This is one of those don’t judge a movie by its title flicks. The title might scream Christmas cheeriness and hugs all around but it’s a different kind of cheeriness that not everyone can warm up to.
The movie follows 20-something-year-old Jenny who moves in with her brother, Jeff after a bad break-up. The brother has a wife (Kelly) and a two-year-old son and they are the kind of family that is happy in their own little world. It goes without saying that Jenny’s arrival shakes things up a lot. Take her first night in their home for example. Jenny goes out, has more than a couple of drinks, smokes a few joints of weed and gets so wasted that her friend Carson (Lena Durham) has to call Jeff to pick her up. Her presence also shakes things up in a good way also, especially for her sister-in-law.
It’s an honest depiction of families and dealing with in-laws and there are several laughs in there. However, if you have never watched Joe Swanberg’s movies, be prepared for the slow dialogue, it’s all improvised so there are some long pauses, the kind you would have in normal conversation. Also, don’t expect any background music to fill those long pauses. This might make the plot a little slow but after 88 minutes, it will be worth it.