Crass holiday films can work when done correctly. National Lampoonâs âChristmas Vacationâ is an example, a film that draws its laughs from its chaotic presentation. âBad Santaâ is another one: a film whose anti-hero, Willie T. Soke, draws sympathy from a place of loneliness and hopeless alcoholism. 2015âs âUncle Nick,â starring stand-up comic Brian Posehn, wants to be both films, but unfortunately fails miserably. The movie is crass, which is a prerequisite. It evens a heart. But itâs jumbled together so haphazardly, and with a constant, distracting narration, that it gets lost amidst the noise.
The filmâs basic premise is that Uncle Nick (Posehn), is invited to his brotherâs new wifeâs house for Christmas dinner, and shenanigans ensue. Nick, who runs a failing landscaping business, is revealed early to us as a loser of epic proportions. He does things like lounge around in his underwear smoking cigarettes or stereotyping his Puerto Rican employee as Mexican. He bums a ride to the holiday party from said employee, stopping to get some gifts for a later game of exchanging presents (blue tape and some blank VHS tapes), and, of course, a plethora of liquor.
âUncle Nickâ is Directed by Chris Kasick, most famous for penning 500 or so episodes of T.V.âs âAttack of the Show!â and it shows. âNickâ is unfocused, at its base, and canât really decide what kind of film it wants to be. Itâs raucous, but doesnât really throw its raunchiness in your face, is comedic but doesnât rest its success on comedy. Itâs as if it wanted to be all things – a comedy, an endearing drama, a gross-out gag fest, but Kasick and writer Mike Demski just couldn’t make a decision.
The acting in the film is not terribly bad, especially Uncle Nickâs family, who are comprised of Hollywood B-listers. As Nickâs brother Cody, an arrogant cretin, Beau Ballinger does a fairly good job making us hate him. And his wife Sophie, who is played earnestly by Paget Brewster, is sweet – in her own way – and draws sympathy when her character ran the risk of merely sticking to the convention of the rich housewife. The cast is rounded out by Melia Renee, who plays Sophieâs sexually feisty daughter Valerie, and her son, Marcus, an online-addicted adolescent who is played by Jacob Houston. All are pleasing to watch, and there are no real acting missteps here.
As Nick, Posehn is basically playing himself, utilizing gross-out humor to push the movie along. Iâve seen Posehn live before, in Montreal as part of their Just For Laughs festival, but thankfully heâs not pushing stand-up here, but trying to garner sympathy for his character yet still being funny along the way. The problem is that the film isnât really that funny. Youâll laugh a couple of times, but overall âUncle Nickâ is, at the core, just a dysfunctional family holiday film that lacks much substance.
Nick basically drinks and smokes his way through this film – but, opposite of what is promised in several flashbacks – never becomes that quintessential party-ruining drunk. He provides a look into the lives of these people, and itâs not really pleasant, what we see.
As the film closes, it feels that âUncle Nickâ is trying. Itâs closing scene is packed with real insight and emotion into its charactersâ lives – but itâs too little, too late. The film is chaotic, but isnât congealed, and just kind of blunders along its one hour and 33 minute run-time. Nick works as a watchable characterâ¦but by draping him in convention, by trying to make him the comic relief instead of the tie that binds, the film suffers a blow from which it canât seem to recover.
– by Mark Ziobro
