Oh. What. Fun.
The pantheon of unavoidable Christmas films feels almost impossible to penetrate. The classics of the season, from Love Actually to The Holiday to It’s a Wonderful Life, have so firmly lodged themselves in our collective memory that any new movie attempting to join their ranks seems almost naive. And yet, each year, one aspiring holiday contender gives it a try. This year, that honour falls to Oh. What. Fun., a new feel-good Christmas comedy directed by Michael Showalter and released today. Its focus is the figure the feature believes to be most neglected during the holiday period: mothers.
Mothers, the film gently scolds us, are the powerhouse of Christmas, orchestrating every last detail while swallowing their own frustrations, and yet they go largely uncelebrated. Our heroine, Claire (Michelle Pfeiffer), is one such mother. She has three children, each dysfunctional in a unique and entirely recognisable way. The eldest, Channing (Felicity Jones), is a slightly bitter and tightly wound author whose books seem destined for obscurity. She is married to the nice, supportive and somewhat awkward Doug (Jason Schwartzman). Taylor (Chloë Grace Moretz) is the middle child, a love addict who arrives home every year with a different girlfriend (this year, it’s Devery Jacobs). The youngest is Sammy (Dominic Sessa). He plays the quintessential baby of the family, endlessly forgiven and therefore perpetually unable to stick with a job or finish a degree. He is also conveniently dumped by his girlfriend (Maude Apatow) right before Christmas.
The first half of the movie watches Claire do everything while her children do nothing to assist. She cooks. She shops. She arranges outings and tickets for a show. She attempts to remain positive while quietly nursing a growing resentment toward the impossibly perfect housewife next door. She has one modest wish: entering a competition for her favourite talk show, hosted by Zazzy Tims (Eva Longoria). To qualify, she must be nominated by her children. As one might expect, none of them remembers. When the family accidentally abandons Claire entirely, she breaks down and decides to take matters into her own hands. She drives herself across the country to reach the studio before the programme airs.
Several scenes are genuinely funny. The flawless family next door performs carols with Pitch Perfect-like musical precision. Claire and her neighbour, beneath their serene smiles, engage in a covert battle to give each other the superior gift. Longoria excels as the Martha Stewart-style lifestyle host who looks airbrushed on television but secretly smokes weed and is herself a frustrated mother. A few jokes feel overly familiar. Claire’s car is towed in the middle of nowhere, leaving her stranded. Her husband falls apart as soon as she’s gone, since he can’t cook or manage even the simplest household task on his own.
Despite its silliness and occasional reliance on clear clichés, the feature has such an irresistible charm that you can’t help but let those flaws slide. Pfeiffer is wonderful in a role that could have easily felt flat. She transforms Claire into a kind, well-meaning and occasionally fierce mother whom one cannot help but root for. The children are each believable in their specific and often maddening uselessness. Doug, with his uncool mannerisms and slightly loser energy, becomes one of the unexpectedly delightful sources of humour.
This is a film almost guaranteed to please audiences. It may even prompt viewers to ask themselves whether they have thanked their own mothers properly. As Oh. What. Fun. reminds us: mothers long to hear three simple words. Not “I love you”. Instead: “Can I help?”
Constance Ayrton
Oh. What. Fun. is released on Prime Video on 3rd December 2025.
Watch the trailer for Oh. What. Fun. here:
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