Happy Christmas

...Swanberg can generate surprising beauty and raw emotional truth by allowing his cast to invent the movie as they go along.

...Swanberg is smart enough to let female interaction be the driving force behind Happy Christmas.

Swanberg's films have grown into a reliable relief from the competitive, dehumanizing freneticism of much of American culture, marked as they are by an affirming and understated sense of decency.

Swanberg’s biggest accomplishment this time around is tackling Jeff and Kelly’s lifestyle choices without over-dramatizing any problems between the two.

...Jude, is played by Swanberg's real-life son, Jude, and he is a pip, a wonderful camera presence and a more fruitful improviser than several of his co-stars.