Happy Christmas is a 2014 American comedy-drama film written, produced and directed by Joe Swanberg. It stars Swanberg, Anna Kendrick, Melanie Lynskey, Mark Webber, and Lena Dunham. Like most of Swanberg's previous features, the film's dialogue was entirely improvised. The film had its world premiere at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival (where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize in the U.S. Dramatic Competition) on January 19, 2014. It was released on June 26, 2014, through video on demand prior to being released in a limited release July 25, 2014 in the United States by Magnolia Pictures. Plot Irresponsible 20-something Jenny (Anna Kendrick) arrives in Chicago to live with her older brother Jeff (Joe Swanberg), a young filmmaker living a happy existence with his novelist wife Kelly (Melanie Lynskey) and their two-year-old son. Jenny's arrival shakes up their quiet domesticity as she and Jenny's friend from high school Carson (Lena Dunham) instigate an evolution in Kelly's life and career. Cast Anna Kendrick as Jenny Melanie Lynskey as Kelly Joe Swanberg as Jeff Mark Webber as Kevin Lena Dunham as Carson Release Magnolia Pictures and Paramount Pictures jointly acquired the international distribution rights prior to the film's premiere screening. The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 19, 2014. The film was released on video on demand on June 26, 2014, before being released in a limited release on July 25, 2014. Reception The film has been met with positive reviews. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of based on reviews, with an average rating of . The website's critics consensus reads: "Intelligent, well-acted, and satisfyingly low-key, Happy Christmas marks another step in prolific filmmaker Joe Swanberg's creative evolution." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 70 out of 100, based on 28 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews." See also List of Christmas films References External links 2014 films 2010s Christmas comedy-drama films American Christmas comedy-drama films American independent films Films directed by Joe Swanberg Films set in Chicago Mumblecore films 2014 independent films 2010s English-language films 2010s American films