Office Christmas Party

Jason Bateman and Jennifer Aniston team up for the fifth time in this predictable yet likeable seasonal comedy from Josh Gordon and Will Speck. Aniston plays the mean-spirited CEO of a data storage company who squabbles childishly with her branch-manager sibling (TJ Miller). Keen to avoid the mass lay-offs she's proposing, her brother and his second-in-command (Bateman) attempt to nail down a lucrative contract by throwing an unforgettable Christmas party. Even as events descend into familiar anarchic territory, things never get nasty. And although the scenarios seem forced, the action feels natural thanks to the nonchalant delivery of a fine cast, with Kate McKinnon scene-stealing as the head of HR who carefully labels the shindig a "non-denominational holiday mixer". In fact, the film boasts an abundance of women, both out front and in support, playing a range of atypical roles, from IT whizz to pimp to taxi driver. The amiable ensemble generates significant goodwill but generic antics and a lack of belly laughs mean it's not quite a Christmas cracker.