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A budding novelist and her film director husband, Kelly (Melanie Lynskey) and Jeff (Joe Swanberg) and their two-year-old son live a peaceful existence in Chicago. But when Jeff's irresponsible younger sister, Jenny (Anna Kendrick), comes to live with them after a breakup, things start to change. Jenny begins a rocky relationship with a baby sitter-cum-pot dealer (Mark Webber), and she and a friend, Carson (Lena Dunham), instigate an evolution in Kelly's life, as her career and her relationship with her husband begin to grow in new directions. But are they welcome ones?
In HAPPY CHRISTMAS, writer/actor/director Joe Swanberg (Drinking Buddies) explores both sibling relationships and the choices women face in young families. Using his unique improvisational technique, Swanberg creates a dramatic experience that results in a natural, relatable peek into his characters' lives, filled with an engaging warmth and the actors' own natural sense of humor.
 
written, directed, and edited by JOE SWANBERG
produced by JOE SWANBERG & PETER GILBERT
executive producer Eddie Linker
co-producer Alicia Van Couvering
director of photography BEN RICHARDSON
music supervisor CHRIS SWANSON
Anna Kendrick….Jenny
Melanie Lynskey…Kelly
Mark Webber…Kevin
Lena Dunham….Carson
Joe Swanberg…Jeff
Jude Swanberg…Jude
Chris Swanson….Music Supervisor
Eldar Kim…Cab Driver
Megan Mercier….Party Host
Chris Renton….Party Makeout Guy
Kris Swanberg….Landlord
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“IT SOARS. Fresh, compelling and funny. It’s like watching life’s best and most revealing parts.” – Alan Scherstuhl, Village Voice/LA Weekly
“A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY GIFT HAS ARRIVED EARLY.” – Mara Reinstein, US Weekly
”***1/2. FILMGOERS DRAWN TO SUBTLE TRUTHS AND AUTHENTIC CHARACTERS WILL FIND A REAL GIFT IN HAPPY CHRISTMAS. Anna Kendrick is terrific.” – Claudia Puig, USA Today
“Everyone in this movie feels so authentic, you’ll half-expect to run into them on the street.” – Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times
“IT’S BOTH FUNNY AND JAW-DROPPINGLY RICH.” – Ray Pride, New City
“THE FILM IS A LITTLE BIT OF ‘CHRISTMAS IN JULY’, with characters who are smart, funny, endearing and unpredictable.” – Michael Sragow, Orange County Register
“SWEET AND FUNNY AND ALWAYS RINGS TRUE.” – Matt Pais, RedEye
"Canny and relatable. Joe Swanberg's most mature and satisfying film yet." – Kate Erbland, Film.com
“Sweetly funny, utterly enjoyable.” – Eric Kohn, Indiewire
“Undeniably charming.” – Henry Barnes, The Guardian (UK)
“Engaging, truthful and affecting.” – Rodrigo Perez, The Playlist
“Moving, gentle and generous. It might be Swanberg's warmest, most easily enjoyable film to date.” – Guy Lodge, HitFix
“A dedicated focus on character development pays off with ample humor.” – Justin Lowe, Hollywood Reporter
“IT GENERATES SUCH WARMTH. Swanberg is adept at finding the telling detail that makes the commonplace feel universal.” – Tim Grierson, Paste
“Swanberg furthers his development into a filmmaker of nimble nuance with a real sensitivity to his performers.” – Mark Olsen, LA Times
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