Furchtbar fröhliche Weihnachten

I can't quite say if I enjoyed this movie or not. I initially wanted to see it because of it starring Robin Williams. (RIP) But then I saw the rest of the cast listing and was locked in on my decision. However, the movie itself left me with a mix of emotions. For a movie staring two hilarious actors, Hale and Williams, the mood was just a little too serious throughout. And even the humor was clouded in a way by something more depressing. There were funny parts to be sure, but it wasn't nearly as funny as I'd have hoped for. The storyline was decent except for the underlying current of utter despair that simply oozed out of this movie's pores. So, yeah, not my favorite movie by any means, but it had its moments. I'm really sad to think of it as being the last one we'll get from the great Robin Williams. I was hoping for something at the end of the credits, and in that I was not disappointed. The dedication to Williams was very touching and sweet.

As a Robin Williams fan, I'm sad to say that this, one of his last films before he died, was not a good one. This is not the film by which you should remember the late great Robin Williams. It is an affront to his legacy as a great comedian and actor. This is a forgettable film that will forever be overshadowed by his much better performances, and relegated to the dustbin of sub-par forgotten Christmas films, of which there are many. Now I'm not criticizing Williams, I think he was a wonderful actor but this film thoroughly stinks and, well, he signed on to play a role in it.

The writing was pretty bad and the dialogue felt forced and unnatural. It felt like the actors were playing parodies of dysfunctional characters from other family films. Joel McHale was very dry and awkward throughout the film. His delivery did not come across as genuine and the scenes where he was supposed to be emotional felt fake. I felt the highlight of the film was actually the interactions between two side characters: Luann played by Lauren Graham, who you know as the mom from Gilmore Girls, and the always delightful Candice Bergen infamously known for her character Murphy Brown. There is a section of the film where these two, annoyed by the antics of their respective spouses, decide to drink until intoxication while reminiscing and goofing off. It is genuinely the highlight of otherwise dreary 88 minute mess.

Every actor in this movie is amazing, but what a waste. The writing was poor and the character development was lacking, so they all had little to work with. Why would you cast Robin Williams as a racist, swearing, gun-toting jerk when he is amazing as a heart-warming, loving lunatic? Lauren Graham was probably the best casting in this film as the understanding, patient wife and Joel McHale was great as a sarcastic, weary son. But Candice Bergen was also wasted as a tired, docile wife. Clark Duke, although a brilliant, talented actor, was also miscast as a veteran with PTSD. What?? I would love to see all of these actors in a better film.

This film tells the story of a hedge fund manager who goes home to spend the Christmas with his estranged family. He forgets to bring along with him the Christmas present for his son, and has to go on a long journey to rectify his mistake.

I watched this because it's one of Robin Williams' final films. He plays a grumpy old man who seems to know how to enjoy life, as opposed to his son, who goes a long way to try to be a good father. The plot is very weak, however, and I don't really care for any of the characters. The jokes, which include Nelson the supposedly a war hero, and the recurrent police encounters, are simply not funny. I find "A Merry Friggin' Christmas" a huge disappointment. The only good thing is that the main bulk of the film only runs for 73 minutes.

If you liked Four Christmases, this is like an entire movie set at Brad's dad's house, and that's a good thing. This is a dark comedy about a family with past hurts. We loved it. Disfunction is real life people. If you like Four Christmases, Bad Santa, or Surviving Christmas then give this a go. Life is ugly. Stop pretending Christmas is a just like a Hallmark movie and have fun.