As seems to be the norm with these types of comedies, Office Christmas Party features a stacked deck of comedians but loses steam due to its subpar and predictable plot. While the film certainly has its funny moments and the cast tries their hardest, it never rises above its own mediocrity, a fitting conundrum that haunts our protagonist, Josh Parker (Jason Bateman).
All your usual suspects are here. Bateman’s Josh is the exasperated everyman, T.J. Miller’s manchild boss Clay is reckless but big hearted, Olivia Munn’s Tracey is the stunningly beautiful woman who happens to be a genius computer nerd. Jennifer Aniston is Clay’s hardline CEO sister, Carol, who gives Clay an ultimatum to save his Chicago branch and cancels their holiday party as punishment. The cast is rounded out with Saturday Night Live veterans like Kate McKinnon and Vanessa Bayer and other B-list comedians like Rob Corddry, Randall Park, and Jillian Bell.
Instead of canceling the party like his sister asked, Clay decides to turn the office party into a full on kegger/rave in order to woo a big potential client (played gamely by Courtney B. Vance). As expected, shenanigans follow as everyone gets more and more drunk. While the cast themselves are fun to watch, the premise and plot feel hollow and half-assed. Sure, it’s a party. Sure, the party escalates and people get sloppy, make out with one another, and do stupid and dangerous things. The parts that are supposed to be emotional feel especially thin. In that case, I’d rather they have stuck to going for 100% jokes then inserting throwaway plot lines that feel out of place or eye-roll-worthy.
When the jokes do land, the cast sparkles. Kate McKinnon is expectedly zany and wonderful as tightly-wound HR lady Mary, who loosens up as the night progresses, eventually admitting that she’s filed a sexual harassment complaint on herself. (Her explanation is ridiculous and had me rolling.) T.J. Miller is great as big softie Clay, the partier still trying to process the death of his father while hurling insults at his overbearing sister. Aniston, Bateman and Munn, try as they might, tend to fade away when faced with those more outlandish comedians. Perhaps that was the point, perhaps they were always supposed to be audience surrogates. Or perhaps this movie just wasn’t made to cater to more subtle humor.
Either way, Office Christmas Party won’t be joining the ranks of great Christmas films anytime soon. Even with a great cast and some jokes that land, the film still feels a bit phoned in, especially when it comes to plot. But, so help me, if this film inspires others to build an eggnog luge (a particularly crude joke), I will be disappointed (but not surprised) in America.
