With apologies, I must return to the question that has plagued me since I began reviewing Christmas movies this year: do any of them speak to the reason for the season?  Oh. What. Fun. has everything one would expect from these films, so much so that the characters are watching its cinematic cousins.  While this is one of those Yuletide traditions, specifically you see them viewing A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965).  In it, Charlie Brown (voiced by Peter Robbins) asks, “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?”  Hence, you have my holiday feelings encapsulated in cartoon form.  To get it from these flicks, you have to go back decades to when the Charlie Brown special aired.  During it, the children join in a chorus of “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.”  You rarely hear any unapologetically Christian carols in Hollywood material, certainly not in Oh. What. Fun.  At the same time, there are some good lessons to be gleaned that are helpful to remember when the calendar approaches December 25^th.

Speaking of the calendar flipping to December 25^th, we meet our female lead, Clarie Clauster (Michelle Pfeiffer), in Oh. What. Fun. on the eve.  You might expect this suburban Houston mother to be at home facilitating all the traditions of a family like hers.  Instead, she is at a gas station in the middle of nowhere, scolding the children of a mom at a nearby pump.  How she gets into this predicament is the subject of the first half of the film.  A few days previously, her and her husband, Nick Clauster (Denis Leary), are preparing for the arrival of their children and grandchildren.  From oldest to youngest, they are author Channing Clauster Austin (Felicity Jones), who comes with her husband, Doug Austin (Jason Schwartzman), and two children; their youngest daughter and graduate student, Taylor Clauster (Chloë Grace Moretz); and the baby of the family, slacker Sammy Clauster (Dominic Sessa).  They all get to the house at different times with their individual issues, but the one most relevant to the plot is Sammy, who has recently been dumped by his girlfriend, Mae-bell (Maude Apatow).  This means that him especially, but everyone else in general, are too caught up in their own problems to offer any kind of help to Claire.  She is keen to be noticed this year because her television idol, Zazzy Tims (Eva Longoria), is having a contest for her Christmas broadcast to showcase the mother of the year, which includes a free trip to Los Angeles to appear on the show.  Think Oprah Winfrey (not pictured) and you have the idea.  Claire wants to win, but she cannot nominate herself.  Further, it appears that her subtle hints for her children and husband to submit her name are being ignored.  Instead, most everyone sees her behavior as overbearing as she tries to make the holidays as best as she knows how for her family.  On the first night they are together, while Doug and Taylor fight because she thinks him boring, Nick goes to bed to secretly watch trashy programs, and everyone else views Christmas movies, Claire cleans, takes out trash, and wraps presents.  In the morning, her neighbor across the street, Jeane Wang-Wasserman (Joan Chen), with whom Clair silently competes, comes over for their annual gift exchange.  Yet, when Claire opens hers to find a three-wick candle, suddenly she must rush to the mall to get a candle with even more wicks.  With Channing in tow, Claire ends up stealing a basin-sized candle instead of waiting in line to pay so that she can be home in time to go with everyone to a Christmas themed dance recital with the tickets she purchased.  Claire’s antics only add to the frenzy, in the middle of which she goes to the Wang-Wassermans to give Jeane some peppermint bark instead of stolen goods.  While she is there, her family leaves without her.  They get to the theater and part way through the show before they realize she is absent.  Claire is understandably hurt by the gesture.  After a few moments of reflection, she packs a small suitcase, gets in the car, and starts driving west, which catches us up with the first few moments.  Back at home, the family descends into chaos as everyone is airing their grievances and Nick does not know how function without his wife.  Eventually, Sammy leaves to go to a bar on his own where he encounters Jeane’s daughter, Lizzie Wang-Wasserman (Havana Rose Liu).  The two have known each other since the first grade, and he has had a crush on her for as long.  Meanwhile, after having to purchase a vehicle from the 1970s after hers is towed, Claire eventually makes it to Los Angeles where she sneaks backstage of the Zazzy show.  The crew take her for one the contest winners, and sweep her on stage where she starts dancing in a manner that attracts the cameras.  She is also open about her frustrations with her family, which earn her a personal sit-down with Zazzy after the taping.  So successful is Claire’s appearance that Zazzy arranges for the Clausters to fly to Los Angeles to be reunited with their mother.  Initially, Claire does not take kindly to their appearance.  What changes her mind is Channing talking honestly about the eldest daughter’s desire to come up with some traditions of her own.  Their remorse helps Claire to forgive them, and we close a year later with the Clausters and the Wang-Wassermans joining each other for a joint Christmas ski trip courtesy of the new relationship between Lizzie and Sammy, with Claire relaxing in a hot tub.

The ability to relax is an evident problem for Claire in Oh. What. Fun.  While the film may not speak to anything specifically having to do with Christmas as this Catholic would like, the season does call for us to be able to take a beat.  This is something that has been coming up frequently in my prayers, and I am making a commitment during Advent to take it easy on Sundays.  As for Claire, while I may not approve of how she handles the stress of the holidays, I do have a great deal of compassion for her.  Though this has nothing to do with the birth of Jesus, in watching her do everything she does for her family, I thought about Luke 10:38-42, which features the story of Jesus visiting sisters Martha and Mary.  It is written that Martha welcomes the Messiah, bustling about while Mary sat at His feet listening.  At one point, Martha remarks on her sister’s lack of activity, to which Jesus replies in verse forty-two that Mary has “chosen the better part.”  One of the things we often say about the holidays is that it is a time for family to gather and simply be in the presence of one another.  That is what Mary chose in the Scripture referenced a moment ago, but specifically in being with her Savior.  In other words, she is taking that beat that we should all be enjoying come every Sunday.  We typically associate the Lord’s Day as one that requires us to go to church, which is true.  Yet, what is equally important is that we be present to Him.  Claire cannot do this with her family as she is buzzing around the house or running from mall security.  What Christmas calls us to do is to take advantage of the gift of our loved ones, as so many did on the day of Jesus’ birth.

Nonetheless, I would not say that watching Oh. What. Fun. is a gift.  It is certainly different than others of its ilk, if for no other reason that it is not simply a romantic comedy.  What takes away somewhat from the few genuinely funny moments are unnecessarily shady scenes of people making poor choices.  Otherwise, it is okay.