'Happy Christmas': The conflicts never come to a full boil
Writer-director Joe Swanberg鈥檚 鈥淗appy Christmas鈥� starts out聽promisingly. A Chicago married couple, Jeff (Swanberg) and Kelly聽(Melanie Lynskey) welcome into their home Jeff鈥檚 out-of-state sister,聽Jenny (Anna Kendrick), who recently broke up with her boyfriend and, as聽they soon discover, is something of a mess. Since one of the requirements聽of her indefinite visit is that she help out with the child care of the聽couple鈥檚 2-year-old son, Jude (Jude Swanberg), Jenny鈥檚 habit of passing聽out drunk at parties does not bode well.
As a filmmaker, Swanberg keeps everything vaguely comic and聽deadpan. Jenny鈥檚 travails, and the couple鈥檚 concerns, never really come聽to a full boil. None of this seems to matter much to little Jude, who has聽a high old time being a baby. I suppose it鈥檚 because his father in this聽movie is played by his father, but I鈥檝e never seen a better performance 鈥� or聽whatever you want to call it 鈥� from a two-year-old. Grade:聽B- (Rated R for language, drug use and some sexual content.)
