Office Christmas Party

2016 American Christmas comedy film directed by Will Speck and Josh Gordon

Office Christmas Party

Theatrical release poster

Directed by|

* Will Speck
Josh Gordon

Screenplay by|

* Justin Malen
* Laura Solon
* Dan Mazer

Story by|

* Jon Lucas
* Scott Moore
* Timothy Dowling

Produced by|

* Scott Stuber
* Guymon Casady
* Daniel Rappaport

Starring|

* Jason Bateman
* Olivia Munn
* T.J. Miller
* Jillian Bell
* Vanessa Bayer
* Courtney B. Vance
* Rob Corddry
* Kate McKinnon
* Jennifer Aniston

Cinematography| Jeff Cutter
Edited by|

* Jeff Groth
* Evan Henke

Music by| Theodore Shapiro

Production
companies

* DreamWorks Pictures[1]
* Reliance Entertainment[1]
* Bluegrass Films[1]
* Amblin Partners[1]

Distributed by| Paramount Pictures[1] (United States and select international territories)
Mister Smith Entertainment[2] (Europe, the Middle East and Africa)

Release dates

* December 5, 2016 (2016-12-05) (New York City)
* December 9, 2016 (2016-12-09) (United States)

Running time

| 105 minutes[3]
Country| United States
Language| English
Budget| $45 million[4]
Box office| $114.5 million[4]

Office Christmas Party is a 2016 American Christmas comedy film directed by Will Speck and Josh Gordon and written by Justin Malen and Laura Solon, based on a story by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. The film stars an ensemble cast, including Jason Bateman, Olivia Munn, T.J. Miller, Jillian Bell, Vanessa Bayer, Courtney B. Vance, Rob Corddry, Kate McKinnon, and Jennifer Aniston.

The film was released on December 9, 2016, by Paramount Pictures. It grossed $114 million worldwide.

## Plot[edit]

Josh Parker, Chief Technology Officer of Zenotek in Chicago, finalizes his divorce and goes to work. The interim CEO Carol Vanstone arrives to notify Josh and branch manager Clay Vanstone that the company has failed to meet its new quarterly quota. She threatens to lay off 40% of their employees, cut bonuses, and cancel the annual Christmas party. Carol and Clay are siblings having recently lost their father, the former CEO. Clay is desperate to keep his staff and to pay out employee bonuses; however, Carol, resenting Clay as their father's favorite, threatens to shut down the branch.

Josh, Clay, and Tracey Hughes, chief of Research and Development, inform Carol that they have a meeting with financial giant Walter Davis later in the day, and will attempt to acquire a $14 million contract with Walter's company, Data City. Carol says that if they can land that contract, she will agree not to make cuts at the company. At the meeting, Walter says he likes Zenotek's product, but has concerns about its corporate culture and how it treats its employees. Clay invites him to the Christmas party, hoping to show him their company has a healthy employee environment. On the way to the airport, Carol stops by Josh's apartment to offer him a position working for her at the New York headquarters at twice his current salary.

Clay funds an exorbitant Christmas party, vexing Mary, head of Human Resources. The party struggles to pick up even with Chicago Bulls player Jimmy Butler present. However, when cocaine belonging to Savannah, a prostitute hired by Nate to pose as his girlfriend to impress his subordinates, is mistakenly placed in a snow-blowing machine, employees are doused with the substance, as is Walter. They become rowdier, resulting in nudity, orgies in the restroom, and damage to the company's property. Clay's assistant and single mom Allison unsuccessfully tries to start a romance with Fred. Jeremy dances uninhibitedly with Mary, whom he previously despised. As Clay wins over Walter, Josh and Tracey nearly kiss on the roof.

Carol's flight is cancelled due to weather, and she rushes back when she learns about the party. After Walter is hospitalized attempting to swing off a balcony, Josh and the others learn that Walter was fired from his firm earlier, upon which Carol decides to immediately shut down the branch.

Carol then loudly mentions her job offer to Josh to everyone, especially Clay. Despite stating he didn't accept it, he is angrily confronted by Tracey for not having explicitly turned Carol down as Tracey did when Carol made her a similar offer. Feeling betrayed, Clay rushes off with Savannah's gun-toting pimp, who wants to rob his personal safe. Josh, Tracey, Mary, and Carol race to save him.

