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.

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) on January 19, 2014.

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.

Synopsis
Irresponsible 20-something Jenny (Kendrick) arrives in Chicago to live with her older brother Jeff (Swanberg), a young filmmaker living a happy existence with his novelist wife Kelly (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 (Dunham) instigate an evolution in Kelly's life and career.

Cast

 * Anna Kendrick as Jenny
 * Melanie Lynskey as Kelly
 * Joe Swanberg as Jeff
 * Mark Webber as Kevin
 * Lena Dunham as Carson

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

Reception
The film has been met with positive reviews. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film currently holds an approval rating of 74% based on 74 reviews, with an average rating of 6.37/10. The site's consensus reads: "Intelligent, well-acted, and satisfyingly low-key, Happy Christmas marks another step in prolific filmmaker Joe Swanberg's creative evolution." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 70 out of 100, based on 28 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews."