Every year at Christmastime, there’s no shortage of holiday movies to choose from, between comfort classics and a swath of new releases from streamers and beyond. But how can the newcomers stand out against legacy favorites? The director and cast of “Oh. What. Fun.” have a few ideas.
Now streaming on Prime Video, the film centers on Claire Clauster (Michelle Pfeiffer), a mom who’s always taken Christmas upon herself, and very seriously for her family. Her house is perfectly decorated, activities are planned and meals are painstakingly prepared. But, when her family unintentionally gives her the “Home Alone” treatment, Claire loses it, and simply walks out on her family to take herself to Hollywood to appear on the Christmas episode of her favorite talk show.
It’s that infusion of bite that helps make modern-day Christmas movies work, according to Jason Schwartzman, who plays Doug, Claire’s son-in-law, in the film.
“I think if something’s just too sweet, it won’t resonate with people,” he explained to TheWrap. “I think that this one is the combination of sweet and kind of like, sad and funny, that is just right.”
“I feel like often, so many Christmas movies are about a little boy, and what happens to the little boy,” he continued. “And it’s like, finally, let’s see a movie about the mom and all the S-H-I-T that’s going on, and just the preparation that she’s doing for this family, and all of this stress, and also just losing it. Having the freedom to lose it.”
In fact, “Oh. What. Fun” starts out by specifically calling out Christmas movies like “Home Alone,” “Jingle All the Way” and more, and how they always focus on a male character. For as much as director Michael Showalter loves the classic elements of Christmas movies, he noted that the holiday “is also a time of real reflection,” and he realized immediately how overlooked women of the house are.
“There’s a real story there that’s really never been told,” he said. “I certainly see it in my wife, my mother, my mother-in-law, all the women in my life — and it could be men too, but — who do the work and don’t get any of the credit. And it felt like a perfect story to tell.”
Chloë Grace Moretz and Dominic Sessa, who play two of Claire’s children — alongside Felicity Jones, who plays Claire’s eldest daughter — agreed, noting that the reality of the film plus the comedy of the story is what made it work for them.
“It’s a hot market, the Christmas film market, you know? And I think that there’s a couple of oil wells that have been kind of pumped dry,” Moretz said. “And I think what’s exciting about this one is that it feels very modern. It feels very different than what you’d expect.”
In Sessa’s case, he immediately felt like “Oh. What. Fun” would be a Christmas film that he would rewatch himself, which is another key component of the genre. Of course, the actor is already a bit partial to the season and its films, having had his breakout role in Alexander Payne’s “The Holdovers.”
“I don’t think it’s something that I necessarily planned for, but I’m deeply grateful for it,” he explained. “I love Christmastime, personally, so, as much as I can pretend it’s Christmastime, I love doing that.”
And though he may not know for sure the exact recipe for a good Christmas movie, he knows what kind he wants to do next.
“It’s got to be like a really dark Christmas movie. Something like ‘Die Hard’ or something like that,” he said with a laugh.
“Oh. What. Fun.” is now streaming on Prime Video.