Hearing the branch is being terminated instigates a riot, resulting in more property damage. Josh authorizes security guard Carla to shut down the party. Clay races Trina's car towards an opening drawbridge, attempting to jump the gap, a feat he'd earlier mentioned to Josh. Driving Mary's minivan alongside him, Josh tries to convince Clay not to jump, but the despondent Clay still wants to jump, dead or alive. Carol takes the wheel, and runs Clay's car into an internet hub, disconnecting the entire city.

Trina and Savannah are arrested, while Clay is taken to the hospital. The internet blackout inspires Tracey to implement an innovation combining internet Wi-Fi with wire connections through the power grid, which had previously failed. They race back to the destroyed office to set up her tech, which successfully restores internet access to the city, saving the branch.

Clay apologizes to Carol for how his father treated her. Walter, in the same hospital, agrees to join the team. Josh and Tracey kiss amidst the ruins of the office. Jeremy opens up to Mary, and Nate and Allison agree to go on a date. Everyone meets Carol and Clay at the hospital, and they all go out for breakfast, driving recklessly on the way.

## Cast[edit]

* Jason Bateman as Josh Parker, Chief of Technical Advancement, Zenotek Chicago
* Olivia Munn as Tracey Hughes, Chief of R&D, Zenotek Chicago
* T.J. Miller as Clay Vanstone, Head of Zenotek Chicago
* Jennifer Aniston as Carol Vanstone, interim CEO of Zenotek
* Kate McKinnon as Mary Winetoss, the human resources representative of Zenotek
* Jillian Bell as Trina, a pimp
* Courtney B. Vance as Walter Davis, representative of a huge financial company
* Vanessa Bayer as Allison Parker, Clay's assistant
* Rob Corddry as Jeremy Parker, customer service supervisor
* Karan Soni as Nate Winetoss, IT director
* Sam Richardson as Joel, who serves as DJ during the party
* Randall Park as Fred, a new employee
* Abbey Lee as Savannah, an escort
* Jamie Chung as Meghan
* Da'Vine Joy Randolph as Carla, the security guard
* Fortune Feimster as Lonny, the Uber Driver
* Matt Walsh as Ezra, Josh's divorce lawyer
* Ben Falcone as Doctor
* Chloe Wepper as Kelsey, one of the office workers
* Oliver Cooper as Drew, one of Nate's staff members
* Adrian Martinez as Larry, one of the office workers
* Erick Chavarria as Alan, one of the office workers
* Andrew Leeds as Tim, one of Nate's staff members
* Jimmy Butler as himself
* Michael Tourek as Alexei

## Production[edit]

In 2010, Guymon Casady approached Will Speck and Josh Gordon with an original idea of his, to make a movie about a holiday office party. They subsequently set the concept up at DreamWorks Pictures, and it was later rewritten by Lee Eisenberg, Gene Stupnitsky, and Laura Solon.[5] On February 19, 2016, it was announced that Speck and Gordon would also direct the film to be distributed by Paramount Pictures, which would star Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, T.J. Miller, and Kate McKinnon.[5][6] On March 8, 2016, Randall Park joined the film,[7] and Olivia Munn was cast on March 17.[8] On April 4, 2016, Abbey Lee Kershaw joined the cast.[9] Karan Soni, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, and Jamie Chung were added on April 5, 2016,[10] and on April 6, 2016, Rob Corddry, Andrew Leeds, and Oliver Cooper were cast as well.[11]

Principal photography on the film began late March 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia.[12] In early April, filming took place in Chicago, Illinois,[13] and after that production moved to Hiram, Georgia, where it shot from April 19 to June 1, 2016.[14]

On casting Aniston in the film, Gordon stated, "We created this character for Jennifer because she's absolutely fearless when it comes to playing somewhat unlikeable characters in comedies. For her, the more daring the role, the better."[15]

## Release[edit]

Office Christmas Party was released in the United States on December 9, 2016, by Paramount Pictures.[5][6] Paramount also distributed it internationally, except in several territories: EMEA, where Mister Smith Entertainment handled sales, India, where Reliance Entertainment distributed the film, and the United Kingdom, Benelux, Australia and New Zealand, where Entertainment One distributed the film.

