‘Oh. What. Fun.’ Review: A Heartfelt Holiday Tale of Motherhood and Appreciation

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“Oh. What. Fun.” tells the story of a mother who finally reaches her limit. Michelle Pfeiffer plays a Texas mom who stands up for all the mothers who are overlooked and taken for granted by their families during the holidays. The film emphasizes that mothers aren’t machines or servants – they deserve appreciation for everything they do. While the movie’s humor isn’t always successful, this positive message and the cast’s performances help make it enjoyable. It doesn’t offer big laughs, but a touching scene between Pfeiffer and Felicity Jones leads to a heartwarming conclusion.

The movie begins on Christmas Eve at a gas station in Houston, Texas, where a frustrated Claire Clauster scolds a group of rowdy children in a car. We then see a flashback to a few days earlier, showing Claire getting ready for her grown children’s visit. Her house is perfectly decorated for Christmas, but her husband, Nick, isn’t paying attention when she tries to talk to him. Claire is obsessed with a “Holiday Mom’s Contest” hosted by her favorite talk show host, Zazzy Tims, which will air live on Christmas Day, and she’s been urging her family to enter her for months.

Claire’s oldest daughter, Channing, a novelist, arrives with her husband Doug and their two children. Her middle child, Taylor, who is openly queer, brings a new girlfriend – this year it’s DJ Sweatpants, or Donna – and everyone politely pretends this one is different. Finally, Claire’s youngest, Sammy, shows up, moping after a recent breakup. The family gathering is quickly derailed when Claire clashes with her neighbor, Jeanne Wang-Wasserman, over a comment about her decorations. Just when things couldn’t get worse, it’s revealed that no one entered Claire in Zazzy Tim’s contest.

Claire is completely overwhelmed by the endless tasks of Christmas, as shown in a busy first act. Her siblings constantly bicker, and she quietly handles everything – cooking, cleaning, decorating, and trying to keep the peace – while they don’t lift a finger to help. They simply expect Christmas to magically happen without acknowledging her hard work. Claire’s breaking point, and what she does next, will likely resonate with any mother who’s felt similarly pushed to her limit. Director and co-writer Michael Showalter (known for The Big Sick and The Eyes of Tammy Faye) expertly sets up the reasons why Claire needs to escape.


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While Claire’s reaction to a surprising plot twist feels justified, the movie unfortunately gets sidetracked by unimportant storylines. The film features a lot of characters, but instead of supporting Claire’s journey, they distract from it. Many of these characters aren’t engaging and feel unnecessary. For instance, Doug is a dull character who desperately seeks friendship from Taylor, who completely dismisses him. Despite the talents of the actors playing Doug and Taylor, their characters are unlikeable – Taylor, in particular, is consistently unpleasant. Doug wastes his efforts trying to impress someone who clearly isn’t interested.

While ‘Oh. What. Fun.’ starts strong, it relies too much on repetitive jokes that aren’t consistently funny. The film centers around Nick’s struggle to build a toy for his grandchildren, but this plotline becomes drawn out and doesn’t deliver a good conclusion. Similarly, the competition between Claire and Jeanne, initially amusing, quickly becomes overblown and loses its comedic effect. A lengthy scene showcasing their rivalry could easily have been removed without impacting the story.


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The film excels at realistically showing the complex dynamic between Claire and Channing, a wife and mother with strong ideas. Both women share blame – Channing for not fully appreciating her mother’s efforts, and Claire for not respecting Channing. Despite doing everything right, Channing feels she never earns her mother’s approval. Claire holds Channing to an impossibly high standard without offering praise, while being far more lenient with her other children. It’s a constant feeling that Channing can’t measure up, while her siblings are allowed to get away with less. The performances by Jones and Pfeiffer are outstanding and drive the emotional weight of the film.

Look, “Oh. What. Fun.” isn’t going to become a new Christmas classic, but it really struck me as something special. It beautifully highlights the unsung heroes of the holiday season – specifically, Mrs. Claus! It made me think, she deserves just as much credit as Santa does. Honestly, after watching this, I’m making a point to thank my mom this year, and maybe even lend a hand around the house instead of just relaxing on the couch.

The movie Oh. What. Fun. is a production of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Semi Formal Productions, and TriBeCa Productions. You can start streaming it worldwide on Prime Video starting December 3rd.

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2025-12-03 05:03