Happy Christmas is a 2014 American comedy-drama film written, produced and directed by Joe Swanberg. It stars Swanberg, Anna Kendrick, Melanie Lynskey, Mark Webber, and Lena Dunham. Like most of Swanberg's previous features, the film's dialogue was entirely improvised.[2]
Happy Christmas | |
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Directed by | Joe Swanberg |
Written by | Joe Swanberg |
Produced by | Joe Swanberg Alicia Van Couvering Peter Gilbert |
Starring | Anna Kendrick Melanie Lynskey Mark Webber Lena Dunham |
Cinematography | Ben Richardson |
Edited by | Joe Swanberg |
Production company | Lucky Coffee Productions |
Distributed by | Magnolia Pictures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 88 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $70,000 |
Box office | $30,312[1] |
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)[3] on January 19, 2014.[4]
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.[5]
Irresponsible 20-something Jenny (Anna Kendrick) arrives in Chicago to live with her older brother Jeff (Joe Swanberg), a young filmmaker living a happy existence with his novelist wife Kelly (Melanie 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 (Lena Dunham) instigate an evolution in Kelly's life and career.
Magnolia Pictures and Paramount Pictures jointly acquired the international distribution rights prior to the film's premiere screening.[6] The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 19, 2014.[7] The film was released on video on demand on June 26, 2014, before being released in a limited release on July 25, 2014.[8]
The film has been met with positive reviews. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 76% based on 79 reviews, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Intelligent, well-acted, and satisfyingly low-key, Happy Christmas marks another step in prolific filmmaker Joe Swanberg's creative evolution."[9] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 70 out of 100, based on 28 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews."[10]
Works by Joe Swanberg | |
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Feature films |
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Web and TV series |
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