## Reception[edit]

### Box office[edit]

Office Christmas Party grossed $54.8 million in the United States and Canada and $59.7 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $114.5 million, against a production budget of $45 million.[4]

Office Christmas Party was released alongside The Bounce Back and the wide expansions of Miss Sloane and Nocturnal Animals, and was expected to gross $13–15 million from 3,210 theaters in its opening weekend.[16] It went on to make $16.9 million in its opening weekend, finishing second at the box office and on par with recent R-rated comedies like How to Be Single and Sisters. The opening weekend audience was 56% male, and 83% was over the age of 25.[17]

### Critical response[edit]

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (December 2020)

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Office Christmas Party received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 41% based on 185 reviews and an average rating of 4.9/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Its cast of gifted comics is good for a handful of laughs, but Office Christmas Party's overstuffed plot ultimately proves roughly as disappointing as its clichéd gags and forced sentimentality."[18] On Metacritic, the film had a weighted average score of 42 out of 100 based on 35 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[19] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.[20][17] Vanity Fair critic Jordan Hoffman gave the film a positive review, highlighting several comedic performances by the ensemble cast.[21]

### Home media[edit]

The film was released on Digital HD on March 21, 2017,[22] before being released on DVD and Blu-ray on April 4, 2017.[23][24]

In Germany the title was changed for the home release, with the film named Dirty Office Party.[25]

## See also[edit]

* List of Christmas films

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e Hazelton, John (December 7, 2016). "'Office Christmas Party': Review". Screen International. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
2. ^ McNary, Dave (November 4, 2016). "AFM: Mister Smith Pacts Power its Picture Pipeline". Variety. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
3. ^ "Office Christmas Party (15)". British Board of Film Classification. November 25, 2016. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
4. ^ a b c "Office Christmas Party (2016)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
5. ^ a b c Kit, Borys (February 19, 2016). "Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman to Star in 'Office Christmas Party' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 21, 2016.
6. ^ a b A. Lincoln, Ross (February 19, 2016). "Dreamworks Invites Jason Bateman, Jennifer Aniston To 'Office Christmas Party'". Deadline. Retrieved February 21, 2016.
7. ^ Kit, Borys (March 8, 2016). "Randall Park Joining Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman in 'Office Christmas Party' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
8. ^ Kroll, Justin (March 17, 2016). "Olivia Munn in Talks for Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman's 'Office Christmas Party' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
9. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (April 4, 2016). "Abbey Lee Set For DreamWorks' 'Office Christmas Party'". Deadline Hollywood.
10. ^ "Jamie Chung, 'Deadpool' Actor Join 'Office Christmas Party'". TheWrap. April 5, 2016.
11. ^ "Rob Corddry Joins Jennifer Aniston's 'Office Christmas Party' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. April 6, 2016.
12. ^ "Filming over Chicago River for 'Office Christmas Party'". Loop North. March 24, 2016. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
13. ^ Metz, Nina (March 28, 2016). "Jennifer Aniston comedy 'Office Christmas Party' to film here this week". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
14. ^ "Find out how you can be an Extra in 'Office Christmas Party' in Chicago and Atlanta". OLV. March 23, 2016. Archived from the original on March 24, 2016. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
15. ^ Hatziefstathiou, Nik (November 24, 2016). "Jennifer Aniston Stars in 'Office Christmas Party' Hitting Theaters December 9". Young Constituents. Archived from the original on November 26, 2016.
16. ^ "'Office Christmas Party' Hopes To Bring Cheer To Another Dull Weekend; 'La La Land' Tunes Up – Box Office Preview". Deadline Hollywood. December 7, 2016.
17. ^ a b "'Moana' Threepeats at #1, 'La La Land' Opens Big in Limited Release". Box Office Mojo.
18. ^ "Office Christmas Party (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
19. ^ "Office Christmas Party Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
20. ^ "Office Christmas Party". CinemaScore. December 9, 2016. Retrieved April 10, 2017 - via Twitter.
21. ^ Hoffman, Jordan (December 7, 2016). "Office Christmas Party's Gift to You? A Whole Lot of Mugging". Vanity Fair. Conde Nast. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
22. ^ "Jennifer Aniston Stars in OFFICE CHRISTMAS PARTY, Coming to Blu-ray Combo Pack 4/4". Broadway World. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
23. ^ "Office Christmas Party at Amazon.com". ASIN B01LTHZX6I. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
24. ^ "Office Christmas Party (2016)". DVDs Release Dates. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
25. ^ "Dirty Office Party". Amazon.de. Retrieved June 10, 2017.

## External links[edit]

Wikiquote has quotations related to Office Christmas Party.

* Office Christmas Party at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

Works by Will Speck and Josh Gordon

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* Blades of Glory (2007)
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TV series created|

* Cavemen (2007)
* Hit-Monkey (2021–present)

* v
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* Endless Love (2014)
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* Kill the Messenger (2014)
* Ted 2 (2015)
* Free State of Jones (2016)
* Central Intelligence (2016)
* Patriots Day (2016)
* Office Christmas Party (2016)

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