"Oh. What. Fun." (Showalter, 2025) - Review

Oh. What. Fun…But is it?

Oh. What. Fun. isn’t necessarily a Christmas movie that viewers will revisit every year. It won’t become a holiday tradition unless you’re a fan of any of the names that lead this movie. 

Written by Lara Rosales

Oh. What. Fun. undoubtedly has a memorable cast. Michelle Pfeiffer, Denis Leary, Chloë Grace Moretz, Felicity Jones, Dominic Sessa, Eva Longoria, and Jason Schwartzman are the first names that pop up as we press play on this new Christmas entertainment. Their talent and experience absolutely shine through as they know how to carry this movie from beginning to end.

Even though the cast knows exactly what to do and how to do it, the pace of the movie is where viewers might lose interest. The introduction to who Claire (Pfeiffer) and her family are is too long. The movie spends way too much time on details that soon become irrelevant to the story that’s being told. While the ins and outs of the characters are important, there is no need to spend as much time showcasing when they come to town and their slow arrivals.

If we are honest, Claire’s rivalry with Jeanne Wang-Wasserman (Joan Chen) is absolutely pointless. Claire stealing the huge candle from the mall and escaping hundreds of mall cops with her daughter, only to later decide against giving the candle to Jeanne, feels like a waste of time. Granted, Claire’s family leaves her behind when she crosses the street to give Jeanne the candle, but is that the true reason why Claire chooses to leave?

Looking at the big picture, Claire leaves because she is unappreciated. The movie's message, which is truly the highlight behind Oh. What. Fun. is focused on the truth that during the holiday season, mothers are taken for granted and never thanked. Most moms, like Claire, work really hard to make the holiday season for their loved ones, often going unnoticed and under-gifted. Claire’s family takes the celebration for granted, complains if they have to wait 20 extra minutes for dinner, doesn’t utter a single “thank you,” and her husband goes as far as claiming Santa is the person who made everything possible. It’s no surprise that she wants to run away.

Her festive exit should have been connected directly to that instead of creating the situation with her neighbour. Aside from giving her son a love interest, the family across the street adds nothing to the storyline or to the characters. Claire’s story would have been better explored if the movie had focused more on the real reason why she left.

Even though this is quickly discussed when she meets Zazzy Tims (Longoria), it doesn’t become as important as it should have been for this particular movie. That is because the slow pace we got from the beginning of the movie is gone the moment she arrives in Burbank. Everything happens too quickly: she steps on stage, gets high with Zazzy, her family flies to LA, they all get on stage, she has a moment with her daughter, and everything is forgiven. Is that truly how it should have been resolved? Shouldn’t we have spent a bit more time on the issue at hand?

Oh. What. Fun. isn’t necessarily a Christmas movie that viewers will revisit every year. It won’t become a holiday tradition unless you’re a fan of any of the names that lead this movie. However, the motive behind it will stick with the audience. It is true that mothers (or caregivers) are underappreciated, underthanked, and under-gifted during this time of the year. Just like Claire, many wish they could get in their car and drive toward the only gift they had asked for that year. And like Claire, many realise that what truly matters is spending time with family. But what fun can it be when your family doesn’t appreciate that?

Now streaming on Prime Video