Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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JANUARY 4-10, 2016 UCW 19 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM If nothing else, Office Christmas Party (105 minutes) is at least a little better than the last few theatrically released holiday movies I've had to suffer through. It was no holiday classic like Die Hard or Gremlins, but it is not going down in history as the worst Christmas movie ever, like Kirk Cameron's Saving Christmas. Josh Parker (Jason Bateman) is the Chief Technical Officer of imaginary tech firm Zenotek, which specializes in something related to the Internet. Since it is just before Christmas, the film begins with his divorce, probably to emphasize what a mild-mannered sad sack he typically is. So basically, the writers watched most of Bateman's post-Arrested Development films, changed the setting, added some Christmas ornaments, and ended up with a holiday movie. He has officially perfected the art of playing a loveable and optimistic loser. His comedic foil here is the branch manager Clay (T.J. Miller) and the villain of the piece is Clay's sister, temporary CEO Carol Vanstone (Jennifer Aniston, recycling her role from Horrible Bosses). She is so villainous that she descends upon the branch just before the holidays and cancels Christmas. Over the course of the film she tries to poach most of Clay's best workers, downsize the branch and then close the branch. She also seems to have a lot of fun placing men in submission holds, and I wish they had spent more time on her casually turning thugs into whimpering babies. During the film, Carol kept reminding me of someone. When I sat down to write the review I realized it was Jan from The Office. And if she is the Jan, the other character inspirations become clear. Clay is the Michael Scott, Josh is the Jim and I guess that makes Tracey (Olivia Munn) the Pam. The comparison was so striking that I started googling, and I found out that, in addition to the six credited writers, the scribes behind The Office, Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky contributed to early versions of the script—not that they receive an official IMDB credit. Anyway, Carol is a Grinch because her Daddy loved Clay more than her, despite her many intellectual accomplishments. After she throws used kitty litter all over the planned office holiday party, she exits stage left. Clay and Josh engage in some wacky shenanigans, culminating in plans to host an old-school, bursting with sexual- harassment extravaganza, filled with elaborate set pieces to impress a high-powered client (Courtney B. Vance), thus saving Christmas. Of course, no Christmas movie would be complete if the heart of the Grinch didn't grow at least three sizes, so along the way Carol and Clay resolve their sibling rivalry. The "B" plots include an ITT schlub making up a girlfriend to impress some mean boys, Jillian Bell as an unlikely escort manager, Kate McKinnon playing Toby from The Office, Rob Corddry playing Todd Packer from The Office, and destroying (and recreating) the internet. Speaking of which, Dear Movie, I don't think that's how the internet works. Overall, comedy by committee rarely succeeds, but in this case there are laughs to be found. I thought Munn and Bateman lacked chemistry, but some of the other romantic pairings worked. I do wish that the descent into debauchery had been more debauched but maybe that says more about what I find funny than reflecting a failing in the film. At least the party montage was effective enough to add a Christmas song to my short list of favorites — I will never be able to hear "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" again without thinking of Game of Thrones. Now showing at Patriot 14 + IMAX. Happy Non-sectarian Winter Celebration Office Christmas Party (Rated R) by HEATHER GRIFFITHS HEATHER GRIFFITHS, Contributing Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@ upandcomingweekly.com. 910 484-6200. Fayetteville's CONCERT CONNECTION ANSTEAD'S TOBACCO CO. 320 N McPherson Church Rd 864-5705 • ansteads.com HUSKE HARDWARE HOUSE 405 Hay Street • 437-9905 www.huskehardware.com Jan. 6 Tommy King Jan. 7 Tommy King LUIGI'S 528 N McPherson Church Rd. 864-1810 • www.luigisnc.com Jan. 6 Live Entertainment Jan. 7 Live Entertainment KICK BACK JACKS 5081 Morganton Rd. • 223-7676 Friday Live Music Paul's Place 719 Starling St. • 910 779-2898 Live Music THE CROWN COMPLEX 1960 Coliseum Dr. • 438-4100 www.crowncomplexnc.com Jan. 27 Lee Brice and Justin Moore Jan. 30 Beach Boys Feb. 2 Travis Tritt Feb. 12 NewsBoys Feb. 21 Brain Candy Live! Feb. 25 Foreigner March 4 Ron "Tater Salad" White ROCK SHOP 128 S. 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