I was a little hesitant going into this film. I had to wonder why it didn't get a theatrical release and came out with a definitive whimper to the point where I had never heard of it but happened across it on demand. It had a solid cast, one of Robin Williams' last films, sounded like a decent story and looked like a sort of dark "Bad Santa" mixed with National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. It seemed like the perfect adult Holiday hit. So why not? Well I wasn't disappointed because fortunately I kept my expectations mediocre. It is definitely dark and much more of an indie film than I was expecting but it was absolutely and noticeably lacking in passion or heart. This cast has a few truly talented actors/comedians but they just don't seem to be into it and the script which is decent is lacking in a certain polish. I will say there were a few scenes that were definitely reminiscent of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and any comparison to that stone cold classic is a good one! It also goes to show how much they could have gotten out of this. Still it was a decent watch with a decent story and its hard to say anything bad about Robin Williams.
The late great master of comedy, Mr. Robin Williams, was a personal hero of mine. The man defined comedy period. It is unlikely we will ever see a talent like him again. He is subdued in this role and seems to not be giving it his all and its too bad because its potentially a great role as the cantankerous, often harsh patriarch of the family. He doesn't get nearly the great lines he should but he definitely brings something to the table. Joel McHale is someone I have become a fan of since Community but I also think he has some definite talent as a comedian. He and Williams are good together (I think they could have been great with a better script) and McHale leads the cast very well. Lauren Graham seems somehow out of place as McHale's wife. Their chemistry together is completely off and seems awkward and that's too bad because I enjoy Graham as an actress. Candice Bergen has a great comedy style too. She was amazing in Murphy Brown and proved herself to be more than that in Miss Congeniality. I feel like she is underused in this and once again gets terrible dialogue to deal with. Her and Williams should be magnificent together and instead they are sort of...yawn... The supporting cast are decent including Wendi McLendon-Covey (whom I LOVE from The Goldbergs), Clark Duke and Tim Heidecker.
I just feel like this film had all kinds of really great potential and you sit down to see it unfold and it feels so incredibly flat. It isn't a bad film but its an okay one at best and despite a few chuckles, its far from laugh out loud and as a writer myself I saw where the script could use some serious polish. And then the cast just seems so bored with it and like none of them are giving it what they could, should and usually do. I expected the director to be someone without experience, and expected that this would be their first film but that isn't the case. Tristram Shapeero has a ton of experience on Television in various hit sitcoms (probably how he brought together this cast) but writer Michael Brown has only this to his credit. Maybe it was done as a favour to someone but its mostly forgettable unfortunately and I certainly wouldn't add it to my yearly holiday film collection. For an adult Holiday comedy it just barely passes the mark. 6/10
The late great master of comedy, Mr. Robin Williams, was a personal hero of mine. The man defined comedy period. It is unlikely we will ever see a talent like him again. He is subdued in this role and seems to not be giving it his all and its too bad because its potentially a great role as the cantankerous, often harsh patriarch of the family. He doesn't get nearly the great lines he should but he definitely brings something to the table. Joel McHale is someone I have become a fan of since Community but I also think he has some definite talent as a comedian. He and Williams are good together (I think they could have been great with a better script) and McHale leads the cast very well. Lauren Graham seems somehow out of place as McHale's wife. Their chemistry together is completely off and seems awkward and that's too bad because I enjoy Graham as an actress. Candice Bergen has a great comedy style too. She was amazing in Murphy Brown and proved herself to be more than that in Miss Congeniality. I feel like she is underused in this and once again gets terrible dialogue to deal with. Her and Williams should be magnificent together and instead they are sort of...yawn... The supporting cast are decent including Wendi McLendon-Covey (whom I LOVE from The Goldbergs), Clark Duke and Tim Heidecker.
I just feel like this film had all kinds of really great potential and you sit down to see it unfold and it feels so incredibly flat. It isn't a bad film but its an okay one at best and despite a few chuckles, its far from laugh out loud and as a writer myself I saw where the script could use some serious polish. And then the cast just seems so bored with it and like none of them are giving it what they could, should and usually do. I expected the director to be someone without experience, and expected that this would be their first film but that isn't the case. Tristram Shapeero has a ton of experience on Television in various hit sitcoms (probably how he brought together this cast) but writer Michael Brown has only this to his credit. Maybe it was done as a favour to someone but its mostly forgettable unfortunately and I certainly wouldn't add it to my yearly holiday film collection. For an adult Holiday comedy it just barely passes the mark. 6/10