OFFICE CHRISTMAS PARTY

The office Christmas party. An annual event that we've all been to and one that may lead to you seeing your colleagues in a new light, the quiet one may let their inner party animal out or the stingy boss may be the one buying everyone a drink at the bar. This comedy, aptly titled Office Christmas Party, dials up the debauchery to eleven with a talented comedic cast, and the results are very mixed to say the least.

Clay Vanstone (T. J. Miller) is the Chicago branch manager for Zenotek, an IT sales company that's leaking money at an alarming rate. When his sister, Carol (Jennifer Aniston), who is also the CEO of Zenotek, shows up and threatens to shut the Chicago branch down, Clay must think of a way to convince Carol to change her mind.

With the help of his friends Josh (Jason Bateman) and Tracey (Olivia Munn), Clay decides to throw an epic Christmas party for his employees to attract a big money client to become a partner. It isn't long before things get out of hand and with hardly any responsible adults in sight, the Chicago branch may be shutting itself down.

The biggest frustration for me while watching Office Christmas Party was just how utterly wasted each and every one of this talented cast is by such a mediocre script and uninspired story. At this stage in their careers, Jason Bateman and Jennifer Aniston, who are both very good comedic actors, are sleepwalking their way through material like this for a simple pay day. 

The best comedic performances are given by T. J. Miller and Kate McKinnon however, even they are both let down by a lack of quality material. It's an unfortunate trait in comedies nowadays that they either seem like they don't put any effort in or they try way too hard.

It's a strange mix of both in Office Christmas Party that makes it suffer. Don't get me wrong, I definitely laughed at some parts but for the most part, this film was just trying to raise a few cheap laughs from the audience.

A disappointing experience overall, Office Christmas Party is one film you shouldn't try to emulate in real life, unless you want to get fired from your job. I mean, I'm pretty sure I'll never attend a Christmas party where a man dressed as Jesus is riding through the office on a white horse.

Verdict: ★★