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For many people, the holiday season is a difficult time. For some, it’s a time for stress and family drama; for others, it’s a time of loneliness and loss. But when two besties attempt to spend a Hollywood holiday together in the Thanksgiving comedy Friendsgiving, nothing goes according to plan.
Friendsgiving celebrates the holiday with best friends Abby (Kat Dennings) and Molly (Malin Akerman). It’s been a difficult year for both of them. Abby’s controlling girlfriend broke up with her early in the year, and Molly’s husband left her with a new baby just months ago. Abby is eager to spend a quiet holiday drowning her sorrows with her best friend—so she’s shocked to find that Molly has invited her new boyfriend, Jeff (Jack Donnelly), and a few other friends, too. And their quiet Thanksgiving quickly turns into a chaotic one.
With each new guest to arrive, Friendsgiving just gets more outrageous and over-the-top—much to Abby’s dismay. We all have that one friend who loves to wallow in misery—and that’s definitely Abby. All she wants is a quiet day of overindulgence and commiseration with her best friend—so she’s less than thrilled to discover that bright and upbeat Molly has already moved on with a new guy. And as she hides away in the kitchen, she grows more and more bitter and (as you might expect from Dennings) bitingly sarcastic.
The rest of the guests, meanwhile, are a motley group of Hollywood stereotypes—from an over-botoxed Christine Taylor to Molly’s handsome but egotistical ex, Gunnar (Ryan Hansen), to newly certified shawoman Claire (Chelsea Peretti). It definitely leads to all kinds of craziness—and it eventually spirals completely out of control.
Really, the whole thing feels random and a little spontaneous—as if a group of Hollywood friends got together for drinks and ended up shooting a movie. At times, it can be amusing, but there are also times when the gags either go too far or simply fall flat. Dennings tends to go overboard with her rage, and some of the others seem to be trying too hard to seem effortlessly funny. And the result is sometimes as awkward as your own family gatherings.
Friendsgiving definitely boasts a long cast list of recognizable female comics—and if your favorites are on the list, it could be worth a look. But, despite the loaded cast, this isn’t exactly a holiday to remember.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
