Happy Christmas
Magnolia Pictures | Release Date: July 25, 2014 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
70
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 28 Critic Reviews
Positive:
21
Mixed:
7
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
The New York TimesStephen HoldenJul 31, 2014
More than in any of his previous films, Mr. Swanberg and his cast have refined a seemingly effortless style of semi-improvised storytelling so natural that it barely seems scripted. Life just happens. Read full review
90
Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlJul 24, 2014
The movie's packed with minor incidents, all fresh, compelling, and funny. It also boasts two lengthy scenes that are touched with something greater. Read full review
88
Slant MagazineChuck BowenJul 27, 2014
Joe Swanberg's films have grown into a reliable relief from the competitive, dehumanizing freneticism of much of American culture, marked by an affirming and understated sense of decency. Read full review
88
USA TodayClaudia PuigJul 24, 2014
A gently funny ensemble comedy that feels less like a movie than a short story. Read full review
83
IndieWireEric KohnJan 26, 2014
Sweetly funny and relatable, Happy Christmas builds on the director's previous work by channeling its strong aspects — naturalism and self-effacing, true-to-life humor — into a relatively straightforward but utterly enjoyable character study. Read full review
80
New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanAug 2, 2014
Each viewer is likely to connect with a different character initially, but don’t be surprised if you switch allegiances several times before the story ends. Read full review
80
SalonAndrew O'HehirJul 29, 2014
A subtle, witty, wise and deeply compassionate American movie. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesBetsy SharkeyJul 24, 2014
All in all, Happy Christmas is a good deal like cartoon Charlie Brown's classic tree — scraggly, plenty of heart and much to enjoy, especially if you prefer your presents homemade. Read full review
80
The DissolveNathan RabinJul 8, 2014
Swanberg isn’t doing anything new with Happy Christmas, but sticking to the same non-formula formula this time around yields unprecedentedly inspired results. Read full review
79
Film.comKate ErblandJan 22, 2014
Swanberg’s most mature and satisfying film yet. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleJul 31, 2014
It exemplifies the same appealing style, which strives to show life as it's lived and people as they really talk and act. Read full review
75
Washington PostJen ChaneyJul 31, 2014
What is often surprising in this entertaining and fluidly acted portrait of females in flux is the specific way things get messy. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperJul 24, 2014
Happy Christmas expertly captures the rhythms of a young couple’s life and how it changes enormously when a baby arrives. Read full review
75
McClatchy-Tribune News ServiceRoger MooreJul 15, 2014
Happy Christmas, which is set around Christmas, shares several plot and thematic points with “Neighbors,” but without the aggression or belly laughs. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyKeith StaskiewiczJul 11, 2014
That doesn’t stop the movie as a whole from feeling a little slight, though, like a Christmas tree that isn’t entirely filled out. Read full review
75
The PlaylistRodrigo PerezJan 26, 2014
The film does possess ample charms and insights, though admittedly, they do take quite a long time to coalesce. Read full review
70
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzJul 31, 2014
It's not always pretty, and it's not always exciting, but you genuinely don't know from one moment to the next how these characters will behave. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterJustin LoweJan 26, 2014
Swanberg's modest script lays out some fairly mundane domestic situations, which the actors elevate with a collaborative style characterized by gentle humor and authentic, frequently overlapping dialogue. Read full review
67
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerAug 1, 2014
I’ve never seen a better performance – or whatever you want to call it – from a two-year-old. Read full review
63
New York PostFarran Smith NehmeJul 30, 2014
Mumblecore founding father Joe Swanberg is back with this amiable off-season tale of Chicago millennials and their dissatisfactions. It offers his characteristic you-are-there visuals, rackety sound and meandering dialogue, often with appealing results. Read full review
63
RogerEbert.comSusan WloszczynaJul 25, 2014
One glance at the static camerawork that plagues the entirety of Happy Christmas and you might also discern that this is a minimalist mumblecore production, a kitchen-sink-style indie genre that apparently outlaws long shots or close-ups. Read full review
60
Time OutKeith UhlichJul 29, 2014
There’s a fine line between modesty and inconsequence, and this low-key, primarily improvised feature from mumblecore staple Joe Swanberg mostly blurs the divide. Read full review
60
The GuardianHenry BarnesJan 26, 2014
Joe Swanberg's follow-up to Drinking Buddies is short and slight, but undeniably charming. Read full review
50
Portland OregonianMarc MohanAug 8, 2014
A good test of a movie like this is whether it would be more or less stimulating to hang out with people you really know for 82 minutes. If Happy Christmas is the time better spent, it might be time to find a new crowd. Read full review
50
ObserverRex ReedJul 30, 2014
The results are variable, exasperating, challenging, often both disappointing and exhilarating. These elements surface throughout Happy Christmas, often simultaneously. Mr. Swanberg is not a total amateur, but he is called “a doodler” for obvious reasons, all of them on red alert here. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsJul 24, 2014
Swanberg may be one of the few American filmmakers who'd benefit from reading one of those "10 Rules for Mediocre Hollywood Screenwriting" how-to books. Many find a kind of truth and life and rough domestic magic in his films. Here and there, now and then, I see what they're talking about. Read full review
42
The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloJul 23, 2014
Nobody involved ever came up with an idea or character remotely worth exploring, yet they all forged ahead anyway, placing their faith in the filmmaking process itself, and this damp squib of an ostensible movie is the decidedly lackluster result. Read full review
40
VarietyPeter DebrugeJan 28, 2014
Happy Christmas desperately needs some real jokes, rather than settling for the bemused chuckles that accompany its banal observations into human nature. Read full review
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