When his uptight CEO sister threatens to shut down his branch, the branch manager throws an epic Christmas party in order to land a big client and save the day, but the party gets way out of hand.
Strangely inoffensive for a film that has no problem bringing the crass, Office Christmas Party has a lot of heavy hitting comedians throwing enough stuff at the wall to make it, just about, stick.
Jason Bateman could now phone in the straight-leading-man-in-a-comedy-act without breaking a sweat. He's always been an amiable screen presence and is once again used as the core plot driver in a whacky comedy. That's kind of an art form in itself; Bateman can go toe-to-toe with more brash comedic stylings and not attempt to hijack proceedings. It's why he's continually cast in big, broad comedies. So yea, you've seen him play this guy before.
But really, in a fucking film called Office Christmas Party do you care about the semantics of the plot of character development? Exactly. This what you need to know; the whole film is building up to some middle-aged carnage in an office that is possibly JUST LIKE YOURS with some relatable characters you JUST MIGHT KNOW. And, y'know what, there's nothing wrong with that. This is a film that is literally telling you what to expect. The question is whether it delivers laughs or not.
Put TJ Miller, Kate McKinnon, Jillian Bell, Vanessa Bayer and Rob Corddry in a film, add Jennifer Aniston (doing her Horrible Bosses thing) and wait for the laughs. The first bunch are all seasoned comedians with the kind of effortless timing you can't teach; Aniston is collecting a pay cheque and hardly stretching herself, but she's a pro and has a couple of genuine zingers.
After a nonsensical Ghostbusters performance that was likely more down to the editing than anything else, McKinnon genuinely impresses here. That's no surprise to anyone who watches Saturday Night Live regularly where she is a constant star-player. Bayer too impreses, while Bell has a small but very funny extended cameo. You'll next see her as the lead in the 'Splash' remake opposite Channing Tatum - stardom beckons.
Elsewhere Miller is a lighter version of his Silicon Valley alter-ego, Corddry is wasted and Oliva Munn isn't given a huge amount to do.