Happy Christmas (film)

Happy Christmas is a 2014 American comedy-drama film written, produced and directed by Joe Swanberg. It stars Swanberg, Anna Kendrick, Melanie Lynskey, Lena Dunham and Mark Webber. Like most of Swanberg's previous features, the film's dialogue was entirely improvised.[2]

Happy Christmas
Film poster
Directed byJoe Swanberg
Produced byJoe Swanberg
Alicia Van Couvering
Peter Gilbert
Written byJoe Swanberg
StarringAnna Kendrick
Melanie Lynskey
Lena Dunham
Joe Swanberg
Mark Webber
Music byDominic Lewis
CinematographyBen Richardson
Edited byJoe Swanberg
Production
company
Lucky Coffee Productions
Distributed byMagnolia Pictures
Release date
  • January 19, 2014 (2014-01-19) (Sundance)
  • July 25, 2014 (2014-07-25) (United States)
Running time
88 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$70,000
Box office$30,312[1]

The film had its world premiere at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival (where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize in the U.S. Dramatic Competition)[3] on January 19, 2014.[4]

It was released on June 26, 2014, through video on demand prior to being released in a limited release July 25, 2014 in the United States by Magnolia Pictures.[5]

Plot

Irresponsible 20-something Jenny (Anna Kendrick) arrives in Chicago to live with her older brother Jeff (Joe Swanberg), a young filmmaker living a happy existence with his novelist wife Kelly (Melanie Lynskey) and their two-year-old son. Jenny's arrival shakes up their quiet domesticity as she and Jenny's friend from high school Carson (Lena Dunham) instigate an evolution in Kelly's life and career.

Cast

Release

Magnolia Pictures and Paramount Pictures jointly acquired the international distribution rights prior to the film's premiere screening.[6] The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 19, 2014.[7] The film was released on video on demand on June 26, 2014, before being released in a limited release on July 25, 2014.[8]

Reception

The film has been met with positive reviews. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 76% based on 78 reviews, with an average rating of 6.38/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Intelligent, well-acted, and satisfyingly low-key, Happy Christmas marks another step in prolific filmmaker Joe Swanberg's creative evolution."[9] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 70 out of 100, based on 28 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews."[10]

References
  1. "Happy Christmas (2014)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2017-05-05.
  2. "Joe Swanberg Talks HAPPY CHRISTMAS". Retrieved July 21, 2014.
  3. "Sundance: Paramount & Magnolia Team For 'Happy Christmas'". Retrieved January 16, 2014.
  4. "Sundance: 'Happy Christmas' With Anna Kendrick, Lena Dunham Picked Up by Magnolia, Paramount". Retrieved January 18, 2014.
  5. "CLIP AND POSTER OF HAPPY CHRISTMAS STARRING ANNA KENDRICK". Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  6. "Pre-Sundance, Magnolia and Paramount Scoop Up Joe Swanberg's 'Happy Christmas'". Retrieved January 20, 2014.
  7. Peter Debruge (2014-01-27). "'Happy Christmas' Review: Joe Swanberg's Son Upstages Anna Kendrick". Variety. Retrieved 2017-05-05.
  8. Shetty, Sharan (2014-05-20). "Happy Christmas Trailer: Anna Kendrick and Lena Dunham star in Joe Swanberg's latest mumblecore film (VIDEO)". Slate.com. Retrieved 2017-05-05.
  9. "Happy Christmas (2014)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
  10. "Happy Christmas Reviews". Metacritic. 2014-07-25. Retrieved 2014-07-30.
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