Directed by Michael Showalter and released in 2025, Oh. What. Fun. arrives as a glossy, ensemble-driven Comedy with strong holiday ambitions and an even stronger central idea: Christmas movies rarely center on mothers, despite the fact that they often shoulder the emotional and logistical burden of the season. That premise alone makes the film feel relevant within the crowded landscape of 2025 Movie releases.
Michelle Pfeiffer leads the cast as Claire Clauster, a suburban Texas matriarch whose devotion to making Christmas magical for her family has slowly turned into a thankless full-time job. Around her orbit an impressive lineup: Felicity Jones, Chloë Grace Moretz, Dominic Sessa, Denis Leary, Jason Schwartzman, Joan Chen, Danielle Brooks, Eva Longoria, and several others who pop in and out of this large, messy holiday gathering.
The setup is deceptively simple. Claire spends months planning the perfect Christmas for her adult children, grandchildren, and husband. All she wants in return is a small gesture of recognition, something that says she’s seen and appreciated. When her family overlooks her one modest wish and, worse, literally forgets her, Claire reaches a breaking point and leaves, triggering a holiday crisis that forces everyone else to confront how much they rely on her.
On paper, Oh. What. Fun. sounds like the kind of smart, heartfelt holiday comedy that could sit comfortably alongside modern seasonal favorites. In execution, it’s warmer and more thoughtful than most disposable Christmas content, but also frustratingly safe, uneven, and less funny than it clearly wants to be.
Story and Screenplay
The screenplay, co-written by Showalter and Chandler Baker (adapting Baker’s short story), leans heavily on familiar holiday structures. There’s the chaotic family arrival, the simmering resentments, the inciting disaster, the road trip detour, and the inevitable reconciliation. None of this is inherently bad, Christmas movies thrive on ritual, but Oh. What. Fun. rarely finds a fresh angle on these beats.
Where the script does succeed is in articulating Claire’s exhaustion. The film carefully catalogs the invisible labor of holiday “magic”: cooking, cleaning, decorating, planning, emotional smoothing. These moments are observationally sharp, and they ring true. The problem is that the screenplay often tells us how unfair this dynamic is rather than letting it unfold organically. The message "moms are taken for granted" is valid and relatable, but it’s delivered with a lack of subtlety that can feel repetitive.
Pacing is another issue. At roughly 100 minutes, the film still feels oddly rushed and unfocused. Subplots are introduced, hinted at, and then resolved with minimal buildup. Claire’s road trip, which should provide the emotional and thematic spine of the movie, never fully commits to being transformative. It functions more as a narrative pause than a true journey of self-discovery.
The film wants to be both a broad holiday comedy and a character-driven dramedy, and it never quite reconciles those impulses. As a result, it lands somewhere in between: pleasant, watchable, but rarely surprising.
Acting and Characters
Michelle Pfeiffer is, without question, the film’s greatest asset. She brings grace, restraint, and emotional clarity to Claire, making her sympathetic even when the script pushes her toward exaggerated behavior. Pfeiffer understands that Claire’s frustration isn’t explosive rage but accumulated disappointment, and she plays it in the small gestures: a swallowed sigh, a forced smile, a moment of quiet resignation. When the film works, it’s usually because Pfeiffer anchors it.
Felicity Jones fares well as Channing, the eldest daughter, whose own struggles with motherhood mirror Claire’s in telling ways. Their dynamic, strained, reflective, and tinged with unspoken recognition, is one of the few relationships that feels genuinely explored. Jones brings warmth and intelligence to the role, and her arc ties most cleanly into the film’s central themes.
The rest of the family, unfortunately, feels underwritten. Denis Leary’s husband character exists largely as a familiar archetype: well-meaning, emotionally supportive, practically useless. Jason Schwartzman does what he always does, awkward charm and bemused detachment, but the film gives him little to do beyond that. Dominic Sessa shows flashes of comedic timing and vulnerability, but his storyline resolves itself too easily to feel earned.
Chloë Grace Moretz arguably gets the short end of the stick. Her character is defined more by attitude than interiority, and the script never gives her the space to become more than a source of friction. Several strong performers "Joan Chen, Danielle Brooks, Eva Longoria" appear briefly and leave strong impressions, which only underscores how little the film does with them.
Chemistry across the ensemble is inconsistent. While individual performances are solid, the family rarely feels like a lived-in unit with shared history. They function more as narrative pieces than as people who have spent decades together.
Direction and Technical Aspects
Michael Showalter is an empathetic director, and his affection for these characters is evident. He stages scenes with clarity and warmth, and there’s a gentle rhythm to the film that suits its holiday setting. That said, the direction feels surprisingly restrained, almost cautious.
Visually, Oh. What. Fun. looks exactly how you’d expect a prestige-streaming Christmas movie to look: soft lighting, tasteful décor, cozy interiors, and a polished suburban aesthetic. Cinematography and production design do their job well but never elevate the material or reflect Claire’s inner turmoil in any meaningful way.
Editing is functional but occasionally abrupt, particularly when jumping between Claire’s storyline and her family’s parallel chaos. There’s a sense that stronger visual storytelling could have replaced some of the more on-the-nose dialogue.
In short, the film is competently made, but rarely inspired. It feels like a director operating on autopilot rather than pushing the material toward something bolder or more personal.
Trailer Oh. What. Fun. (2025)
Music and Atmosphere
The score leans heavily into familiar holiday tones: warm strings, gentle piano, light pop cues, creating an atmosphere that’s pleasant if unremarkable. Nothing here distracts, but nothing lingers either.
Sound design is similarly unobtrusive. The film’s emotional beats aren’t reinforced or complicated by audio choices; they’re simply accompanied. The overall mood is cozy but somewhat muted, which mirrors the film’s broader problem: it’s agreeable without being memorable.
Strengths and Weaknesses
What works well:
- Michelle Pfeiffer delivers a grounded, emotionally rich performance that elevates the entire film.
- The central theme of maternal invisibility during the holidays is relatable and timely.
- Felicity Jones provides a compelling counterpoint as a daughter confronting her own reflection in her mother.
- The film is polished, accessible, and easy to watch during the holiday season.
- The screenplay is overly blunt with its message and lacks narrative subtlety.
- A large, talented ensemble is underutilized.
- Humor is inconsistent and often too tame to leave an impression.
- Character arcs resolve too neatly, without sufficient emotional groundwork.
- The film rarely takes creative risks, settling for familiarity over depth.
Final Verdict
Rating: 3/5 stars
Oh. What. Fun. is a well-intentioned Christmas movie that understands its audience and its theme but struggles to translate that understanding into something truly special. It’s not bad, far from it, but it’s also not the sharp, resonant holiday classic it aspires to be.
Fans of Michelle Pfeiffer will find plenty to appreciate, and viewers looking for a gentle, inoffensive Movie Review pick for a December afternoon could do much worse. Parents, especially mothers, will likely recognize themselves in Claire’s frustrations, even if the film doesn’t fully explore the implications of that recognition.
Those hoping for sharper comedy, deeper character work, or a more daring take on family dynamics may walk away feeling underwhelmed. Oh. What. Fun. works best as a comforting background watch rather than a must-see seasonal staple.
In the end, it’s like a nicely wrapped gift that turns out to be exactly what you expected: pleasant, useful, and slightly forgettable. A respectable addition to the 2025 Film lineup, but not one destined for annual rewatch status.
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