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Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman reunite with The Switch directors Josh Gordon and Will Speck for a holiday comedy based on a story by the guys who wrote The Hangover movies. Yes, this is pretty much what you expect it will be: a clumsily written lark that strains for gross-out gags. But it also manages to keep the audience laughing, simply because the cast is up for it.

It's set in the Chicago branch of a technology firm, where the playful director Clay (T.J. Miller) has created a lively atmosphere but is losing money. So his CEO sister Carol (Aniston) drops in to tell him she's planning to shut down the branch. Clay and manager Josh (Bateman) have one last hope: to land a big client (Courtney B. Vance), so they invite him to their epic Christmas party, which is also designed to assure the staff that everything is fine. Helping with the plan are the IT expert Tracey (Olivia Munn) and the HR director Mary (Kate McKinnon). And no one is surprised when the festivities begin to spin crazily out of control.

Frankly, the party itself is the weakest thing about the movie, as it's blown up far beyond credibility, and never given much attention in the narrative. Instead, the through-line is the wacky caper involving the central characters, played by a gang of actors who are experts at improvisation, so they continually throw amusing bits of unexpected comedy at the audience. The winner is McKinnon, who is consistently hysterical, stealing every scene as she did in Ghostbusters. But Munn's acerbic wit and Miller's endearing nuttiness give her a run for her money. As does Rob Corddry as a chucklehead colleague. By comparison, Aniston and Bateman anchor the film as the vaguely more grounded figures. Although Carol is a pretty nasty piece of work, we have no doubt that everyone will wear her down in the end.

Continue reading: Office Christmas Party Review

Both the filmmakers and the characters on-screen are so pleased with themselves that this might just be the smuggest movie ever made. Thankfully, it's also very funny. It's a passion project for actor-producer Ryan Reynolds, who throws himself fully into his role as a snarky mercenary who becomes an indestructible superhero with nothing to lose. And in addition to a constant stream of irreverent humour, he underscores the film's snarkiness with some real emotion.

Reynolds plays Wade, a thug for hire who works out of a bar run by his comical pal Weasel (T.J. Miller), and when he meets fellow mercenary Vanessa (Morena Baccarin), it's love at first sight. The feisty pair match each other with sharp tongues and brutal physicality, but their romance is shaken when Wade is secretly diagnosed with end-stage cancer. His only hope lies in a shady treatment from the ropey Ajax (Ed Skrein) and his sidekick Angel Dust (Gina Carano), which turns out to literally be torture. Sure, it cures his cancer and sparks his innate mutant healing power, but it leaves him hideously scarred. As he sets out to get revenge, two young X-Men (Brianna Hildebrand's Negasonic Teenage Warhead and Stefan Kapcic's Colossus) try to recruit him to their cause. And Wade, now known as Deadpool, tries to work up the nerve to show Vanessa what's left of him.

All of this is revealed early on, as Wade's back-story is recounted in a series of flashbacks in the middle of a massive opening action sequence. And once we're caught up, the story heads into a succession of massive climactic action sequences. Fortunately, there are some quieter moments in between that are both hilarious and involving. Reynolds effortlessly bridges the film's wild mood swings. His sassy attitude and feisty physicality feed cleverly into his riveting chemistry with Baccarin, whose character starts off strongly before dissolving into the standard hackneyed girlfriend role.

Continue reading: Deadpool Review

With an apocalyptic asteroid strike due in three weeks, Dodge (Carell) wonders why he's still going to work at his dull insurance firm. Then he runs into Penny (Knightley), distraught because she's broken up with her boyfriend (Brody). Dodge wants to revisit his childhood sweetheart, while Penny wants to see her parents in Britain. And Dodge knows someone with a plane, so they team up. Along the road, they get help from a trucker (Peterson) and Penny's survivalist ex (Luke). But with the world ending, their priorities begin to shift.

Continue reading: Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World Review