A ‘disappointingly generic’ Christmas film with an all-star cast has shot to the top of the Amazon Prime Video movie charts despite receiving overwhelmingly negative reviews.
Oh. What. Fun, directed by Michael Showalter, boasts the likes of Michelle Pfeiffer, Felicity Jones, Chloë Grace Moretz, Denis Leary, Dominic Sessa, Jason Schwartzman, Eva Longoria, and Joan Chen among its cast.
It tells the story of Texas housewife Claire Clauser (Pfeiffer), who spends an entire year planning the perfect Christmas for her family, only to be forgotten.
But when a series of bizarre events means Claire goes missing from their celebrations, the family falls into disarray and risks their holiday being ruined.
It has nabbed the number one spot on the Amazon Prime Video movie charts with Christmas right around the corner, which may come as a surprise to those who have actually seen the film.
Oh. What. Fun. currently holds just a 33% rating on Rotten Tomatoes after being slammed by critics and just 24% on the Popcornmeter from fans.
The critics’ consensus reads: ‘Stuffing a whole lot of talent into a puny stocking, Oh. What. Fun.’s murky holiday spirit and distracting product placement too often weigh down an appealing cast.’
Which is actually a lot kinder than some of the actual reviews.
In their review, Variety said: ‘It makes audiences wish for the slightly darker version simmering beneath the surface, instead of the one with a Norman Rockwell-esque, shellacked sheen and rushed resolutions.’
The Travers Take blasted: ‘Oh, What. C**p. This lump of coal in our holiday stocking entraps Michelle Pfeiffer and is flat, stilted, lazy and so stretched out with Xmas clichés that you want to scream, bah-humbug.’
The Times wrote: ‘You know that your comedy is in crisis when you’ve substituted actual jokes for the grating rhythms of an oompah band. Still, Pfeiffer remains charismatic till the end. She deserved better.’
Associated Press commented: ‘If the idea was to make something for the moms, Oh. What. Fun. is about as thoughtful as a hastily scribbled card on a piece of printer paper the morning of her birthday. We can all do better.
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The Hollywood Reporter echoed a similar sentiment, writing: ‘As a gift for Mom, Oh. What. Fun. is the equivalent of a fancy candle snapped up at the last minute: expensive-looking and tasteful, wholly unobjectionable and disappointingly generic.’
Meanwhile, The Guardian summarised: ‘It doesn’t take long to realise that the packaging of Oh. What. Fun. is ultimately less about the creation of an even mildly entertaining festive film and more about the marketing of a soulless Q4 Amazon product.’
Speaking ahead of the film’s release, Schwartzman explained why he believes certain Christmas films fail to capture the hearts of audiences.
‘I think if something’s just too sweet, it won’t resonate with people,’ he explained to TheWrap. ‘I think that this one is the combination of sweet and kind of like, sad and funny, that is just right.
‘I feel like often, so many Christmas movies are about a little boy, and what happens to the little boy, and it’s like, finally, let’s see a movie about the mom and all the s**t that’s going on, and just the preparation that she’s doing for this family, and all of this stress, and also just losing it. Having the freedom to lose it.’
Oh. What. Fun. is streaming now on Amazon Prime Video.
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