70
Metascore
28 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80The DissolveNathan RabinThe DissolveNathan RabinSwanberg isn’t doing anything new with Happy Christmas, but sticking to the same non-formula formula this time around yields unprecedentedly inspired results.
- 79Film.comKate ErblandFilm.comKate ErblandSwanberg’s most mature and satisfying film yet.
- 75The PlaylistRodrigo PerezThe PlaylistRodrigo PerezThe film does possess ample charms and insights, though admittedly, they do take quite a long time to coalesce.
- 75Entertainment WeeklyKeith StaskiewiczEntertainment WeeklyKeith StaskiewiczThat doesn’t stop the movie as a whole from feeling a little slight, though, like a Christmas tree that isn’t entirely filled out.
- 75McClatchy-Tribune News ServiceRoger MooreMcClatchy-Tribune News ServiceRoger MooreHappy Christmas, which is set around Christmas, shares several plot and thematic points with “Neighbors,” but without the aggression or belly laughs.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterJustin LoweThe Hollywood ReporterJustin LoweSwanberg's modest script lays out some fairly mundane domestic situations, which the actors elevate with a collaborative style characterized by gentle humor and authentic, frequently overlapping dialogue.
- 60The GuardianHenry BarnesThe GuardianHenry BarnesJoe Swanberg's follow-up to Drinking Buddies is short and slight, but undeniably charming.
- 42The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloThe A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloNobody involved ever came up with an idea or character remotely worth exploring, yet they all forged ahead anyway, placing their faith in the filmmaking process itself, and this damp squib of an ostensible movie is the decidedly lackluster result.
- 40VarietyPeter DebrugeVarietyPeter DebrugeHappy Christmas desperately needs some real jokes, rather than settling for the bemused chuckles that accompany its banal observations into human nature.