Happy Christmas

Anna Kendrick and Lena Dunham star in 'Happy Christmas', Joe Swanberg's latest film about twenty-somethings figuring out their life.

Happy Christmas is the latest film from veteran mumblecore director Joe Swanberg. Swanberg is a prolific director whose extensive filmography is the product of his preference for improvised over scripted dialogue. His films are often charming and light, carried off with a wide eyed naiveté and a bigness of heart, and this film is no exception. It has been, in addition, been widely noted for its polish and tightness of plot, by no means a given in the low-budget indie film world.

The films themes venture into classic mumblecore territory. The plot, which follows Jenny, a hapless twenty something who moves into the basement of her responsible and property owning brother Jeff, is all about growing up and the struggle to find a stable place in the adult world. After she moves in, a series of hijinks follow in which Jenny's presence spoils the bliss of Jeff's life with his young family and Jenny is forced to question whether or not she has it in her to become an adult. Lena Dunham, the star of the Mumblecore-turned-mainstream HBO series Girls makes an appearance as Jenny's best friend Carson, and this film will surely be a delight for any devotees of the low-budget indie film world. 

For people who aren't devotees of the genre, however, this film offers some pertinent and incisive observations on adult life, and is handled with Swanberg's easy charm and endearing generosity. A lovely film for a rainy afternoon.