Movie Brief: “Office Christmas Party”

This office shindig gets risqué but it’s still freakishly funny

What do you get when you cross a 10 year high school reunion and a frat party? That’s the vibe you’ll get when watching “Office Christmas Party” starring Jason Batman and Jennifer Aniston. It’s a comical look at an office party that goes very wrong.

Plot: Clay Vanstone (T.J. Miller) heads up the branch of a company run by his sister Carol Vanstone (Jennifer Aniston). Clay cares about his employees and their happiness, while Carol is all about the numbers and the bottom line. Their relationship is combative and becomes even more strained when Carol gives Clay an ultimatum and threatens to fire his employees. To prove he can land a big client, he plans an epic Christmas party.

Engagement: One of the funniest elements of the film is Aniston as the uptight and controlling company CEO. She has good comedic timing and great chemistry with Miller–they are realistic as feuding siblings. Bit, the party scene is predictable and goes over the top at times with unbelievable antics such as a no-nonsense corporate executive who accidentally gets high and decides to do a Tarzan swing across the room using Christmas lights. This type of slapstick humor became redundant after a while, but did produce some funny scenes.

Style: What would a wild and crazy Christmas party be without the infamous holiday sweater, which had a cameo in this film. Besides a super strict HR manager (Kate McKinnon) who routinely critiques employee attire and Miller donning a Santa costume for the party, fashion does not have a primary role in the film. However, it does help set the tone of the characters, their status in the company, and their station in life.

Image source: Paramount Pictures