By Eddie King
Managing Editor
Just in time for the holidays, “Office Christmas Party” offers up an inappropriate and raunchy alternative to the classic family Christmas film.
Office Christmas Party succeeds in balancing mayhem and debauchery with its heartfelt and well intentioned plot. However, the film is unable to innovate, feeling too predictable and disorganized at times, while also failing to develop its talented cast of eccentric characters.
In order to keep his branch of the company Zenotek from being shut down by his CEO sister Carol (Jennifer Aniston), carefree branch manager Clay (TJ Miller) and Chief Technical Officer Josh (Jason Bateman) decide to throw a wild Christmas party in a last ditch effort to impress a potential client and save the jobs of over 200 employees.
“Office Christmas Party” is largely held together by its comedic script, which features a plethora of jokes at every turn. This endless supply of comedy helps to keep the audience engaged and entertained, while also diverting viewers’ attention from a number of plot holes in the film.
However, the film is plagued by its complex and disorganized plot. Office Christmas Party unsuccessfully attempts to balance multiple elements of its plot at the same time, which leads it to a convoluted and disorganized state. The film tries to do too much, mixing in perplexing elements of action and drama rather than simply sticking with a traditional comedy formula.
Despite the convoluted nature of the plot, it is still easily predictable and thus, can become boring. The film does not feature any entertaining twists and it becomes extremely easy to visualize the direction the plot is being taken in.
In addition, the film fails to properly utilize its talented cast of eccentric characters. Many of the film’s characters are shuffled in and out too quickly, and aren’t given a chance to shine and develop, making a potentially impressive cast forgettable.
Furthermore, “Office Christmas Party” fails to innovate where it matters, sticking to cliched jokes and feeling similar to many other mainstream comedies. Unoriginal fart gags coupled with a number of overused sex jokes make the film feel stale, and showcase its inability to add in unique comedic elements.
Overall, “Office Christmas Party” largely disappoints due to its overly complex plot and underdeveloped characters. The film is full of many entertaining comedic scenes, but these are not enough to save the film from failure.
“Office Christmas Party” is rated R and playing in theaters nationwide.
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