 2014. This one needs to go straight to the cardboard bin in the Supermarket. It felt as if some devious film production executive found a movie that Joe made in college with his friend Anna and released it to cash in on their celebrity. Anna Kendrick ... how could she have put her name on this? The "lobby poster" looks like the graphic artist mated her with Mister Ed. She is not propped up by George Clooney and Vera Farmiga. Swanberg rolled back to the days when the hand-held camera shook and the movie was under lit since they could not open up the aperture anymore because the camera was already shaking. The audio supervisor was somebody's cousin and the budget could not afford the good microphones so they bought the East German surplus. Pray this will not be passed off as an artistic technique of the director. The unforgivable sin was when they used a scene where Kendrick forgets her line for a moment and the audience watches in bewilderment as she catches herself and continues. The cry of "We'll fix it in post" may have been abandoned. Neither Swanberg nor Kendrick can be so secure in their careers that they can afford to throw a wrench in the works. The big difference between those films from college and today is that the viewer is paying full price plus the cost of popcorn and soda to see a movie that is fit to be viewed while sitting on a metal folding chair.