To be the champ, you gotta beat the champ. Hallmark held the crown for cheesy Christmas flicks for decades until Netflix straight stole it away. And now, Amazon is vying for the title.
The streaming service has released some good movies and series in recent years. And come the holidays, they’re no stranger to seasonal flicks. Their latest effort, “Oh. What. Fun.” includes top tier talent and a much fancier budget. The 2025 picture was directed by Michael Showalter, who, along with Chandler Baker also wrote the story.
Advertisements have been seen during NFL games. But critics have been negative. I am a student of cheesy holiday movies, possessing the rare ability to see and enjoy them for what they are.
Catwoman?
Claire Clauster (Michelle Pfeiffer) is our central character. Claire plays the matriarch of the Clauster clan. She’s a loving mother and dutiful wife. She’s also the juggernaut for the Clauster’s annual Christmas celebration.
Michelle Pfeiffer is the star of the story. As usual, I enjoy seeing a name from my teen years taking the lead. The character goes through an emotional range of ups and downs (see details below) and as one would expect, Pfeiffer can handle all of it.
The Clausters
This year there’s an ominous tension gripping the festivities. Oldest daughter, Channing (Felicity Jones) is bored with tradition. Channing is contemplating leaving the family celebration and doing her own traditions.
Meanwhile, youngest daughter Taylor (Chloë Grace Moretz) has brought her new girlfriend home. Taylor also has a brewing personality conflict with Channing’s husband (Jason Schwartzman).
Youngest son Sammy (Dominic Sessa) has just been dumped by his girlfriend. Sammy is bringing down the joy with his moping pity party.
Denis Leary plays Claire’s husband who is guilty of taking her family leadership skills for granted. This comes to a front when Claire quits her duties as mother and wife and takes to the road.
Good Cast
I liked all the actors involved. I mentioned the nostalgic enjoyment of seeing Michelle Pfeiffer. The same goes for Dennis Leary. No one could have envisioned the bad boy comic playing a grandfather in a Christmas film and doing it well.
We last saw Felicity Jones stealing the Death Star plans on behalf of the Rebellion. Jones is good here, though concealing her British accent is not a strong suit. Dominic Sessa was my favorite as the morose Sammy. Sessa offers laugh out loud comic relief throughout the movie.
We also get cameos from big names, including Danielle Brooks, Eva Longoria, and Joan Chen of “Twin Peaks” fame.
Complaints
I haven’t read other critics. I like to offer a fresh opinion. It’s easy to say a star-studded cast doesn’t translate to a fun or enjoyable movie. The acting here is fine. The story is a bit predictable but that’s okay, these holiday originals are never breaking the mold.
Something was off that kept me from really liking this. For starters, the 108-minute run-time is oppressive. I think that’s the result of having a lead like Michelle Pfeiffer. We want to see more of her on screen. It’s funny to watch her interact with the various cameo characters but in reality, the movie runs too long and gets repetitive enough that I was bored.
The Verdict
“Oh. What. Fun.” Isn’t bad. I suggest throwing it on for something new. Its fun to watch big name stars in a simple movie like this. Whilst it’s okay one time, I suspect it won’t become something you revisit. Netflix wins this round, but Amazon will doubtless be back.
