The performances all round have a slightly improvised vibe, with Lynskey and Girls creator Lena Dunham (as an old friend of Jenny's) especially finding the groove where a little roughness around the edges only serves to enhance the charm.

| Nov 8, 2018

Swanberg's let-the-camera-run aesthetic can go either way - towards self-indulgence, or overheard, naturalistic candor. Thanks in no small part to the considerable gifts of his cast, 'Happy Christmas' goes the right way.

| Jun 18, 2016

Swanberg's naturalistic, improvised style lets the conflict come about organically, repeatedly putting the characters in situations to which they could react with clichés but instead go with something more empathetic and nuanced.

| Original Score: B | Dec 2, 2014

I suppose it's because his father in this movie is played by his father, but I've never seen a better performance -- or whatever you want to call it -- from a two-year-old.

| Original Score: B- | Aug 1, 2014

A slightly above average example of a kind of movie - and of a trend within movies - that needs to be encouraged.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Jul 31, 2014

A quiet, serious comedy about marriage, parenthood and the everyday strains of bringing up a rambunctious toddler while struggling to sustain a creative life.

| Jul 31, 2014

If the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences decides to add an Oscar category called Best Performance by a Toddler in an Indie Film Directed by His Own Father, Jude Swanberg would easily smoke any precocious competition.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Jul 31, 2014

It's not always pretty, and it's not always exciting, but you genuinely don't know from one moment to the next how these characters will behave.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Jul 31, 2014

"Happy Christmas" is a lovely example of an undeniably valuable genre.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jul 31, 2014

When a 2-year-old walks off with a film, it's a sign the adults could have used some higher stakes.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Jul 31, 2014

It's more of a highly detailed sketch than anything else: a portrait of a woman on the cusp of growing up.

| Original Score: 1/5 | Jul 30, 2014

Mr. Swanberg is not a total amateur, but he is called "a doodler" for obvious reasons, all of them on red alert here.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Jul 30, 2014

Swanberg is good at futzing with our moment-to-moment expectations, but he can't shape all these well-acted scenes into a satisfying whole.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jul 30, 2014

A subtle, witty, wise and deeply compassionate American movie.

| Jul 29, 2014

The movie is packed with minor incidents, all fresh, compelling, and funny.

| Jul 29, 2014

Joe Swanberg's films have grown into a reliable relief from the competitive, dehumanizing freneticism of much of American culture, marked as they are by an affirming and understated sense of decency.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Jul 27, 2014

An enervating and voyeuristic snapshot of familial discontentment.

| Original Score: 1/4 | Jul 25, 2014

Joe Swanberg's 'Happy Christmas' could benefit from a good script.

| Original Score: 2.1/2 | Jul 25, 2014

Swanberg is smart enough to let female interaction be the driving force behind "Happy Christmas."

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Jul 25, 2014

Happy Christmas examines, in its shambling way, the challenges facing dual-career couples as they become parents.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Jul 25, 2014