Bold claim: this Christmas movie review proves Michelle Pfeiffer deserves far better than holiday mediocrity.
In a season crowded with yet another generic Netflix-style holiday fare (think A Very Jonas Christmas Movie, A Christmas Prince, and Holidate), this title promised something different. It assembles a star-studded cast—Michelle Pfeiffer, Felicity Jones, and Chloë Grace Moretz—under the direction of Michael Showalter, the filmmaker behind the Oscar-winning The Eyes of Tammy Faye. The opening even dares to take a sharp, feminist jab at the genre, with Pfeiffer’s character, Claire Clauster, a weathered Texan mom, asking, “Steve Martin’s some kind of hero because he spends a few days trying to get home? And what does his wife get? Around 89 seconds of screen time!”
Unfortunately, the film’s bold gesture fades quickly as it settles into a familiar, thinly veiled family-holiday romp—think The Family Stone or Christmas with the Kranks—mashed awkwardly with Home Alone-like misadventure. On a much-anticipated festive day trip with the extended Clauster clan—precise daughter Channing (Jones) and the ever-needy son-in-law Doug (Jason Schwartzman) among them—a wildly implausible blunder occurs: matriarch Claire is accidentally left behind. Enraged by the slight, she embarks on a chaotic, border-line illegal road trip to Hollywood while the rest of the family must confront their issues and recognize that loyal, diligent moms deserve real support during the holidays.
Yet the movie never fully lands. Characters feel underdeveloped, and the dated, half-hearted subplot about a “perfect” Asian-American family weighs the tone down. The soundtrack’s brass-heavy, quirky score steps in to carry too much of the humor, substituting actual jokes with the blare of an oompah band. When the laughs evaporate, Pfeiffer’s magnetic presence remains the bright spot—she clearly deserved a stronger project to showcase her talent.
Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Runtime: 108 minutes - Platform: Prime
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